Off to a Great Start: Creating a Welcoming Environment

Contributing Editor: Karen Poplawski, Director of Programs

This journal finds us at the beginning of a school year that will be unlike any that have preceded it. Educators will be asked to deal with the constraints and effects of the current health crisis while also addressing the systemic racism that creates inequity in our school communities. These issues underscore how critical social and emotional learning is, yet the constraints of maintaining social distance or learning virtually will make creating connections with and between students harder than ever before.

These logistical challenges may make teachers feel like there is even less time than usual to get to all the academic content in the curriculum, so it might be tempting to revert to pedagogical practices that focus exclusively on content acquisition. But the entire Responsive Classroom community, including everyone reading this journal, has worked tirelessly to change those practices because we know the power of social and emotional connection and its impact on learning. We know it’s what is best for students.

We hope this journal will be an invaluable resource for the upcoming school year by helping you think about how you can take care of yourself, how you can overcome some of the hurdles you face, and how you can hold fast to what you know is right for students.