Connection: Only One You!

The beginning of school has been a whirlwind: setting up schedules, meeting with teachers, and organizing student records.  As a Learning Specialist, I can lose sight of what’s really important as we begin the school year.  I can get lost in the minutiae and miss what’s right in front of me – the children.  The faculty is busy in these early days getting their classroom environments ready and getting to know their new group of students.  For me, I am in charge of learning support from Junior PreK to 5^th grade, about two hundred children.  Now, while I may not work with all of them directly, I do make sure I know their names and find out a little bit about each one of them.  This means that my brain is on overdrive in September, and I have to remind myself to slow down and really connect – connect with faculty, students, and their parents. This means meeting with faculty and parents to discuss the best support paths for many students.  This also means connecting with students.  I spend the first few weeks of school inviting myself into classrooms, reacquainting myself with our students and getting to know new ones.

Several years ago, our director and her administrative assistant were inspired by an idea to create a Harmony Garden sparked by the book, Only One You by Linda Kranz, which celebrates differences. Mama and Papa share some wisdom with their beloved Adri before he goes out into the world: Find your own way.  You don’t have to follow the crowd; Always be on the lookout for a new friend; Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect every day. Our school started the tradition of having each student decorate a rock to add to our Harmony Garden, which winds in front of our school building, creating a bright spot for acceptance and reflection.

This year, I was asked to continue this project with both this year’s and last year’s new students since I create a recess crafting space called Wonder Studio for our 3^rd through 5^th grade students.  This week, I invite the “new” students to join me in the studio to create their one-of-a- kind rock designs.  The girls quickly got to work sharing ideas and helping me set up their painting spaces. As we sat and painted, the girls shared what was new and what was different about their school experiences so far.  They also revealed more and more about themselves in the two days it took to complete this project.  I got to know them better, and they got to know each other. I think it was very reassuring for the new students to meet “one year new” students, who told them how much they love the school, the teachers, and how many friends they have made.  This is very comforting to a young child who is coming into a new school year, does not know any classmates, and is in a school with different rules and organization.  Painting a special rock that represents your hopes and dreams and placing that rock within the school garden helps to show that old and new students alike are valued as part of our diverse community.