Adults Modeling Community

It’s a new school year, and all around campus our students are getting down to business. They are meeting new friends and teachers, learning new routines, and anticipating new academic challenges. Perhaps most importantly, they are building a sense of community.

 

When we talk about building community, we are talking about building a sense of belonging and common purpose. We are talking about developing kind and respectful interactions between students, between students and adults, and between adults. We are talking about providing the opportunity to collaborate with others on shared goals, to work independently at times, and to take leadership roles at other times. We are talking about being compassionate with each other, proactively solving conflicts, taking responsibility for mistakes, and learning to balance our needs with the needs of others.

 

Community matters not only because it makes school a warmer, friendlier place to be. Community matters because research suggests students at schools with a strong sense of community are more likely to have high academic motivation, behave in socially responsible and ethical ways, develop healthy social-emotional skills that are necessary for success in adulthood, and to shy away from behavioral problems such as substance abuse and fighting.

 

As adults, we can contribute to the making of a happy, healthy Shorecrest community by modeling what we wish to see from our children. Children of all ages pay careful attention to the behavior of the adults in their lives. They notice when we treat others respectfully, and when we don’t. They notice when we collaborate effectively with others, and when we are bossy or reluctant. They notice when we show kindness to others and when sharp, hurtful words escape us. They notice when we seek to solve problems and when we seek to blame others. They notice when we take responsibility for our own mistakes and when we hide from our consequences.

 

Let’s join together this year in being mindful of the model we set for our children, to build a strong Shorecrest community that can meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of all of its members.