Public, charters, private, boarding, non-traditional, micro-schools, parochial, virtual, learning pods…
Community colleges, trade schools, public 4-year, private 4-year, non-profit colleges, bootcamps, certifications…
It seems like the list goes on and on. In this post-COVID environment, the educational options continue to expand. Especially since decisions made around how children spend the majority of their time is not an easy one.
The complexity of education becomes difficult to navigate with the weight of these decisions- the choice we make will play a major role in the course of our (or our children’s) lives.
There’s a lot of pressure on schools and educators to navigate a new edge between social-emotional regulation, academic learning, and general support for students.
Student mental health and well-being have to be prioritized as we see increases in anxiety, depression, hospitalizations for mental health concerns, and suicides in adolescents.
There’s also this pressure on parents and families to make the right decision about their child’s educational experience.
I saw this as my own family navigated options to find a balance of mental health support and learning. I’ve seen it again and again since. Parents have so many options on how their child learns. Students are battling the invisible wounds and terrors of anxiety / depression / social anxiety / mental health disorders. There’s not a clear way forward.
When I was in the classroom, this emotional pressure was really difficult to navigate. I struggled to separate myself from the job I was hired to do and the responsibility of emotional support to students.
I did what was in my power to do:
Set up an inclusive classroom community.
Built relationships with students that were based on trust.
Created a learning environment that was empowering through choice and support.
But all the stuff that was out of my control, that’s what I carried home. I sat with it and felt the emotional weight of each of my students’ futures upon my shoulders.
Maybe this was the result of being a young and inexperienced teacher, going into the classroom during some of the most challenging years to date. I was eventually able to find some separation between what I could and couldn’t control, and it did lessen the weight.
Yet, still, by the end of my third year of teaching, I was at the end of my rope. So, I made a tough decision to leave the classroom. It’s me the chance to find my perspective of the last 15 years in the classroom, on both sides.
Learning is an investment, one that we have incomplete information about. These decisions are emotional, social, communal, physical, intellectual, financial, and rooted in what society is like at the current moment.
No one can guarantee, “Yes, this education will be the one that will give all students the highest return on their investment in the form of long-term wages, social capital, fulfillment / purpose, career opportunities”. We only have a fragmented picture of what is available & what outcomes are possible in each choice.
On average, people hold over 12 jobs throughout their working life. It’s challenging to set a learning goal that’s associated with a specific job, title, or set of responsibilities when viewed throughout our lifetime.
We also see that the world changes at a pace in which traditional institutions struggle to keep up. It’s difficult to understand what types of jobs will be on the market in another 2-3 years, much less another 4-7 years.
So here we are, the big question: What can we do, as parents, as educators, as guardians of students, to support them on their educational paths?
Tailor information about educational options to families that align with their priorities. There are apps such as Handshake (connects students to employers), and Loper (connects HS students to colleges). For K-12, this might look like having families enter their preferences, learning values, and any educational needs into a matching system. Then, families could be matched with different educational options that meet their requirements.
Empower students to be a part of the conversation about their learning and well-being.
I always go back to the idea of student empowerment: choice, competence, connectedness. Young people want and need to be heard. They need to feel that they have some of that control over their futures. They need to feel like they have another option, if necessary, and that they have a voice in the matter. Yes, expand access to mental health resources inside and outside of the school system. Yes, have conversations with students and children about how they like to learn, about what they like to do, about what they care about. Yes, ensure they have the tools they need to regulate their emotional well-being.
Increase the capacity for care, and build the whole school community.
There’s an impending mismatch in the expectation that schools are being asked to do it all with the reality of what it means to do it all. Schools still rely on a bottom-line system: enrollment, standardized test scores, teacher retention rates, curricular options and rigor, graduation rates, etc. Heightened SEL cannot just be a trend in education- it has to be the foundation of the school community through formal and informal curriculum, training of all staff (extracurricular staff, after-school staff, any adult who has interactions with students), and programming. There also has to be an acknowledgment for the adults of what is in our control, what is out of our control, and what are the immediate next steps for each situation. If adults are not able to find their balance between mental health and responsibilities, students will struggle as well.
They say it takes a village. One school is not the village, one school is a part of the larger community that students, families, and educators are all a part of. By identifying family priorities, empowering students in their own learning and well-being, and acknowledging the gaps of the educational system, I do believe we can support everyone through the decision-making process and towards an educational path that meets all needs.
What a great piece, Claire! I enjoyed learning more insights into your life as a teacher. Thanks for sharing!