By Steve Mayer
How might our society look different if it was safe, supportive, engaging and inspiring for all of its members? Would crime evaporate? Would a good education, a good job and an affordable home be available to all citizens? Would people more easily gain access to basic needs and basic rights?
What if this started in school? What if schools, as a microcosm of society, were able to create conditions where every child felt safe and inspired when walking through the schoolhouse doors? What might need to change?
These are questions at the core of our work in Robbinsville Schools. When asked how we define success, the easiest and most common answer is that we create an educational environment in which kids gain access to the best colleges and universities in the country. While this is true, there is much more at stake.
We expect that our students’ experiences in our hallways, classrooms, buses, athletic fields and stages will motivate them toward a better understanding of what it means to be human—of how to make meaningful connections with others while contributing to create a better, more compassionate world.
Whether this occurs within the simple walls of a Kindergarten classroom or through global advocacy on the high school debate team, the metrics are the same—the development of global citizens who depend on each other and have the capacity to propose solutions to real problems.
A safe and supportive place is one in which students can say, “I can be myself here. My opinions matter. These people care about my well-being.” In Robbinsville, we are very deliberate in the steps we take to create this type of environment.
Safe does not only mean free from harm or danger, and supportive means much more than offering a crutch to someone who is struggling. Both of these words suggest the ability to empower a wide array of choices. To us, safe and supportive means creating a place in which our students are willing to take risks, to overcome obstacles, and to chart a path forward leveraging their own unique qualities.
We are also mindful of the importance of engaging and inspiring students. An involved citizenry is one that identifies and addresses problems. Engaged students see themselves as difference makers, as those who can make changes that create a better community. If we give students voice and ownership, we have the best chance at seeing them fully engaged as learners. Fully engaged learners are inspired to reach their aspirations and determine how they will contribute to their world.
The ancient Greeks suggested that self-knowledge is the basis of true knowledge. When we provide students with a safe and nurturing environment while presenting lessons that foster engagement and inspire curiosity, we create avenues for independent thought and authenticity, the building blocks for self-awareness and self-knowledge. These ideals are at the core of our mission.
They are values that motivate decision making and programing for students because we believe that succeeding with these gives all of us the best chance for a bright tomorrow.
Steve Mayer is superintendent of Robbinsville Schools.
