Dear Fourth Grade Families,
We’ve been thinking a lot about our classrooms. The classroom is a world in itself, with the ability to start fresh each September. We begin the first weeks of school by reflecting on our hopes and dreams for the year. We get to know each other and figure out how we want to be together as a community. We are so grateful to be able to “hit refresh” every year and try again. We wish everyone in America had this opportunity. We wonder how things might be different if they had the space to come together as a diverse group and negotiate their values and goals.
And now it is the day before a break; a time when we celebrate what we are grateful for and the beginnings of the country we know today. We see the beautiful dreamcatchers still hanging on the clothesline in our rooms.
How do we do right by these young people who have hopes and dreams of their own?
What we want most for our students is that they feel joy often and remain curious always. We want all of our students to know that they have the power to create change in their lives and the initiative to do so. Posting our poetry about the events of last week around school was a step in the right direction. Letting our students share their voices and know that their perspectives are valued is an investment in the future of our democracy.
We wish you peace this Thanksgiving.