This week, we are continuing our work including other students. Last week, we brainstormed and practiced strategies for including others and asking to join a group. Including others is important, but sometimes it can be hard, especially if someone looks or acts different than we expect. For this lesson, we talked about the importance of understanding and appreciating those who appear different. By getting to know all students, we can learn to appreciate their uniqueness and find similarities that we did not even know existed.
To support increased understanding of others, we are practicing by becoming more familiar with students in our own classroom. Students are taking time to share information about their families. Even in a class where students have been together for over half of the school year, they are discovering that there are still new things to learn.
Being willing to learn about other people is an important strategy to help us empathize with others and increase our comfort with including all students.
If you have a moment, encourage your child to reach out to someone new at school, especially someone they might not typically.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH: 508-836-7760 Email: [email protected]