The Match | Belonging
Let’s light this week’s Match!
Each Week: One Word. One Sentence. One Passage.
Word: Belonging
Sentence:
Belonging is the core of human connection.
Passage:
When I took my first principalship, I stepped into a school where more than forty languages were spoken, nearly 30 percent of students were identified for special education, and 10 percent were living in temporary housing. Our differences were vast. I wanted students and staff to feel a true sense of belonging, to believe they could be anything they dreamed of, and to know they would be valued as they were, not as someone else’s idea of who they should be. When cultures were celebrated, when families were welcomed, and when teachers came together as a team, the school started to feel whole. Communities do not come alive through policies, they come alive when people believe they belong.
Your Turn:
If someone asked your staff, team, students, “Do you feel like you belong here?” What would they say?
4 Comments
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About The Match Weekly
The Match Weekly is one of the ways I can help provide a small spark each week to help you lead with heart and keep your fire lit. It's sometimes all we need to keep going.
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4 Comments
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on September 12, 2025 at 8:32 am
Belonging is SUCH a game changer. It is the difference between just being somewhere and being a PART of somewhere. So proud to be a part of your community and your connection to making students and staff feel seen, heard, and important.
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on September 12, 2025 at 5:54 pm
Thanks Emily! You were a big part of that effort to bring people together! Your positive approach and student centered class was always a joy to watch and you knew exactly how to make each child feel liked the belonged even when the math content got hard!
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on September 12, 2025 at 3:09 pm
It depends on how you define “here.” I’ve found that teachers may feel a strong sense of belonging in their school, but not with respect to the district. This sets up conflict–“we-they” and disillusionment when teachers need to change schools. Also, teachers’ sense of belonging does not always translate to all students. What this means, I think, is that only when belonging becomes a core value that is activated throughout the system will students, staff, and parents feel a sense of belonging in their schools and the school community within district boundaries. This is a very challenging move in our highly bureaucratized and unionized school districts.
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Wow! David, you are taking this to a whole new level. How do we make our districts, and not just certain schools, a place where all kids belong. The adults can sometimes can impede this for sure. The larger the district and the larger the challenge to make the core value of “belonging” come to life. I think it can be done though and you wrote about how a district like Anaheim found their common purpose and that created a sense of belonging. Right?
Belonging is SUCH a game changer. It is the difference between just being somewhere and being a PART of somewhere. So proud to be a part of your community and your connection to making students and staff feel seen, heard, and important.
Thanks Emily! You were a big part of that effort to bring people together! Your positive approach and student centered class was always a joy to watch and you knew exactly how to make each child feel liked the belonged even when the math content got hard!
It depends on how you define “here.” I’ve found that teachers may feel a strong sense of belonging in their school, but not with respect to the district. This sets up conflict–“we-they” and disillusionment when teachers need to change schools. Also, teachers’ sense of belonging does not always translate to all students. What this means, I think, is that only when belonging becomes a core value that is activated throughout the system will students, staff, and parents feel a sense of belonging in their schools and the school community within district boundaries. This is a very challenging move in our highly bureaucratized and unionized school districts.
Wow! David, you are taking this to a whole new level. How do we make our districts, and not just certain schools, a place where all kids belong. The adults can sometimes can impede this for sure. The larger the district and the larger the challenge to make the core value of “belonging” come to life. I think it can be done though and you wrote about how a district like Anaheim found their common purpose and that created a sense of belonging. Right?