Inevitably, at least one point in our lives, we end up circling back to something we have done, seen, or heard before. We are, after all, creatures of habit, and the world orbits among trends.
Earlier this month, I had written a piece about how Ferguson is connected to education, and now others are drawing this connection even more explicitly. Students cannot be expected to learn if they are reeling from a recent tragedy like this. (They also cannot be expected to learn if they are hungry, anxious, sick, and a whole slew of other feelings, as numerous researchers have also noted.) Teachers cannot be expected to teach if students are unmotivated, angry, and dour. Administrators cannot be expected to administrate if there exists an inherent distrust of "the authority" within a community. And parents cannot be expected to parent when the very lessons they are trying to teach are being undermined by the society at large.
Once again, we see how everything is connected. Schools do not exist within a silo. Therefore the policies that aim to improve them should involve the community at large. Education affects everything, therefore everything should focus, at least to some extent, on education.
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