Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.
I understand that my students need certain conditions met before they are able to learn, even if they do not know them themselves.
Students need to feel safe. Safety is a wide term that includes many things.
- Students need to be fed. Learning and growth cannot happen on an empty stomach. Things such as breakfast and lunch programs help students ensure they have food while at school.
- Students need suitable clothing. That means suitable for the weather but also clothes that are clean, in good condition and a variety of clothing. Students shouldn’t have to worry about the clothing they are wearing. In my ideal school, there would be a clothing program for students to be able to grab whatever it is they needed.
These two things are listed on the base pieces of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. As it continues to go up it grows into things such as self-esteem and self actualization. However, students cannot get to those higher tiers without their basic needs in check first.
While I can’t be sure of what happens with students outside of school, I can be sure to make their in-school experience as comfortable as possible.