#Iwishmyteacherknew...

Five years ago 3rd grade Denver teacher Kyle Schwartz gave her students the assignment to finish the sentence “I wish my teacher knew...” What came next became an internet sensation and most recently a book.

What she (and her fellow teachers who followed her lead) gained was an understanding of the many ways in which her students’ home lives affected their learning. And I believe their classroom learnings, in turn, affected their home lives as well because of what Kyle learned by introducing her simple sentence starter. Simple. But not ordinary.

As a family therapist who works with, well, families, I applaud her efforts. It makes sense that her idea went viral. My experience has taught me that the best school outcomes overall are based on a foundation of mutual respect between the schools and families. Nobody benefits if secrets are kept; secrets beget suffering.

When fear and shame prevent children from sharing what's really going on I their lives, learning suffers. The illusion that keeping a stiff upper lip is a sign of strength is largely from last century...or the one before that.

I support and encourage a mutually respectful triangle partnership between student, school, and family. And when needed, a therapeutic intervention with school counseling and/or a competent family therapist in the community. We’re all in this together, let's use all our resources so we can help support a new generation of learners and leaders. Students mental health and emotional safety is as important as their formal learning.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/17/living/i-wish-my-teacher-knew-kyle-schwartz-schools-feat/