Remember back in grade school, when you were a youngster, still finding out where you fit in the world. Each new grade presented new challenges; a different, strange classroom, tougher assignments, a 'musical-chairs' remainder of rearranged classmates. It's really a lot to take in. One of the few steady, reassuring things in a youngster's life is the idea that they are welcome, and that they are valued just as they are. That trust establishes a relationship with learning that will last a lifetime.
I am blessed with friends who teach at this vulnerable level; beyond getting the kids through learning objectives, the best of them focus on the emotional state of the young spirits entrusted to them.
Signs like these play a surprisingly important role in that ... in reassuring an uncertain child that there is a place for them right there.
It's difficult to imagine what provokes a school, or school district, to force a teacher to remove these affirmations. But it's not at all hard to imagine what goes through the mind, and the precious, vulnerable hearts of the kids who see them disappear.
These are strange times we find ourselves living in; fear, prejudice, and ignorance being passed off as values. And it's horrifying to imagine that being passed on to the next generation.
