The Whole Child Approach to Education?

 What is the whole-child approach to education and how does it benefit your child?

    The whole-child approach to education is one that I believe should be the priority of all teachers in the education system. The whole-child approach can be defined as, an approach "that honors the humanity of each teacher and student, and is critical to equitably preparing each student to reach their full potential. This starts by creating environments of belonging and connection for students and adults to engage and thrive". The aim of this approach is to create an environment where your child feels safe and secure so that they can thrive during school hours. Some of you might be asking where this concept arose. It arose from a

Children smiling on the playground 

study that was done by Teach for America where they found that this approach results in better academic outcomes, and lower troubling behavior. It should always have been the aim of the teacher to make sure that every student is succeeding, but throughout the past, that has not always been the case. It is hoped with this new approach to teaching we will see lower school drop-out rates, higher scores in the classroom, and fewer disciplinary actions in schools. Children thrive where they feel secure. When children do not feel safe in their environment they are less likely to enjoy learning and push boundaries to become better students academically and socially. 

    This approach is one that I will very much be included in my classroom. I say this because the reason that I went into teaching was that I wanted every child to feel loved and safe in my classroom. This approach does just that. I want to create an environment where my students feel comfortable being themselves, and want to learn the material I am presenting to them. I never want to be the teacher that kills the joy that comes from learning, rather I want to be the teacher that ignites the learning flame within them. You can send your child to my classroom feeling confident that your child is safe and secure with the whole-child approach being a priority for the ways in which my classroom functions.