Dear Burr Families,
It’s been 11 days since the citizens of the United States elected a new president and I realize that we, the Burr community members, have a variety of feeling about the results. Some of us are optimistic about the future and some of us are nervous and worried. One thing I know for sure is that we all want what is best for our families and our community, and for our students to feel safe.
At Burr, we celebrate our diversity and hold dear our core value of respect for human differences. We weave these values into our daily classroom work as we teach our children to appreciate different opinions and to disagree in a respectful manner. It is easy to follow those values during peaceful times, but our fundamental beliefs have been challenged during this time of uncertainty and change.
One of Responsive Classroom’s mantras is to take care of others. Our teachers use this everyday in the classroom and have placed special emphasis on it this past week. School should be a safe place where all feel included, respected, and valued. Hate has no place in our school or anywhere else in our community. Our goal is for students to have open conversations with their classmates that foster respect, compassion, understanding, and appreciation for our diverse student body.
On a national level it is clear, emotions are high and many communities are feeling vulnerable and afraid. These emotions can easily filter into our Burr community and to our children. Last week, Superintendent Fleishman wrote to staff: “While we do not have control over what happens at the national level, we can create a culture in our schools that is respectful and supportive. Hopefully, the work we are doing now will help our students to be prepared to participate in a less divisive world.”
Our students are our hope that things will change for the better. We will continue the work we have already begun at Burr to ensure they have the skills and the motivation to become kind, compassionate, and engaged citizens of our wonderfully diverse world. I feel confident that you will continue to partners with us in this important work.
Yours truly,
Mindy