As the country has been preparing itself for Inauguration Day tomorrow, we, as teachers of young children, have held steadfast in our duty to nurture and protect our students. Regardless of political affiliation, opinion, or belief, one of our top priorities has been, and will continue to be, to make sure our children feel safe. To that end, we uphold the guiding principles set forth by our school’s anchors: respect, independence, love, caring, and creativity. Unfortunately, while it is usually a simple lesson to show children how to be respectful and kind, the current tenor that recent political events have stirred up means we have to be much more vigilant, proactive, and direct with our message.

Our school pledge, recited weekly by the entire student body, states, “I will work hard. I will be kind. I will be mindful.” Never before has this pledge been more critical and important. As I have often said, these children are the future and our job is two-fold: to prepare them for the world, and to prepare the world for them. Our jobs have not changed. Outside of these school walls, there are big things happening and big decisions being made. Within these school walls, there are also big (relatively-speaking, of course) things happening and big decisions being made. Within these walls we are sticking to our promise to work hard, be kind, and be mindful.