by Eulanda Thorne
Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.
– Dr. Rita F. Pierson
The school community and staff at Daniels Learning Center in Wilson County model the above-mentioned quote. For the past two years, I have had the honor of working with the teachers at Daniels Learning Center and have witnessed a strong, dedicated, and authentic team of teachers who truly understand the power of connection.
At Daniels’ Learning Center, they serve students who work best in a flexible educational environment that provides a blended learning opportunity. This requires teachers to be flexible in response to the ever-changing dynamics of the school. This unique flexibility speaks to the resilience of Daniels’ staff. I remember reading the school’s vision statement early on in my role as a coach with them, which is: to build strong, personal relationships with students in a unique and accepting learning community. Daniels will support and encourage students through a more individualized educational experience, and students will exit Daniels being equipped to succeed academically and socially at their base schools.
The teachers and staff are consistent in their efforts to not only connect with their students and families but also form intentional relationships, ensuring that students feel psychologically safe and know there is a caring adult in the building who sees and believes in them. The teachers and staff truly understand and carry out one of our Center’s trauma-informed core tenets: “building warm, responsive relationships.”
The North Carolina Center for Resilience and Learning teaches:
The number one predictor of positive child outcomes is a strong, positive relationship with a caregiver. This relationship forms a secure foundation and expands the resilience zone. Our brain knows that we need relationships to survive, and strong relationships send signals of safety to the brain and foster a sense of security, which in turn reduces anxiety and improves students’ ability to learn and engage in a positive classroom environment.The staff at Daniels Learning Center knows the importance of creating an authentic, safe, and supportive school environment. I have witnessed the intentional and inspiring leadership of Principal Samantha Charles-Dixon with her staff; therefore, I can say with confidence that she has laid a solid foundation for this warm and responsive school environment.
I get to work with Mrs. Charles-Dixon and her staff monthly during the school’s Resilience Team meetings, and also briefly during bi-weekly climate walks. During climate walks, I get to sit in a classroom to see adult-to-student interaction, or walk the halls with closed and open classroom doors, all of which have learning and connection happening on the other side.
While the building is filled with outstanding educators, I want to specifically highlight the committed Resilience Team members who serve as champions of this impactful trauma-informed work. In doing so, they infuse resilience throughout the building!
One of the open doors during the aforementioned climate walks is often Mrs. Bocanegra’s space. She is an amazing school counselor! From the outside looking in, I see her working at a table with students in a small group. I can see that a connection is being made. It’s the kind of connection that happens when students know that they are seen and heard. In our Resilience Team meetings, Mrs. Bocanegra has shared the SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) curriculum that she used with the students and how they work eagerly and successfully in their Inner Journey Journals at least once a week. And this is only one of the many ways in which Mrs. Bocanegra carries out her multifaceted school counselor role. From guiding students in navigating their educational journey, providing support for academic success and mental health, to working with families and school staff to create a supportive ecosystem for student well-being, I can feel and hear her passion during every interaction.
I have also had the privilege of seeing, up close and personal, how Dr. Crystal Capps, the curriculum coordinator, interacts with students and staff throughout the building. Although the typical role of a curriculum coordinator is to work closely with teachers and administrators to ensure curriculum alignment with standards, Dr. Capps works diligently to meet the diverse needs of students. In doing so, she is not only making needful connections and building individual, authentic relationships with students, but she is also guiding teachers and staff in adopting new instructional methods that support academic growth while simultaneously strengthening staff-to-student relationships. I can see that Dr. Capps genuinely cares about the students and adults in the building, and more importantly, she genuinely loves the work she does. It comes from a place of knowing her passion and her purpose and walking it out, daily.
While I don’t always get to work one-on-one with teachers, I do get the beautiful pleasure of seeing how individual school Resilience Team members provide consistent and committed representation as they serve as champions of trauma-informed and resilience work at their school.
At Daniels Learning Center, I get to hear from dedicated teachers like Mrs. Evonne Dantzler, who shares stories about the unique and heartfelt way she connects with her students. Mrs. Dantzler has her own special way of doing a morning meeting every morning before instruction begins. A morning meeting is only one example of the many trauma-informed school strategies that can be implemented in partnership with the NC Center for Resilience and Learning.
Morning meetings aim to establish a positive classroom culture, foster social-emotional learning, and facilitate a smooth transition into the day’s learning. They help build community, trust, and respect, ultimately leading to more engaged and successful students.
Students are not the only individuals who benefit from morning meetings. Teachers like Mrs. Dantzler are setting the tone for respectful learning, establishing trust, and creating classroom communities, all of which are beneficial to teachers and students alike.
I enjoy hearing Mrs. Dantzler share, in her firm yet nurturing way (which is unique to her), how she does her absolute best to greet each student by name as they enter the building in the morning or when they enter her classroom. She intentionally asks the students how they’re feeling, how their night was, or how their weekend was. Her ultimate goal is to hold space for each student to share or release anything mental, social, or emotional that could potentially be a barrier to their learning. Her goal is not to “fix” or give advice on whatever might be shared; instead, she consistently and intentionally creates a space of psychological safety.
There is so much intentionality throughout the building of this school, from Mrs. Gisela Smith (school social worker), who plays a vital role in supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic well-being within the school environment, to Mrs. Carla Adams (English Language Arts teacher), who finds creative ways to make her lessons land. These adults give of themselves, creating a strong educational network between students, families, and the community at large.
Mrs. Gisela acts as a link between the school, home, and community, providing counseling, crisis intervention, and advocacy for students and their families. She also collaborates with teachers and administrators to address student needs, and she does this for other schools throughout the district, not just at Daniels.
During resilience team meetings, I’ve heard from Science teacher, Marlene Ruffin, about the way she gives academic praise and support to her students daily. In doing so, she boosts motivation, confidence, and self-esteem, ultimately leading to improved academic performance and a more engaging learning experience. Additionally, the praise she gives students can potentially help them develop a growth mindset.
Then there is Mr. Alvin Harmon and Mr. Charles Wairia, both are reserved, with a calm demeanor and a strong presence. I’d like to say they are quiet yet powerful. In my opinion, these powerful male educators command respect and influence students through their quiet presence and actions. During our team meetings, they are active listeners, and when they do speak, they’ll have something great and beneficial to add to the conversation, specifically in educating Daniels’ students.
While this article highlights Daniels Learning Center with a specific focus on the great individual work of Daniels’ Resilience Team members, the entire building of teachers working together is the epitome of teamwork.
Teamwork involves a group of people collaborating to achieve a shared goal. This collaboration typically involves communication, sharing ideas, and coordinated efforts to achieve a common objective.
I am certain that the Resilience Team communicates with every educator and staff member in the building to ensure that everyone is aligned with the school’s trauma-informed and resilience goals. This makes a solid structure of teamwork that includes Danielss’ Resilience Team members and staff members who do not serve on the team but are part of the collective student and family support system.
I can attest to the strong, personal relationships that are intentionally built between teachers and students every day. At Daniels Learning Center, every Resilience Team member and every staff member does hard things, and they do them collectively. I am proud and honored to serve such a dedicated, consistent, loving, and fun group of educators! So much individuality yet so much unity is displayed at Daniels daily.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
– Phil Jackson