Human connection is a protective power. We have had to adapt to this new normal quickly– a challenge that many of our students are rising to, while supporting others along the way.
Like many times of change, the turbulence has brought with it opportunity. It has given rise to new forms of connection, and has revealed how sometimes, being courageous means that you just keep showing up, for family, for friends, for yourself, and for each other.
I don’t believe any of us would have wished to predict that Thursday, March 12th would be the last day that we would see each other in person for several weeks. Curious to know what wisdom we had to offer each other in a time of great unknowns, I picked up a microphone. Teachers and students offered encouraging words in Japanese, Danish, and Wolof, as well as English and French.
What emerged is a brief episode in a podcast we are calling Offline Stories.
Since we left the physical school, students have not ceased to amaze us. Every day they show up, eager to work. 1ere is the most dense year, academically speaking, but that has not stopped this generation from creating new initiatives. Students spent spring break channeling their concern for their community into action. They have leveraged social media to offer support, created videos about coping strategies and routines, created safe spaces for student voices, and organized community action events.
One of these is the ongoing work of the Coalition. Pauline Dorio and Portia Morrell, our Student Diversity Coordinators, and support and co-facilitate the Coalition, which is comprised of leaders of student-led clubs that, according to Portia, “were already doing this work, but who were on an island of their own.” She adds, “the group’s intent was to act as a home base in support of the unification of leadership skill-building.” And of course, they too have adapted. They met over spring break to begin to plan online events in support of our wonderful and diverse student body, including the Day of Silence and Coalition Talks happening this week.
Several students have also started new charitable initiatives. 1ère student Alice saw a need in her fellow students, and founded a free tutoring platform, Homeroom, in order to provide “a student community for collaboration and academic continuity, and to allow for support and a sense of unity.
“I think school means so much to young people. I immediately wanted to be able to step in and support students everywhere, and I thought creating a student community could be the best way. [This] allows us to break the usual barriers we have with education. The community of students on Homeroom allows for all students to receive the help they need – regardless of where they live, go to school, their education level, or socio-economic background. Homeroom allows us to create one giant support system. “
Alice informs us that Homeroom has grown over a few short weeks to a team of over ten student ambassadors from five states and over fifty tutors. “Our tutors and dedicated and determined to lend a hand.”
While this is amazing, it is not surprising. Why? Because change brings with it a chance for the new to emerge.
There is an essential ingredient in between disruption and action, and that is conscious choice. What we are seeing is a reminder that no matter how small our positive action is, it makes a difference. As Rebecca Perini recently wrote, a small act of helping doesn’t only help the people around us. By choosing to help others, we also help ourselves. I congratulate our students for their courage to keep showing up, and invite us all to make a commitment to stay connected and to remain a force for good, however we can, as we continue to put one foot in front of the other.
We are thinking of you every day. We miss you, but we know you are here. We wish you continued bon courage.
About the Author :
Jamie Laurens joined the Lycée in 2007. A native of the Rockies, Jamie began working on student wellness as a college student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in Avignon, France, where she chose education as a vocation. She began at Idyllwild Arts Academy and Westridge School before moving to New York and the Lycée. She has taught in the English program in middle and high school, co-developed the Advisory and Social Entrepreneurship programs, and researched the links between attention, learning, and well-being. Jamie enjoys reading poetry and being in the outdoors.