The Most Important Lesson of the First Weeks: You Matter Here.

by Abby Shaw and Chloe Shoff

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Who is in your family?”

“What do you like to do in your free time?”

These are just a few examples of what you could hear in Discovery Studio the first week of school as learners got to ask each other questions. In many classrooms, teachers feel pressured to jump into academics to stick to the strict pacing schedule, leaving little room for building belonging.

But here at TVS, we intentionally reserve the first few weeks of school for learners to “build the team” where they can take time to get to know each other, establish studio norms, and ease into the school year. It can be hard to slow down, but this time allows us to truly get to know one another. This builds trust and belonging, and it helps learners feel they matter in Discovery Studio.

One of our very first activities was pairing all of the learners with a “hype partner.” The purpose of the hype partners was to give each learner someone who could celebrate them every day. Their mission was to get to know their partner by discovering who they are and then make a personalized banner to celebrate them. Learners used different materials, channeling their creativity and finding unique ways to represent their partner. One learner knew their partner loved soccer, so they made 3D soccer balls from tiny cardboard circles and scattered them across the banner.

When they were creating their banners, we heard learners asking their partner follow-up questions, returning to the notes they took about their partner, and continuously adding details. The excitement even led to some learners choosing to keep the banner a surprise from their partner so they could reveal it at the very end. They weren't simply completing an assignment. They were paying attention to each other. They were listening. They were curious. They were discovering what made someone else excited, what they cared about, and what made them feel seen in the studio. And in the process, they were learning something just as important about themselves: I have a role to play in this community.

Belonging doesn't always come from big activities. When one learner asked their partner what makes them feel like they belong in Discovery Studio, the answer was simple: hearing their name and being greeted every morning. That's it. Sometimes being noticed is all it takes.

At TVS, relationships aren’t separate from learning. They are what strengthen the learning. Relationships are what create the environment for collaboration, discussion, risk-taking and problem solving. Which relationships made a difference in your learning?