A few months ago, the faculty and staff at my school gathered to explore a fundamental question: How do we foster a sense of belonging among ourselves? That session was an opportunity to reflect on our own experiences—what makes us feel valued, included, and connected in our school community. Here is a link to my blog post about it. 

But belonging isn’t just about us. It’s about our students, too.

In this recent session, we shifted our focus: How do we create a culture where every student feels like they truly belong? From the classroom to the locker room, from clubs to social spaces, students need to feel welcomed, seen, and supported. This workshop was designed to help us understand what that looks like—and what we can do to make it happen.

The Steps of the Workshop

We started with a small group reflection, revisiting our own sense of belonging and connecting it to how we support students. We explored student voices, hearing firsthand experiences of those who are new to our school and learning from their insights.

A key part of the session was a panel discussion featuring staff members who shared how they intentionally create belonging in their spaces—whether in their classrooms, teams, or extracurricular activities. Their stories reminded us that belonging doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentional effort.

To put our learning into action, we collaborated on belonging improvement plans, identifying tangible steps we can take to make a difference. Finally, we ended with a personal commitment: One small way I will help students feel like they belong is…

If you’d like to explore the materials from the session, you can view the presentation here.

What We Heard

The conversations sparked powerful insights, and the feedback we received highlighted both progress and areas for growth:

“We have to be intentional—it doesn’t happen by accident. Belonging moves through stages, and we need to know the stages so that we can determine where students are and how best to help.”

“As we have conversations about belonging, it is clear that there are situations where staff don’t always feel like they belong.”

“We really explored what ‘belonging’ means for teachers, faculty, and students. As next steps, it would be great to actively discuss and share strategies in specific educational scenarios—homeroom & UDL, Diversity & Inclusion, Cultural Integration and ELL, and sports & social activities.”

The Work Continues

These sessions have been valuable, but the work of belonging is ongoing. The real test of what we’ve learned is in how we apply it—every day, in every interaction, with every student.

Belonging is built in small moments: a warm greeting, an invitation to join, a recognition of who someone truly is. Let’s keep creating those moments—because when students feel they belong, they thrive.

What’s one way you’ll help foster belonging at your school this week?

Ed X!