Mapping an Ecosystem of Belonging

When I launched this inquiry project I knew I wanted to explore education ecosystems. As a classroom teacher I felt the growing pressure on educators everywhere to "do all and be all" for our students. As we continue to live through a pandemic, our students have social and emotional needs on a scale never seen before. We also understand new ways to help every student succeed and we have the opportunity to focus on the whole child.
Curiosity
As a start, I followed my curiosity to understand the basics about ecosystems. Of course I had learned about ecosystems throughout my primary and secondary education. My last classroom experience with ecosystems was in an environmental science class at community college. My professor urged me to switch my major to environmental studies - a possibility I had never imagined. I saw myself as a writer, a researcher and a communicator, not a scientist. That teacher saw me in a new light and led me to see myself in that new light too. I try to help my students see possibilities in this same way and I hope the idea sticks with them as it has stuck with me.
Now that I've visited nearly 50 Greek schools and categorized over 160 strategies for creating belonging and welcome, I've mapped the ecosystem here. 
A welcoming environment
Just like an ecosystem in nature, there is an environment essential to sustaining this ecosystem: spaces that are welcome, values that impact the actions and opportunities within a school community, and opportunities to care for your self and for others to create a mindfully-caring way of being.
Interaction of components
Scientists see ecosystems as containing organisms that interact and abiotic components like air and water.
An organism is "a complex structure of interdependent and subordinate elements" according to the dictionary. The complex structures in the belonging ecosystem focus on individuals connected through supportive networks, finding ways to be leaders, and learning in community. Mentorship and connection create belonging.
Healing community beyond the school door
We know that the environment in which our learners thrive or struggle is more than the the space they enter at the school door. Recognizing this reality an ecosystem must include the components of individual and group storytelling and story building. Opportunities must also exist for meaning-making and thinking about the future. These components allow the school community to imagine ways to rebuild and strengthen the community beyond that school door. What constitutes the community depends on the context of the school, be it rural, urban, online, private, public, etc. 
Curious lifelong learners
The final elements of the ecosystem recognize that the goal of education is for students to leave school feeling curious about the world and confident that they can play an active role as citizens, leaders, and innovators. Belonging is just as important when learners move into the larger world and the ecosystem equips them with tools for success as lifelong learners who know how to collaborate and as global citizens who seek out diverse perspectives. As teachers are some of the most impactful role models in a child's life their care, connection and belonging is essential to a healthy ecosystem. Ensuring they feel connected builds their resilience and ensures that they have the energy to inspire, facilitate, and lead learners into the future.