What does belonging mean to students?

A collaborative mural at the Model School in Heraklion, Crete.

In almost every school I've visited I've had a chance to answer student questions about life in the United States, but the opportunity to ask students my own questions is far more rare. 
In creating an ecosystem of belonging and welcome, it is essential to understand what these words mean to students.
But how do young people put into words what makes them feel like they belong?
In my first dialogue with students - at a lyceum in Nea Smyrni - their first answer was "We don't!" 
Such a response is to be expected. Adolescence is about finding where you belong, choosing your identity and claiming your place in society.
With some careful wait time, I've been able to elicit clearer ideas from students at both the lyceum level and gymnasium level at about four schools. Their answers fall into some basic categories:
1. This is what we do. This is the structure of our life and it's what everyone does.
A student at the Heraklion Model Gymnasium took this idea a step further. "I can't imagine life without this school." Another student chimed in that school is a combination of "learning from and communicating with others."
2. Our teachers make us feel like we belong because they make school fun or interesting. Students often remark that many of their teachers work very hard to make school interesting and relevant even though some of the subjects are rigorous.
3. Teachers show that they care about us. This was an answer I heard frequently at the Perama Vocational High School. Here students mentioned that they really didn't feel like they belonged at a traditional lyceum. After transferring to this Vocational High School, they felt less pressure and felt like their strengths were being developed.
4.Our friends are here and they create belonging. Two elements of the Greek system contribute to this sense of belonging. Students are grouped in cohorts and their classroom is THEIRS. All of their teachers rotate into their classroom throughout the day. Class 3A feels can see their classroom as a "second home" and I've heard this idea in several Greek schools. (This concept seemed very problematic to me from a teacher perspective at first. I think of particularly challenging classes I've had and the sympathy I've felt for studious kids stuck with a group of distracting children who don't take their work as seriously.)
Another key factor is downtime. Classes are about 40 minutes and between each subject students have a 10 minute break. (However, I've seen a 5 minute break later in the day at many schools.) In primary school students run around during this time. Some gymnasium students also run and play a bit but as they get older students spend time talking, eating and just decompressing between classes.

At the Music School of Illion students found my questions about belonging to be kind of silly at first because they all share a love of music! However, as we dig into their answers it's clear that this common interest affects welcome and belonging in less obvious ways.
5. There is less bullying and an overall calmness At the Heraklion Model Gymnasium students also feel a sense of belonging because of shared commitment to academics. Music school students and model school students benefit from a calm environment.
6. Teachers recognize students' talents and abilities which helps them look to the future.

On the Other Hand

Clearly it is the people and the connections made through community that create belonging for these students, but what makes them feel unwelcome or like they don't belong?
I didn't ask this question but students volunteered a few answers:
1. Stress and anxiety make school an unwelcoming place. Greek students feel an immense pressure to perform well on the Pan Hellenic Exam during their last year of Lyceum. The coursework is rigorous beginning in the fist year of gymnasium. For Americans, this is seventh grade and as a middle school teacher for ten years it is hard to imagine such a rigorous academic focus at that age.
2. High standards sometimes make students feel like they don't belong. The pressure to choose a path for academic success begins early and is reinforced on many levels. Greek students are stunned to learn that American students don't go to extra classes after the regular school day is over. Parents pay for this private or small group tutoring (frontisiria) and lessons can extend until 10 pm.
3. Bullying. When students ask about American schools they ask about bullying and sadly it is an issue that is pretty much universal. Teachers share their concerns about bullying here in Greece. Few mention solutions but many worry that this problem has gotten worse since the pandemic began.

Student perception is the most essential element of the education ecosystem. If they see strengths in themselves and see their classmates as a community, they build resilience.

All different. All the same. -Model School Heraklion