Loop

The silence in the social worker's office was deafening that day.
DCF workers had come to let us know...
What we had always known,
That the girls weren't being cared for.

I remember sobbing later.
And then pulling myself together.
My husband and I gathered clothes and toiletries and the Social Worker delivered them.
I remember thanking God I had Miss A in my room for 2 years.

That I knew her well enough to say I LOVE YOU.
And if you ever need anything, I am here.
And she would know it wasn't just words, but true, deep love.

That's what looping is.
It is security in even the most uncertain of places.
It's a hug before you know you need one.

I started the 3rd to 4th grade loop three years ago.
And it has radically changed my world, my teaching, and the very foundation of my "family".

While the reasons we love looping are numerous...I can sum them up in three really simple ways:

1. We are a family
Our classrooms, across the US are full of trauma survivors.  
100% of the students in my class are either currently in trauma situations or have survived them.  
All of them.  
I have to know their trauma if I want to begin to see them, support them, and love them.  

Over the course of 2 years, I get to know them, AND their families.
I see places to support.
To call home.
To cheer lead.
I catch the anger before it interrupts their learning.
I remind them daily, for two years that nothing they will ever do will stop me from loving them.
That our space is safe.
That they are safe.
That our community is safe.

It changes the way they feel.
About themselves.
About school.
And about their ability to do school.

They love.
They bond.
And we build a foundation and connection that tethers us for a lifetime.
For 2 years.

2. Deeper Academic Understanding
You know the sage advice that we need to teach them deeper, not farther.
I love that.
And it's one of the best parts of looping.
Know what they've learned.
How they learned it.
Gives you better direction on how to move them forward.

To go deeper.
We introduce multiplication in 3rd, but we really go deep with it in 4th.
I know where we were and I know where we are going.
I also have 3rd graders learning on a 5th grade level.
I will continue to push.
And next year, I hope they are working on a 6th grade level.

I am not complacent either.
The best teachers are not.
I'm not worried about what will be easier for planning.
Or make less work for me.
Or god forbid, having to learn a new curriculum (insert rant about what your job as an educator actually is and how so many of you have become complacent with easy..aka...not a lot of work...aka...lazy.)

These are all things that make us better.
That make our kids better.
Learning with them excites them.
Makes them vested.

3. It takes a village

And when that village has 2 years to work together, it's magic.
Families become vested.
Community workers become vested.
I know social workers and liaisons in a way I can't possibly in one year.

I know after school workers and they know the kid I need them to really support.
I can play to strengths and allocate extra time to weaknesses.

No one teacher can learn all the ways these connections are made in one year. 
For 18 students.
But in 2 years, it's not only possible, but the village almost wills it to happen.

...

It will be important to note that a child does not have to loop with us. 
Last year, I had one opt out, and honestly, if she hadn't, I would have asked for her to be moved.
We were not a good fit.
And that's fine.

Three more kids opted in that hadn't been with us in 3rd and joined us for 4th.
They fit like fingers in a glove.
They were immediate family.
And since I knew everyone else, I made a strong effort to catch up with their family and community aid. 

I don't consider myself a "bad teacher", as some who argues against looping worry about, but I have a style that might not work for all.

Recognizing that in and of itself makes me want to branch out and provide a variety of learning opportunities for my entire class.

...

Like pebbles in a stream, polishing one another, we take time to become the best versions of ourselves.

2 years.

To change.

To grow.