Compassion is a Verb

Recently, I was thinking about my last three years working at a school in Singapore. While it was an international school, I was fortunate to work side-by-side with local residents from many Asian cultures, including Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian, Indian and Chinese. My colleagues often greeted me in the morning by asking, “Did you eat?” or “Have you eaten?” This phrase was common like our “How are you?” and signified that, “I care about your well-being.” Once I understood the meaning behind this common greeting, each time I heard it I felt a sense of care and belonging. While brief, these greetings had a lasting impact on my days. A simple greeting is compassion in action. 

In my new role, I have the pleasure of being able to visit all corners of our school community throughout the day. What stands out to me about our community are the warm and thoughtful greetings I receive from students, staff and parents alike, just like the ones I received in Singapore. Educators are out in the hallways during passing periods to welcome students into class. Our youngest students are taught about the many ways to greet one another. And I’ve watched our older students frequently open doors for one another and respond to greetings with a friendly, “And how are you?”

Building a welcoming and healthy community through greetings is one element of developing a positive school climate. Research shows that “school climate serves as a protective factor for young people, improving students’ educational outcomes and well-being during their academic career and beyond (Ortega, Sanchez, Ortega Rivera, & Viejo, 2011).” Here in Mancos School District, we’re working together to build and improve our climate so every student, staff and family thrives. 

In March, parents are encouraged to join us at the District Accountability Committee (DAC) to learn more about our school climate, wellness and behavior support systems. We meet on Tuesday, March 10 at 5:30 pm. Childcare is provided, and we have dinner available as well. Also, in early March, every student, staff and family will have the opportunity to share their input on our school climate. A survey will help us learn more about where our school climate and culture is strong and where we have areas to improve. Stay tuned for more details on how to take this survey.

With that, I ask you, “Have you eaten today?” 

In partnership, 

Audrey Hazleton
Superintendent
ahazleton@mancosre6.edu