Head of School Blog

Do you remember what it was like when you first met someone that you wanted to get to know better? What did it take for you to develop a connection with them? Was it worth the effort and time?

I think everyone desires deep, meaningful connections with other people.  At The Edison School, creating meaningful connections is one of our core values, and it drives our team’s daily interactions with students enrolled at the school. Due to the varied diagnoses our students have, Edison’s team is challenged to find ways to connect with each kid. We do not let these challenges stop us from working day-in and day-out to create meaningful connections. Rather, we focus on four strategies with each child.

1. Seek first to understand – for those familiar with Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, you will recognize this as part of one of the habits Covey discusses. The Edison team desires to understand each of our kids, so we spend a lot of time interacting with and observing them in a variety of activities. This helps us understand them better. 
2. Develop trust through vulnerability – Edison’s team of educators have years of experience, which means we have all made mistakes. Sharing our personal stories with students and admitting to them when we screw up, shows our vulnerability and humanness. This helps build trust with the kids. Trust based on vulnerability creates an authentic, safe environment for every child. 
3. Open and honest communication – without communication, relationships fail and connections cannot be developed. Prioritizing open and honest communication with our kids sometimes means that we have difficult conversations with them. This type of communication must come from a place of love and desire to help them become their best. 
4. Active listening – making our kids feel heard, valued, and understood fosters trust and stronger bonds with them, resulting in meaningful connections. 

Everyone wants a connection with others. Everyone wants to be understood and valued. At Edison, creating meaningful connections is one of our core values because we know that strong connections with trusted adults can change the trajectory of a child’s life!