Dear Morningside friends,

In this issue, we share a new activity that invites students to engage family members in story-telling. Also see our updated lesson exploring solidarity and mutual support. Plus, an eye-opening new study on the impact of restorative practices, and more good stuff to read.

And please keep reading for an important message from our executive director, Cassie Schwerner!

From our Executive Director

We all need a good dose of hope right now! What gives you hope – even when the news is devastating?

These young people inspire our optimism for the future. And they need our support, writes Morningside executive director Cassie Schwerner.

Find out more

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Exploring Solidarity & Mutual Support

Through small-group activities, students learn about and discuss acts of solidarity and mutual support that can sustain us in difficult times.  

Sharing Stories: Building Family & Classroom Connections

Through interviews, students will engage family members in sharing stories of their history, dreams and/or struggles. By sharing these stories with their peers, they will form stronger connections. 

What We're Reading

Fostering Belonging, Transforming Schools: The Impact of Restorative Practices

Data collected from 485 middle schools found that "school-level use of restorative practices caused declines in student misbehavior, gang membership, victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance abuse." By Sean Darling-Hammond at Learning Policy Institute

Leaders: It's Time to Rethink Teacher Burnout

"If education leaders shoulder responsibility for teacher burnout and commit to confronting it, there is a chance they can stop the mass exodus from the profession." By Elizabeth Dampf at ASCD.

To solve teacher shortages, let’s open pathways for immigrants so they can become educators and role models

“Now more than ever, we need to expand our teaching pool for students who urgently need help.” By Daniela Alulema at Hechinger Report. 

“Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.” ― Dalai Lama