Let’s Talk About How Teachers Save Students

 Essential Edge: “If we genuinely believe in the importance of education and the academic potential of every student, we must not underestimate any child.” ~ Sherri Nelson

There are so many ways that teachers, administrators, school staff, coaches, tutors and volunteers interact positively with our students every day. But would you call them lifesavers?

Sherri Nelson thinks so.

We’d like to introduce you to Sherri and her hot-off-the-presses book Learning Lifeguards: Your 10-Step Guide to Building a Team That Motivates Struggling Students to Love Learning and Stay in School.

Sherri has been a highly regarded educator for more than three decades. She has worked as an instructional leader in two school districts on both ends of the student achievement continuum: a rural and low-income district (once identified by the state as requiring immediate improvement) and an affluent suburban district (recognized as being one of the best in the state). In both communities, she encountered students who demonstrated academic excellence with minimal assistance and those who needed extra support until they could independently navigate their academic journeys.

Sound familiar?

In Learning Lifeguards, Sherri asks questions such as:

• Do factors such as low expectations, the absence of positive relationships, and inadequate support systems increase the likelihood of students academically slipping through the cracks?
• For a range of reasons—self-induced or due to being victims of circumstances—many students find themselves desperately trying to keep their heads above water. How do we help?
• When we see students in danger of academic drowning, struggling with challenges that threaten their educational success, do we turn away, or do we collaboratively use our resources and every skill we have to prevent them from drowning?

Her answer: 

If we genuinely believe in the importance of education and the academic potential of every student, we must not underestimate any child. Recognizing there is no singular solution, every school should proactively establish a team of Learning Lifeguards to collaboratively support students as they navigate the challenging waters of K–12 education until they can confidently swim on their own.

Great advice, right? So … what’s next?

How do you start your own Learning Lifeguard team? What’s the best way to get buy-in from your colleagues and staff? What about all the pushback? (And that’s just from the adults … what about the students who don’t want the help but really need it?)? 

Great questions. Learning Lifeguards has the answers. Using the three-sided strategy of High Expectations, Positive Relationships and Extra Support, chapters include Hacks such as:

• Invite Everyone Into the Water: Craft a Culture of Connection
• Dive Into the Standards: Prioritize Essential Knowledge and Skills
• Assemble a Lifeguard Team: Monitor All Students
• Swim in Sync: Strengthen Communication Between School and Home

We all agree that the best way to learn is to jump in. 

Click here to dive into Learning Lifeguards!

Read more:

• Edutopia. 2024. “Question: How Do You Set Healthy Boundaries When Students Are Struggling?” Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. July 31, 2024.‌
• Nelson, Sherri. 2024. “LIFEGUARDS SAVE LIVES. LEARNING LIFEGUARDS SAVE STUDENTS.” Learning Lifeguards. March 7, 2024. 
• Walker, Tim. 2024. “The Push to Scale up High-Impact Tutoring | NEA.” www.nea.org. February 16, 2024.

Resources:

• Nelson, Sherri. 2024. Learning Lifeguards: Your 10-Step Guide to Building a Team That Motivates Struggling Students to Love Learning and Stay in School.Times 10 Publications.
• School hallway image by RDNE Stock project from Pexels