The Need for a Supportive Environment
When life hands you a lemon, you make lemonade; but when life hands you a boat-load of lemons, you may have to make a lot of lemonade. For our students, this may be the feeling they experience when coming into the classroom with a Learning Disability or Difference. General education has a fixed standard that they wish their students to meet to be successful, and that can create a non-supportive environment for students who may not fit that mold. A supportive environment can change the trajectory of a student's success in school and throughout the remainder of their life.
Defining a Supportive Environment
Ironically, a supportive environment has little to do with the actual physical space the students are situated in, aside from ensuring it is safe and free of things that can be either dangerous or distracting. A supportive environment should be considered any place that empowers a student's individual success. In a classroom setting, relationships are a critical component of this.
The Role of Relationships in a Supportive Environment
Studies have shown that having at least one positive adult-child relationship (parental or nonparental) can increase a student's resilience and decrease the effects of anxiety, depression, and trauma. Education can be a traumatic event for students who deal with daily adversity in the classroom, such as having difficulty reading, paying attention, reading out loud, or other challenges the classroom can present. A strong support system of both peers and adults can be a major protective factor for the student and teach them the power of community and resilience.
Brehm's Approach to Building Supportive Relationships
At Brehm, we create deeper relationships with our students in a few different ways. The faculty are familiar with the concept of Unconditional Positive Regard, which is the complete support and acceptance of a person, no matter what that person says or does. This concept allows our students to feel comfortable with our staff and understand that they won’t be judged or criticized for who they are.
Another way Brehm staff build these relationships is by using a Strength-focused approach, recognizing a student's areas of growth and utilizing their strengths to achieve goals and conquer challenges. With the student's strengths in mind, Brehm educators refer to the Zones of Proximal Development (ZPD) when lesson planning and structuring classes.
Ensuring Physical and Emotional Safety
Physical and emotional safety are top priorities at Brehm, as no student can be expected to learn without feeling and being safe. To ensure emotional safety, students are given the right to privacy with their counselor or therapist. Having one trusted adult who won’t judge, share, or gossip about their concerns allows a student to open up and get the help they need.
Personal Experiences with Supportive Environments at Brehm
From my personal experience, each of our students at Brehm finds at least one teacher or staff member they can relate to, creating a supportive community that greatly impacts the student's ability to succeed and learn. Some students initially find it difficult to trust adults due to their history at other schools, but with time and patience, they eventually find a staff member they trust. Afterward, they flourish and become more involved with other students and with the program as a whole.
Conclusion: The Power of a Supportive Environment
A supportive environment is one of the best preventatives for a student needing additional services and allows the student to stay engaged in class and build more meaningful relationships.
