Fostering Student Belonging

Belonging to a place is when it’s possible to “sit still and weave ourselves into a place…so that we feel a bond with everything in sight” (Sanders qtd in hooks, 2009) Examples: Childhood home, metaphorical “happy place,” your alma mater Functions of place that help foster belonging: Locale for gathering: Place for students to interact…

“I felt I belonged because I felt confident in what I was doing. I felt there was no having to force me to do my job. I enjoyed going to work, I enjoyed doing what I do. I felt like I belonged because I was good at what I was doing as well. Kaneisha, qtd…

“And it starts like, ‘oh, cool, we’re all supposed to meet … And it starts getting pretty cool. Like you don’t gotta worry about your parents being drug addicts, alcoholics. You don’t gotta worry about all that stuff. Like I said, it’s not alright, but once you meet a lot of people that are in…