The Welcoming School by Peter D. Relic Schools have distinct personalities. The people in a school community speak about their values and beliefs.
Adults communicate to the students the expectations, policies, and rules.
But the school seems to speak for itself, too - expressing an ethos that hangs in the air and seeps from the bricks of the walkways and walls. In welcoming schools, where everyone understands the history, legacy, and mission, there is no contradiction - the people and the school say the same things to each other. This personification of the school has dawned on me primarily because of my visits to almost three hundred NAIS schools since 1991. During these visits, it struck me how often young people give human attributes to their school. The school gives you a second chance, and then a third, but only if you're willing to recognize your mistakes.