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Building Belonging: The Messy, Necessary Work of Addressing Harmful Language in Schools
Schools that want to create environments where all students truly belong must wade into difficult waters. The conversations aren’t easy, and the work reveals uncomfortable truths about institutional culture.
Middle School Principal Joshua Wolf (The Park School, Baltimore, Maryland) traces his journey from believing that rigor and accountability were sufficient motivators for students, to understanding that student performance is also deeply affected by the school environment—of which language is a huge part. Ignoring harmful language grants power to some students and teachers over others. His story includes the ups and downs: productive initiatives that gained traction, difficult meetings that went poorly, and the ongoing challenge of maintaining commitment when things get uncomfortable.
This year, Josh launched “The Weight of Words”—an initiative to help students use language wisely and kindly. The webinar explores its development, implementation lessons, and connection to the broader work of belonging.
What this webinar addresses:
- Why schools must interrupt harmful language
- Practical challenges: faculty resistance, imperfect execution, uncovering deeper issues
- Real initiatives: affinity groups, restorative practices, faculty study groups, and “The Weight of Words”
- How brain science explains why students can’t learn when they don’t feel they belong
- “Playing the long game” with students who push boundaries
For educators who recognize that:
- Creating cultures of belonging requires difficult conversations
- Change is incremental, imperfect, and often uncomfortable
- Students need us to do this work, even when we can’t do it perfectly
This is an honest look at the challenges and possibilities of building schools where students feel seen, heard, and able to learn.