036: UnFROGettable Mrs. Y
Sep 15, 2022
When I was in third grade, my family moved to a new school district. It was just after the winter break, and the students in my new school had already established routines and friendships. Yet, it is not the students or my teacher that I remember welcoming me to the school.
Mrs. Yacovelli was the administrative assistant who ran the front office. She always had a huge smile and kind words for every person who walked through her doors. As a result, I felt truly seen - and not as "the new kid." I felt important and valued when her face lit up as I entered the office.
In fact, in 4th grade, students rotated classroom jobs each month. The way the rotation worked, if I "passed" one month, I got to be the first person to "pick" the next month. So every other month for the entire year, I took the daily attendance list to Mrs. Yacovelli.
As a 5th grader, I was given a starter biology kit. My ten-year-old self could not wait to show Mrs. Yacovelli my dissected frog masterpiece, opened on a wooden board. She smiled and was interested in hearing me share about the frog's insides.
I visited Mrs. Yacovellli every year - through middle school, high school, college, and even my first job - until she retired. When I was in high school, she admitted to me that it took all she had to smile and feign interest as I pointed out the organs of the opened frog. So, when she retired, I brought her a giant stuffed frog as a gift.
Our last two newsletters explored research on Developmental Relationships from The Search Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Research from Scales and Leffert show “All it takes is one caring, consistent adult to make a difference in a child’s life.” The Developmental Relationships framework provides the pathway through which adults can build positive connections with youth and “help young people be and become their best selves.”
When you reflect on your school days, who was your "Mrs. Yacovelli?" How can you build upon the Developmental Relationships to support young people in becoming their best selves?
