Is there anything in this world like the sense of belonging? Think about it for a moment.






Naomi Leon, a character from Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan, talks and creates lists about many things, but one strikes me today~

The Good and the Bad All Rolled Into One

That's what I think belonging is. Belonging is a cozy, warm place where one can nestle and be appreciated. However, belonging can also lead to stagnation and narrow-mindedness. Belonging can be the line between self-esteem and peer pressure. It can be the line between colleague and friend.





What has me thinking this?






I've been blessed to feel a sense of belonging here in my comfy-cozy Special Needs department- even in times of shuffle. And now, some more change is on the horizon... so I wonder:



Will I still belong? Do I need to? Does 'belonging" stop? Most importantly...

How many of our students face this struggle
everyday and wrestle with a sense of belonging?

I guess what I've come to think is this. One can still belong to something or someone- even in a different way. Change is needed to make the belonging all the better or to remind us what groups or ideals we want to belong to. So although I miss my old, snugly sense of belonging- I can also look forward to belonging to something new too. I can look forward to new nuggets of belonging, look back and appreciate the feelings I've had and still hold on to the best of them all.


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Be Inspired! Read Becoming Naomi Leon today!