Fighting Inflammation

 This year, kids and teachers across the country have gone back to school in extreme heat. Some schools have fared better than others due to air conditioning, but many have suffered discomfort, malaise, irritability, unsafe temperatures and disruptions to learning.

I spent the summer feeling crummy as a result of most of the things on the list above. Crummy is actually putting it mildly, but that is beside the point. I saw some medical professionals, spoke with some experts, complained to my family and yet, I wasn't really able to get a handle on what was wrong or what to do about it. If you want to feel like a hardcore loser, have vague medical symptoms.

Anyway, the place that I landed was to reduce my discomfort by being more anti-inflammatory. More fatty fish, more berries, more sleep, more fitness, more seeds and nuts, but fewer processed foods, less sugar and (sadly) less beer. It is a process, but I am feeling better. 

My efforts to reduce inflammation were thwarted somewhat by this week's combination of extreme heat and back to school. And my school is air conditioned. 

What we know about reducing inflammation in our bodily systems can help our school systems as well. An obvious place to start is heating and cooling. It is a sad state of affairs when all government and municipal buildings and many suburban schools have modern HVAC systems, yet urban and rural kids go to school in extreme temperatures.

But humane and respectful building conditions aren't the only anti-inflammatory thing. The overall school climate can reduce inflammation by designing master schedules that align with learning goals, fostering curiosity and creativity for kids and teachers, honoring rest and healthy practices, and addressing those pesky free radicals in calm and supportive ways.

Overall, I had a great first week back. Kids showed up with excitement and joy - even the ones that left in June feeling disgruntled. We spent lots of time this week getting to know eachother and building some habits that will hopefully prevent us from getting emotionally and behaviorally inflamed. My classes are super weird, but if you think about is, so is eating kale and nuts by the fistful to help you feel better.

A group of nerdy and fun 8th graders showed up in my classroom on Tuesday for lunch. I was initially annoyed because I wanted some time alone, but our lunches have been restorative. They talk about weird foods they have tried, experiences outside of school and books that have been either great or terrible. There exists a calmness and joy that, to me anyway, feels anti-inflammatory. The casual flow of the conversation and the way kids listen to one other is a system that I work to support in class as well.

Because of the school I go to and the kids I teach, I believe that schools can be anti-inflammatory spaces. It will be a long time before the nation's sensibility around schooling catches up, the the continued subversive work of teachers is to create spaces where kids can learn and in safe, healthy and joyful ways that increase their learning about the world, themselves and what matters. Let's keep up the fight.