I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. It really reaffirmed the things that I do in my classroom and why I should do them. I feel like sometimes I forget how important social-emotional health in the classroom is because the pressure that administration places on standards and test scores. I found the comment you made about the students' stress levels being high and creating the safe environment reduces those levels to be extremely eye opening.

I loved the comment Tara made regarding how she has been teaching in states all over the county, and that the most important thing to remember is that regardless of the students’ socio-economic status, the region they’re in, or what party of the county they’re in, they needed to feel valued and safe within the working environment of the classroom. I think this is so important because it’s true that every student we encounter is going to desire and be owed validation. It is up to us as educators to show our students that we are seeing them, hearing them, and that they matter to us.