Dear PS 107 Families,
Yesterday we celebrated Father’s Day! Thank you to those of you who are fathers, or are in a fathering role, for our students. You are giving your children wings and teaching them how to fly.
On a personal level, Father’s Day is a complicated holiday for me, as my own father, who passed away nearly 18 years ago, was a difficult man who brought a great deal of anger and conflict into my and my siblings’ lives. He often spoke to us about his father, who immigrated from Russia to the United States in 1910 to escape the pogroms against Jewish people. My grandfather was similarly angry and abusive (though, fortunately for me, he was able to be a truly spectacular grandfather). Although the experience of growing up with my father was a challenging one, it also pushed me to reflect on my own behavior and develop strength and resilience in my quest to break the cycle. Through this personal journey, I was able to learn about the impact of trauma and intergenerational trauma, the ways in which traumatic experiences change us through learned behavior and by quite literally altering our DNA.
The body of research on trauma is truly fascinating, and has led me to consider how to create healing spaces in our schools, as the impact of trauma shows up across children’s days. At PS 107, we do this by building meaningful relationships with our students, understanding the root causes of behaviors, and helping children build resilience and coping skills. This work is not easy and takes deep commitment on the part of the entire school community; however, it is extremely important and one way in which I believe PS 107 can contribute to building a more peaceful and just society.
Today is Juneteenth, which is also known as America’s second independence day. Juneteenth, a combination of the words June + nineteenth, honors the day in 1865 when 2000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, TX to deliver the news that enslaved people were now free. This was two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and two months after General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War. Juneteenth has been celebrated every year since June 19, 1865, but it only became a federal holiday in 2021. Please take a look at these Juneteenth resources from the NYC Public Schools for information that you can share with your children.
Finally, THANK YOU to parents Betsy Goldfarb and Erin Bestreich for their phenomenal work organizing Spring Fling! Spring Fling is one of my favorite events of the year because it is such a joyful celebration of this very special community. I am so glad that we were able to celebrate together last Thursday.
As we enter the final six school days of the 2022-23 year, there is so much for which I am grateful. I’d also love to know what you are grateful for this school year. If you have a moment, please share your thoughts with me by completing this very quick survey — and I will share some of your thoughts (and mine) in my final letter of the year next week.
Warmly,
Ms Joanna