Catlin Tucker

When teachers talk about ensuring that students feel safe and supported, we usually focus on what can be done in the physical school environment. Before the school year starts, we create welcoming hallways and make our classrooms warm and comfortable. During the first few days of school, we establish clear expectations for behavior and engage students in community-building activities to ensure that they feel safe, respected, and valued.

But this focus on setting up a safe environment in the physical classroom addresses only one of the many spaces that our digital natives inhabit each day.

Students today must navigate many different spaces. Each environment comes with its own norms, expectations, and challenges. This complex landscape can be stressful and scary. So when we think about making students feel safe, it's crucial that we also consider how we can support students' mental health and well-being in their online spaces.