While watching The Penguin Lessons, a film adaptation of Tom Michell’s book, I was reminded of how vital a sense of belonging is for students’ learning. The film chronicles Michell’s experience traveling to Argentina to teach at St. George’s College, an exclusive boarding school, during the turbulent 1976 coup d’état.
Initially, Michell delivers perfunctory lessons to simply collect a paycheck. His disengaged students resort to heckling each other over their differing family political affiliations. When the school is shut down for a week because of the coup and ensuing violence, Michell takes a trip to Uruguay. He rescues a penguin covered in oil and brings him back to St. George’s. After struggling to gain his students’ attention, Michell brings the penguin, named Juan Salvador, into the classroom. Juan Salvador quickly captivates the boys, breaking down barriers and transforming the classroom atmosphere. With time, he becomes the school’s unofficial mascot and an important mainstay in Michell’s classroom, where both Michell and his students eventually thrive.
Just as Michell’s students were forced to learn amid political unrest and violence, today’s students attend schools that can, at times, become high-pressure and divisive environments that they and educators must navigate together. To create positive learning environments, educators must prioritize making schools safe spaces with strong cultures of belonging. When students feel secure, they are free to learn and make mistakes without fear of retribution or social exclusion.
Independent schools are uniquely positioned to provide holistic education that develops thoughtful citizens. While bringing a penguin into the classroom is not a practical solution, independent schools should think boldly and courageously about how to foster true belonging among their students.
Wise Interventions
We know that school leaders and teachers can foster a sense of belonging, which should be prioritized as a foundation for classroom learning. However, current research doesn’t provide a clear path for educators to follow on how to cultivate belonging.
Geoffrey L. Cohen, professor and author at Stanford University, writes in his 2022 book, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, that “interventions that foster belonging [are] akin to psychological shelters and protective gear that we design to shield people from the harsh gusts of history and the stinging rain of our social world.” Cohen and his team used the concept of “wise interventions,” which are strategies that use emotional intelligence to curate situations where belonging can thrive.
Cohen highlights many impactful strategies for cultivating belonging at the schoolwide level, such as mentoring programs and culturally relevant pedagogy. Effective mentoring can connect students with alumni or community partners who share similar interests, such as pairing aspiring medical professionals with alumni working in health care. Older students can serve as mentors for younger peers through student-led advisory programs, fostering supportive relationships across grade levels.
Culturally relevant pedagogy involves integrating students’ customs, backgrounds, and perspectives into classroom instruction. Research shows that when students see their identities reflected in their learning experiences, their engagement and performance improve. To achieve this, schools should regularly review curricula, incorporate multicultural examples, recruit faculty representing diverse identities, and maintain high expectations for all students.
Cohen also recommends building trust through “wise criticisms” and value-affirmation activities. Begin with individual worksheets or writing prompts that encourage students to reflect on values such as kindness, compassion, and generosity. These personal reflections can then lead to group discussions or further writing, allowing students to articulate the significance of their chosen values and share personal experiences. This process helps students feel recognized and valued, ensuring that their whole selves are acknowledged as integral to the classroom community.
Creating House Systems
At Boston College High School (MA), where I currently work, we’ve addressed the feeling of doubt about acceptance and connection to the school environment, also called belonging uncertainty, by introducing a new house system, which was featured in the Spring 2023 issue of Independent School. With enrollment close to 1,400 boys, the school sought to create smaller communities within the broader one to enhance students’ sense of belonging.
The house system—and its intent to create a sense of belonging—has a great impact on who students interact with on a daily basis. It determines which adult they see first upon arrival, how the school groups advisories, organizes locker assignments, and arranges seating for schoolwide gatherings. Each student is assigned a “head of house,” their trusted adult at school who gets to know their individual needs to help them truly flourish.
A recent schoolwide survey of nearly 1,000 high school students found that 92% feel known and cared for by their adult advisor in their house. Most students also agreed that the house system has helped them feel more comfortable at school, helped them build strong peer relationships, and provided crucial support during challenging times. A 2025 research study published in Psychology in the Schools, “Investigating the Interplay Between Teacher-Student and Peer Relationships in Predicting Academic Engagement in Early Adolescents,” shows that strong adult relationships at school, even more so than peer relationships, are a key buffer against belonging uncertainty and the factors that impact it.
The house system is just one way to systemically build relationships—particularly in the context of a large, single-sex school. Fostering belonging may look different in other school contexts, and the impact of any systemic change will depend on each school’s circumstances.
Belonging for All Students
Belonging, and the factors that influence it, can vary greatly among students from diverse backgrounds, including differences in socioeconomic status, identity, and life circumstances. A student’s sense of belonging may even differ between classrooms. Creating a single system that accommodates students from many backgrounds can make fostering belonging difficult, and many schools struggle with disparities in achieving equity for all students. Schools must also ensure inclusive climates, with equitable policies and practices, as these have a significant impact on student belonging.
Cohen writes in his book that much of the literature about belonging uncertainty focuses on students from marginalized backgrounds because they have historically faced greater challenges. However, he emphasizes that belonging uncertainty can impact any student and urges school leaders to be attentive to every student’s needs.
Cohen emphasizes that even the simplest gestures—such as consistently being polite—can serve as powerful signals of belonging within a school community. While these actions may seem minor, they play a significant role in helping students feel recognized and included. Cohen encourages educators to regularly incorporate value-affirmation activities, which have been shown to strengthen students’ sense of belonging and, in turn, improve academic outcomes.
More broadly, Cohen urges schools to examine how their structures and routines can support belonging. For example, redesigning class schedules can create more opportunities for organic social interaction, or ensuring that students have meaningful, regular contact with teachers throughout the day can intentionally shape aspects of the school environment so that educators can foster deeper relationships and create a climate where every student feels they truly belong. Cohen’s work is an invitation to rethink how schools build environments where all students can belong and thrive.
Penguins in a classroom isn’t a feasible way to foster belonging at most schools, but educators should explore other bold, creative, and out-of-the-box solutions. Schools should consider ways that connect with their unique culture and community. As independent school educators, we hold a collective responsibility to continue to reimagine how we serve students in a rapidly changing world.