Talking to people in powerful positions isn’t exactly my comfort zone. I’m much more at ease with a classroom full of fifth graders than a hallway full of legislators. But as I prepared for my day at the Capitol as a UEA policy ambassador, meeting with senators and representatives to discuss bills affecting public education, I realized something familiar: Just like in my classroom, connection comes before content. If I wanted to have meaningful conversations about policy, I needed to build relationships first.
I didn’t go as a policy expert. I went as a classroom teacher. I didn’t go to argue. I went to share stories about my students, about what truly happens inside a public school classroom, and about the support educators need to help children thrive. Even when we didn’t agree on every issue, there was respect. There was listening. And that made the conversation productive.
One message I felt especially called to share was the importance of social-emotional learning in our schools.
Social-emotional learning isn’t an extra. It’s the foundation that makes academic learning possible. When students feel safe, seen and emotionally regulated, they can engage, take risks and grow.
I shared examples of how intentionally building belonging and teaching emotional skills directly strengthens both behavior and achievement.
What surprised me most was how much the experience stretched me personally. Using my voice in that space felt vulnerable, but also empowering. Growth doesn’t just happen for our students. It happens for us, too.
Lawmakers need to hear from educators. Our stories bring policy to life.
Connection matters in classrooms and in the Capitol, and our students deserve for us to show up.
