“Figure out who I am as a person and then go from there”: youth insights on humanizing education

1 Introduction

Our nation's youth are living in a sociopolitical context characterized by immigration enforcement, family separation, economic precarity, state-sanctioned policies against identity-affirming instruction, and other forms of systemic discrimination (Maria Chiara et al., 2026). Over the past decade, there has been a surge in mental health challenges among adolescents (ages 12–17), with girls; youth with disabilities; Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), and youth who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirited, Intersex, Asexual, or another queer or questioning identity (LGBTQ2SIA+) carrying the greatest burden (Adkins-Jackson et al., 2025; Wilson and Dumornay, 2022; Woolf, 2025). While current SEL programs have been positioned as bolstering young people's social, emotional, and academic success and mental health (Cipriano et al., 2023; Durlak et al., 2011; Payton et al., 2008; Sklad et al., 2012; Taylor et al., 2017), too few center adolescent development in the present context, largely ignoring the realities and needs of BIPOC, LGBTQ2SIA+, and students with disabilities. This gap in SEL programming is especially consequential, as we face a youth mental health crisis of historic proportions.

Moreover, many current SEL programs strive for neutrality with a one-size-fits-all approach, leaving adolescents, particularly those from our most marginalized communities, without the support they need to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. SEL programs are also typically geared toward elementary students, and the secondary-level programs that do exist often are revamped versions of elementary programs (Yeager, 2017). Thus, it should come as no surprise that SEL programs have been found to be less effective for adolescents than for younger students (Heckman and Kautz, 2012)–and likely even less so for those with marginalized identities. To meet adolescents' unique needs effectively, SEL program developers and educators must include youth in the design of their learning experiences and environments. When given the opportunity to share their perspective (e.g., photovoice research), young people can and do identify meaningful and practical strategies and solutions, such as how to effectively foster community and belonging (Fifolt et al., 2025). Too often, however, their voices are left out of the conversation.

2 Our response: centering youth voice

LiberatED is an organization that centers radical love, healing, and racial and social justice in SEL and education to support the mental health and well-being of young people and educators (Lin et al., 2023). We envision a world where all children can live, learn, and thrive in the comfort of their own skin. We are guided by our values of radical love, healing, abolition, collective liberation, justice, and listening. We hold two unapologetic stances: 1) we center, honor, and amplify BIPOC excellence and wisdom in our resources, research, and programming, and 2) we believe in the gifts and genius of every community. We identify as a community-generated and community-responsive approach.

In 2021, we conducted a study to learn how educators conceptualize SEL and learned that educators define SEL as a praxis that honors identity, centers humanity and the whole child, promotes healing and liberation, and advances justice (Lin et al., 2023). Despite co-creating a new guiding framework for SEL with educators, our understanding of how to support adolescents' social, emotional, and academic development was inefficient because our study did not include their perspectives. To fill this gap, we hosted a series of focus groups with fifteen middle schoolers (aged 12–13). Participants identified as Black, Latino/a/x/e, or multiracial. Eleven students identified as male, three as female; eleven as heterosexual, two as bisexual, and one as pansexual (one student did not disclose). We asked participating youth what they need to belong and thrive at school, given our belief that the youth most marginalized carry the genius to transform schools for every student. In this paper, we share their insights on how educators can create learning environments that ensure their safety, honor their humanity, cultivate joy, and foster their social, emotional, and academic well-being through transformative SEL and liberatory teaching practices.

2.1 Nurture relationships with students

Students named authentic relationships with their teachers as foundational for learning, with one sharing, “I definitely think communication is key when starting a new relationship…I do get anxious myself meeting my new teacher…what I want my teacher to do is to get to know me in many ways. Like that could be… a Google form and you get to answer questions, or you can have a one-on-one talk. Students noted that teachers should ask about preferred names, gender/pronouns, “stuff about you in general”, and “not just do icebreakers…in the beginning of school” because getting to know students “should always be an ongoing thing”. When describing a favorite teacher, one student said, “She would ask us a lot of questions. And…if we wanted to tell her stuff about us, then she would listen”.

Students appreciate the way teachers encourage them, validate their emotions, and respond during challenging situations. One student stated, “It felt like [my teacher] was our friend. And we can actually express how we feel to her because she's very understanding”. Another student shared about a time their teacher comforted them: “There's been a problem with my computer working at home, and I was stressing about it and telling my teacher…the way she responded to me made me just feel really safe and relieved. She told me to calm down and breathe a few seconds, and had her hand on my arm or shoulder in a comfortable way. Just calming me down”.

Students also value getting to know their teachers. One student said, “…he plays video games, actual video games. We started to know each other better and…he knew more about my personality”. Students mentioned that teachers built relationships by making jokes and banter; one student's recipe for a dream teacher included “four quarts of humor”. Another student recounted how meaningful it was when his teacher talked about their shared background: “I had a teacher who…was [from] where I was from…And she used to tell me she had no money…I think that's what my family went through before I was born”. One student noted that “teachers need to learn how to be more comfortable around their students…I wouldn't say too comfortable, but comfortable enough for students to share their thoughts and talk to them without being scared or afraid about them getting in trouble”. Finally, several students said that attending events that mattered to them was another way to build relationships beyond the classroom (e.g., sports events).

2.2 Create safe and caring classroom environments

According to students, teachers create a safe and caring classroom environment by expressing love and by welcoming students. For instance, a student shared, “…every time we're about to enter the classroom, she always greets us. And when she gets in the classroom, she has a big smile on her face”. Another student described the significance of these gestures, “it just kind of brightens up your day… because it feels like someone acknowledges you”. One student added, “What teachers need to know when trying to make students comfortable is to constantly remind them to be themselves”.

Students want their teachers to set high expectations and ensure they have the support they need to do well. For example, one student said, “I think a teacher should push you a lot to be your best at all times, so you could just put 100% into your schoolwork”. To shape an environment where this is possible, students agreed that co-established norms at the beginning of the year were valuable but argued that this approach alone is insufficient. Instead, they recommended that teachers regularly seek students' input to “make the classroom better”. Students expressed that teachers should not assume they know students' needs without first learning from students themselves. Students want to see a range of learning needs supported, noting that needs are shaped by their identities, access to resources, and systems of oppression. For example, one student wished there was more support in place for English Language Learners: “One of my friends who immigrated from Ecuador…couldn't speak English…and they didn't really provide her any help…there should be way more support for those types of people who don't have as much accessibility to learning a new language as easily”.

Students also stated how important it is for teachers to disavow racist language, jokes, and bullying. A student stated, “My health teacher always talked about how it's not cool and not funny to call Black kids and other mixed people names”. Another student said about his teacher, “If there's ever anyone out of line…and making fun of some people because of their race, they'll handle that and take care of it”. Another student appreciated that their teacher used examples from his personal family identity (having LGBTQ2SIA+ family members) when responding to harmful or discriminatory language, “He's always kind of talking from experience whenever he hears any negative terms towards anybody who's LGBTQ”.

Finally, students emphasized the importance of their physical safety at school but noted the emotional toll of these efforts, especially related to concerns of school shootings. Multiple students mentioned structural safety measures at school (e.g., security guards, locked doors) and ongoing crisis response practices. As one student shared, “They really care about drills and safety precautions like that because they want to keep us all safe in case the real thing happens”. Another student shared, “My history teacher mentioned there's this set of books right next to the door on the entrance. And when we would have practice lockdowns, he talked about how if we ever needed to escape… just go grab a book as you're running out. Not even to be funny or anything. So, if all the class encounters a shooter, 24 kids throwing a book at them could buy more time to run out…It's also kind of worrisome to think about”.

2.3 Humanize education

Students want their whole selves to be cared for at school, including their mental health, identity development, and academic instruction. One student reported “struggl[ing] with anxiety” and feeling overwhelmed with class assignments and homework. They said that their teacher “helped me break down the work…with me and helped me learn how to use tools to understand how I can break apart the work so it's not as stressful as I had it”. This helped the student feel “welcomed” in their classroom.

Many students shared experiences of stress and pressure associated with school. One student said, “I wish that the school, they wouldn't put too much stress on us…everybody in my class is super stressed. If we fail, that's on our record forever”. The student described how their classmates frequently expressed suicidal ideation as a result of the pressure their teachers and parents put on them. In this vein, many youth recommended that teachers focus on students' academic efforts rather than outcomes.

Students also discussed the importance of teachers celebrating their diverse identities. One student expressed that they, “never actually had a time when a teacher made me feel like my many identities were welcome because teachers don't really focus on identities that much in schools. They just focus on the curriculum that they're given. So they get through the day easily and fast”. Another student reflected that their teachers “don't talk enough… “cause my school is majority white—…no history or no culture [are] being brought into the school. Something like that [could] help students feel more comfortable about their race and ethnicity”. Youth want educators to incorporate a wide range of identities into the curriculum. Everyday experiences associated with being the only student with a specific identity (e.g., “I'm the only Black kid in my class”.) were often accompanied by experiences of othering, bias, and/or stereotypes. One Black student shared, “When I was in the sixth grade, I was the only student who was asked if I had a dad. And [clearing throat] also, many boys at my school make racist jokes, thinking they're funny when they're really not”. Youth hoped that discussions about the strengths and contributions (past and present) of marginalized people could help all students value one another and reduce discrimination. One student said, “[I want to learn about] all the good things that happened in African American history and all the good things that African Americans did”.

Students also want their teachers to have an “open mindset” toward identities, even when teachers “have their own opinions” that differ from those of their students. One student shared about a time when he felt that his teacher was affirming, saying “me and my friend are Muslim and…there's a special month and we just fast all around. And that month, my teacher was not trying to eat in front of us”. This proactive approach positively impacted students' identity development, confidence, and comfort at school.

Youth expressed a desire for academic instruction that is culturally responsive, fosters critical consciousness, and acknowledges that social structures, oppression, and power are intertwined with schools. Students spoke emphatically about not wanting a whitewashed or settler-colonial perspective on history. They wanted their teachers to “break that chain of lies” and “tell the story more fairly” from the perspective of the oppressed. Additionally, students want teachers to discuss how oppressed people have fought back and resisted throughout history, as well as how conditions have changed and improved. Some students felt that teachers taught about “past racism, but never recent events”. Youth want teachers to connect these discussions with present injustices that matter to them. One student shared that her teacher provided opportunities to discuss unfair policies at her school: “I'm really keen on the dress code ‘cause it's super unfair in my district. But we'll talk about that, and how it's not fair and how it's super targeted”. Students also want to learn about the intricacies of anti-Blackness, the reasons present injustices exist, and how white supremacy shows up in spaces where there are no white people. Additionally, students want educators to acknowledge that each person might experience oppression in some ways but be an oppressor in others. Youth also want teachers to be aware of their own identities and social positioning and to be thoughtful about how they facilitate discussions of racism and other injustices, introducing these topics with compassion and perspective-taking while honoring their severity.

2.4 Advance social justice and civic engagement

Youth shared that they notice the ways their teachers advocate on their behalf, thereby advancing social justice and civic engagement. Students shared examples of teachers' standing against policies and practices within their schools that ignore student learning needs, create disparities, or harm students in other ways. One student said of her teacher, “She didn't want any of us to feel bad about ourselves for taking too long or not doing good on something. So, she would stand up for us, herself, and that just made me feel like I was safe around her”. Another student expressed that they were dissatisfied with how their school taught about Indigenous people in the United States, wondering how her teacher could help: “I don't know what power the teachers have when it comes to education…I'm pretty sure they have the power to try to vote against [harmful curricula], or something like that…if they try to fight themselves, to try to change that and break that chain of lies and the history I've been taught of like, ‘the Pilgrims made peace with Native Americans.’” Students shared that they wanted teachers to provide guidance and scaffolding for their own advocacy as well. For example, a student said, “I think a teacher can help you talk to an administrator about…how you wanna make a difference against racial injustice and how you wanna help make your community better”. Finally, students expressed that teachers could instigate change by offering students support and advice when they experience or witness discrimination.

3 Discussion

Young people know what they need to thrive at school. As such, to meet the needs of all students, SEL program developers and educators must intentionally center youth genius in their program design, content, and learning activities, particularly those who are most vulnerable in our education system. Relatedly, to be effective and engaging, SEL programs must be grounded in what we know about child development and identity-affirming approaches that foster belonging, academic success, and optimal well-being (Bisht et al., 2026; Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015).

The students we spoke with outlined concrete practices educators can implement immediately to cultivate humanizing, affirming learning environments. Nothing they shared was impossible, time-intensive, or required a specific SEL program or approach. In this way, all teachers, regardless of content area, are responsible for creating the conditions for youth to exercise agency, dream, experience belonging, receive care and protection from harm, and share their ideas safely. For adolescents, especially BIPOC youth who are often overlooked, listening and responding to them meaningfully supports their mental health (Cunningham et al., 2024), social, emotional, and academic development (Conner et al., 2025), and school engagement (Conner et al., 2022).

While SEL programs have great potential to continue to support students' social, emotional, and academic well-being, those that lack a racial justice, anti-bias, and abolitionist lens risk being harmful (Lin et al., 2023) and becoming “white supremacy with a hug” (Simmons, 2019; cited in Madda, 2019, para. 11; Simmons, 2021). The youth who shared their insights clarified the importance of their teachers being responsive to their lived experiences, identities, realities, contexts, and aspirations, urging them to “figure out who [they are] as [people] and then go from there”.

Based on this call-to-action, we urge SEL program developers and educators to start by discovering who young people are and what they need to flourish socially, emotionally, and academically, then to use what students share to inform instructional practice, create and select academic content, guide interactions, and build communities where students feel a sense of trust, belonging, and care. We are heeding this directive by honoring youth genius and partnering with young people to guide our organizational programming and content. Specifically, from our conversations with youth, we are building an inventory of liberatory instructional practices to support educators in creating a world where all children can live, learn, and thrive in the comfort of their own skin. That's the world we envision, and we invite you to join us in building that world with and for young people.

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Footnotes

Edited by: Kamilah B. Legette, The State University of New Jersey, United States

Reviewed by: Keith Gurley, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States