“ Someone Saw Me”:
What Neuroscience Teaches Us About Belonging in Schools
By Yerko Sepúlveda, Ph. D. Porter-Gaud School • Charleston, SC
Most( and I wish I could say all) educators can recall moments when a student made it painfully clear that they did not feel they belonged in school. Sometimes it shows up quietly when a student stops raising their hand. It also shows through disengagement, when a capable learner slowly withdraws from class discussions, and we also see it through anger or defiance. Behind these moments often sits an unconscious question students rarely voice directly: Do I belong here?
As a workshop facilitator and teacher trainer, I am always looking for ways to help educators reflect more deeply on that question. Research is essential, but sometimes art reveals truths that data alone cannot capture. One piece I often use in professional learning comes from John Patrick Shanley’ s play Prodigal Son. In a powerful monologue, a student named Jim Quinn confronts the head of school, who has judged him harshly and nearly expelled him. Frustrated and vulnerable, Jim says,“ You tell me I’ m bad before I even get to be anything.” Later, he explains why he stayed in school at all,“ This school has been a miracle for me... somebody, a grown person, decided I was good before I was good... somebody finally saw me.”
Page 2 Summer 2026 CSEE Connections