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The article argues that systemic and interpersonal structures discourage and dehumanize many marginalized learners, including Black, Brown, Indigenous, multilingual, poverty-impacted, LGBTQIA+, and students with disabilities. 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() . Belonging as the Bedrock of Learning. i. e.: inquiry in  \neducation: Vol. 18: Iss. 1, Article 13.  \nRetrieved from: [https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol18/iss1/13](https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol18/iss1/13)  \nCopyright © by the author(s)  \ni.e.: inquiry in education is published by the Center for Inquiry in Education, National-Louis University, Chicago, IL.  \nBelonging as the Bedrock of Learning  \nCover Page Footnote  \nFOOTNOTES: This manuscript does not contain footnotes. All references are cited in-text and listed in the References section at the end of the article. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We would like to acknowledge Sister Christella, whose profound impact on the first author's educational journey inspired a lifetime commitment to creating inclusive, belonging-centered classrooms. We are also grateful to the students, families, and educators whose stories and experiences continue to inform our understanding of the critical importance of belonging in learning spaces. Please let us know if you require any additional information or clarification. Sincerely, Gloria and Nina  \nThis article is available in i.e.: inquiry in education: [https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol18/iss1/13](https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol18/iss1/13)  \nBelonging as the Bedrock of Learning  \nGloria McDaniel-Hall  \nNational Louis University  \nNina Weisling  \nCarthage College  \nAbstract  \nThe reasons why we teach are intensely personal. We give our hearts and souls to the work, although it is so much more than work to us. It is a calling, felt deep in our souls, to correct wrongs, to bend the “arc of the moral universe” all the way to justice, to realize the dreams that have been deferred at best and stamped out and denied at worst. At the core of each day, we find humans, students, families, and colleagues who are inherently worthy of learning, loving, and living a fulfilling life. Yet for far too many students, a disproportionate number of them—Black, Brown, Indigenous, multilingual, poverty-impacted, LGBTQIA+, and/or with disabilities—the political, economic, systemic, and interpersonal structures are actively set up to discourage, disempower, disenfranchise, and dehumanize them. What follows is one educator’s story, coupled with a second educator’s examination of some of the key lessons we as educators can learn to be better educators  \nfor all.  \nKeywords: belonging, equity  \nIntroduction  \nThe benefits of having a strong positive sense of belonging in school are well-documented. When people can be their most authentic self, when it is clear that their ideas, opinions, and thoughts are valued and sought after, where their background is not merely acknowledged but honored, and where all that they bring to the space is respected and celebrated, their brain can learn more effectively. This article alternates between Dr. Gloria McDaniel-Hall’s personal narrative and a summary of the relevant neuroscience, providing a practical framework to generate evidencebased, emotionally honest, and directly actionable recommendations for classroom practitioners.  \nTogether with the second author, Dr. Nina F. Weisling, this article argues that belonging is not a soft supplementary concern but a neurological prerequisite for learning across K–12 (and beyond) .  \nPublished by Digital Commons@NLU, 1  \nThe Lingering Legacy of Exclusion  \nGloria’s First Days of School  \nGloria, age 4  \nBefore that first day of school, I had never questioned my place in the world.  \nGalveston, Texas, wit","cbCaieEY4MirPBYb","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieEY4MirPBYb","pdf",404295,15,"English","# Introduction\n## The Lingering Legacy of Exclusion\n## Gloria’s First Days of School","[{\"question\":\"What relationship does the article propose between belonging and learning?\",\"answer\":\"Belonging is presented as a neurological prerequisite for learning across K–12 and beyond, not as a secondary or optional concern.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the article structure its argument?\",\"answer\":\"It alternates between Gloria McDaniel-Hall’s personal narrative and a summary of relevant neuroscience to produce practical, actionable recommendations.\"},{\"question\":\"Who is discussed as being disproportionately discouraged or dehumanized in learning spaces?\",\"answer\":\"The article specifically mentions Black, Brown, Indigenous, multilingual, poverty-impacted, LGBTQIA+, and students with disabilities.\"}]","Belonging as the Bedrock of Learning | PDF",1792033218,38]