Year of connection: Celebrating the power of being seen

As the year wraps up, we’ve been reflecting about what really matters in education. For us at Along, it always comes back to the consistent, meaningful connection between a teacher and a student. 

Over the past year, educators used Along to transform their classrooms by building real relationships as people. Every check-in offered a valuable little window into a student’s life and reminded us why connection is at the heart of learning. We want to send a hearty thank you to all of you who kept showing up, week after week, and made sure every student felt seen.

Quote of the Year

Perhaps no one said it better than Celeste Akiu, a school leader at Holy Family Catholic Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

“I have always felt in my heart that we all need a sense of self and a sense of belonging. I want every child to have a sense of belonging and a sense of who they are as an individual.”

Looking back at our top stories of 2025

To celebrate this year of connection, let’s take a snapshot of four stories from our Along blog from each of the four seasons. 

Winter 

Strengthening school culture

At John Rex Middle School in Oklahoma City, Principal Charmaine Johnson and her team made Along part of their routine. The school’s weekly “Wellness Wednesday” check-ins weren’t just another box to check off. It became a real ongoing conversation, helping teachers connect more deeply with their students. 

“We’re finding out things about students that they won’t tell us face-to-face,” Johnson said. “It’s helping us connect with our kids and helping them feel seen.”

Spring

Beyond the numbers

This spring, we saw math teachers use Along to ease student anxiety and get kids truly engaged. By simply asking how they’re feeling about math, teachers were able to increase students’ curiosity about the subject. Teachers also added student interests into certain lessons and gave extra support where it was needed. 

“Before you can even start teaching content, you really have to develop those relationships with kids,” said Sarah Styles, a math teacher at Rhodes Junior High School in Mesa, Arizona. “Without those relationships, they’re not learning in the way that they could.”

Summer

Starting the year strong

Our back-to-school post laid out five simple steps for school leaders to build a community where students feel seen, heard, and ready to learn. Nicole Fisher, a school leader from Highview Sixth Grade Center in Middletown, Ohio, said Along helped transform her school’s culture. 

“Along is a part of this shift at our school to build relationships every day, in each of our classrooms, between teachers and students,” Fisher said. “Each year can feel very different on our campus, depending on the group of kids who are here, and this gives us a way to see how these relationships are going.” 

Fall

The transformative power of gratitude

As the holiday season began, we looked at how practicing gratitude every day can change everything. Teachers who made space for reflection created classrooms where kids felt more open, less stressed, and more connected to each other. During the often-chaotic closing months of the calendar year, those small moments of gratitude helped students feel like they truly belonged.

As we look ahead to 2026, we’re holding on to the lessons these stories taught us about connection—one student and one relationship at a time.