Chapter 6: Valuing Diversity is a Reflection of Shared Beliefs, Values, and Vision
The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings. That person values the differences because those differences add to his knowledge, to his understanding or reality. When we're left to our own experiences, we constantly suffer from a shortage of data.
--Covey (2004), p. 277
As I read Stephen Covey's quote, my father's teachings came to mind. Growing up he always stressed to us the importance of interacting with as many people as possible and learning how they live their lives differently. Till this day, he very much enjoys meeting people from diverse backgrounds and having conversations with them regarding different topics. He wants to learn as much as possible through his interactions to expand his thinking and because he is curious about how others manage life, whether their situation is one of limited resources, different belief systems, or affluence and upward mobility, he takes great pleasure in discovering how different everyone's lives are.
I work at a language academy where students, as well as staff and other adults, do value diversity. Diversity is not viewed as a problem to be solved, but rather, it is viewed as an asset and highly encouraged and supported through literature, activities, art, music, the annual International Fair, and the different languages students are exposed to.
As I reflect on my colleagues', as well as my own, talk about diversity, I characterize the value of diversity at my school as something that we highly encourage, welcome and constantly seek to continue to expand even more at our campus. This is in alignment with our mission since part of it states that our student will become global leaders. They cannot be global leaders if they do not believe in diversity.
Going Deeper With Cultural Proficiency:
When I read the questions in the third column of page 77, the thoughts or feelings that I have are that these questions are a great guide to keep handy when lesson planning, during professional development meetings, and to use in general to help guide our practice so that we can provide a learning environment in which our students embrace diversity.
In thinking of my role as a professional educator, the following questions describe how I approach my work:
*In what ways do I demonstrate my value for diversity by aligning what I say with what I do?
*In what ways do I insure that curricular choices reflect a value for diversity?
*In what ways do I insure that my expressions of a value for diversity are consistent even when members of that group are not in the room?
*In what ways do I insure that my value for diversity is apparent to our students?
Some of the questions that have caused me to think differently about my work:
*In what ways do we acknowledge multiple perspectives?
*In what ways do I/we insure that instructional strategies are differentiated in a manner that values diversity?
*In what ways do I/we insure that assessment choices reflect a value for diversity?
*In what ways do I insure that my value for diversity is apparent to our parents/guardians?
*In what ways do I/we insure that our learning communities incorporate valuing diversity as a lens for our work?
Some questions that appropriately address the culture of my grade level or school:
*In what ways do I insure that my expressions of a value for diversity are consistent even when members of that group are not in the room?
*In what ways do I/we insure that assessment choices reflect a value for diversity?
Our school could use the questions to extend our professional learning in the following way:
*In what ways do I insure that my expressions of a value for diversity are consistent even when members of that group are not in the room?
I have heard some teachers sometimes say, "Oh, I don't have any African-American students in my class this year, I guess I could skip out on teaching about African-American heroes and other historical figures this year". If we use the question written above in blue font as a guide when mapping out our lessons for the school year, we will stay true to the intent of exposing our students to an enriched education in which they learn about a diversity of historical topics, regardless of whether or not we have students in the classroom representing those cultural backgrounds. Using this question as a guide while planning out the new school year will serve to extend our professional learning by keeping us mindful of the need to infuse diversity into our curricular choices.
Reflection:
As a result of the team providing opportunities for others to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the process of developing the PBL lessons, teachers will be more likely to have buy-in and the possibility of them integrating these lessons into their curriculum will increase. Some other stakeholders the learning team might want to engage in this process include parents and students. Their input will prove useful in the delivery of the lessons. Some guidelines we might use to identify who needs to be at the table could be to include all impacted by the lessons. This ranges from all those involved in providing the necessary support to make these lessons a reality to those at the receiving end. Other contexts we might consider for being more inclusive in decision-making include giving everyone involved, from the creation of the lessons to those who bring it to life by participating in their own learning, a voice so their views may be represented.
Reflection:
The sexual orientation of Zenovah's parents is not an issue for a learning community unless they make it one. I don't see how a student's parents sexual orientation would infringe on any child's right to learn. Their sexual orientation is their business and, in my opinion, is not an issue for a learning community. The learning community needs to be respectful and supportive of diverse backgrounds and their delivery of their lessons should reflect that. Information about parental sexual orientation might inform a learning community that they need to be sensitive and respectful of that lifestyle and be ready to help students understand that different people are comfortable with different lifestyles IF the topic comes up or if students are curious about it.
In this vignette, resistance to adjusting to a changing demographic, along with barrier questions/comments from the staff, was getting in the way of the mission and goals of the learning team.
As I think about my school community, information about various definitions of family might benefit me and my colleagues and, in turn, my students in different ways. One of those ways it might benefit us is so that we are aware that various definitions of family exist in the first place and that way when we come across them, we are not in shock so that we do not make anyone feel uncomfortable. We do not want it to distract our students from having an environment conducive to learning, so front-loading them with this information from the beginning of the school year, when establishing the behavioral expectations for the school year, would be beneficial so that when our students do come across situations like these they are not distracted from their learning and they just respect it as another lifestyle that some people choose. All students might benefit from this information so that students who discover that they have a different type of sexual preference, than what society expects them to have, they are not bullied, harassed, made fun of or isolated. The more we educate our students with respect to this matter, the more well-adjusted, respectful and healthy social-emotional relationships our students will have with each other. In my district's vision statement, valuing diversity is reflected as we aim to help our students develop "a respect for self and others", "the academic, vocational and social skills necessary for personal fulfillment", "a sense of responsibility to our community and our global environment", "a realization for the need for peaceful resolution of conflict".
Going Deeper: 3 Keys
3 Key Learnings:
*Integrating diversity into our curriculum must be an intentional task.
*Wider meanings of culture exist that we, as educators, must explore and be open to so that we may support our students more effectively.
*Some educators still need help accepting wider meanings of culture.
3 Key Quotes:
*"When the door to diversity is opened, we are compelled as educators to be receptive to the wider meanings of culture in order that we may focus on the issues that are most pressing at our schools" (Lindsey et. al, p. 78).
*"Being open to these wider meanings for culture will, in fact, be moments for disturbing the system that has been unaware of or unwilling to address inequities or lack of access within the school or district" (Lindsey et. al, p. 78).
*"Valuing diversity is seemingly inherent for some of our colleagues and is evident in their personal and professional relationships, their approach to instruction and curriculum, and in how they speak about their students" (Lindsey et. al, p. 79).
3 Key Questions:
*How can we help educators realize that they do not have to necessarily agree with different lifestyles, but they do have to respect them and guide students through lessons to realize that respect is key to everyone's well-being?
*How can we minimize the number of students who get bullied during the school year due to their sexual preference?
*How can we guide others to embrace breakthrough questions and comments vs. barrier questions and comments?
Thinking of my role as an educator, this information from this chapter causes me to think about my practice in a new way. I realize how much power I have to set the tone for what is accepted in society and model for my students how to react to it, in a healthy way that shows respect and tolerance for wider meanings for culture. Our students look up to us for a reaction of what they should embrace and reject and we need to make sure we are modeling healthy reactions, at all times, that allow all students to feel validated and respected.
The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings. That person values the differences because those differences add to his knowledge, to his understanding or reality. When we're left to our own experiences, we constantly suffer from a shortage of data.
--Covey (2004), p. 277
As I read Stephen Covey's quote, my father's teachings came to mind. Growing up he always stressed to us the importance of interacting with as many people as possible and learning how they live their lives differently. Till this day, he very much enjoys meeting people from diverse backgrounds and having conversations with them regarding different topics. He wants to learn as much as possible through his interactions to expand his thinking and because he is curious about how others manage life, whether their situation is one of limited resources, different belief systems, or affluence and upward mobility, he takes great pleasure in discovering how different everyone's lives are.
I work at a language academy where students, as well as staff and other adults, do value diversity. Diversity is not viewed as a problem to be solved, but rather, it is viewed as an asset and highly encouraged and supported through literature, activities, art, music, the annual International Fair, and the different languages students are exposed to.
As I reflect on my colleagues', as well as my own, talk about diversity, I characterize the value of diversity at my school as something that we highly encourage, welcome and constantly seek to continue to expand even more at our campus. This is in alignment with our mission since part of it states that our student will become global leaders. They cannot be global leaders if they do not believe in diversity.
Going Deeper With Cultural Proficiency:
When I read the questions in the third column of page 77, the thoughts or feelings that I have are that these questions are a great guide to keep handy when lesson planning, during professional development meetings, and to use in general to help guide our practice so that we can provide a learning environment in which our students embrace diversity.
In thinking of my role as a professional educator, the following questions describe how I approach my work:
*In what ways do I demonstrate my value for diversity by aligning what I say with what I do?
*In what ways do I insure that curricular choices reflect a value for diversity?
*In what ways do I insure that my expressions of a value for diversity are consistent even when members of that group are not in the room?
*In what ways do I insure that my value for diversity is apparent to our students?
Some of the questions that have caused me to think differently about my work:
*In what ways do we acknowledge multiple perspectives?
*In what ways do I/we insure that instructional strategies are differentiated in a manner that values diversity?
*In what ways do I/we insure that assessment choices reflect a value for diversity?
*In what ways do I insure that my value for diversity is apparent to our parents/guardians?
*In what ways do I/we insure that our learning communities incorporate valuing diversity as a lens for our work?
Some questions that appropriately address the culture of my grade level or school:
*In what ways do I insure that my expressions of a value for diversity are consistent even when members of that group are not in the room?
*In what ways do I/we insure that assessment choices reflect a value for diversity?
Our school could use the questions to extend our professional learning in the following way:
*In what ways do I insure that my expressions of a value for diversity are consistent even when members of that group are not in the room?
I have heard some teachers sometimes say, "Oh, I don't have any African-American students in my class this year, I guess I could skip out on teaching about African-American heroes and other historical figures this year". If we use the question written above in blue font as a guide when mapping out our lessons for the school year, we will stay true to the intent of exposing our students to an enriched education in which they learn about a diversity of historical topics, regardless of whether or not we have students in the classroom representing those cultural backgrounds. Using this question as a guide while planning out the new school year will serve to extend our professional learning by keeping us mindful of the need to infuse diversity into our curricular choices.
Reflection:
As a result of the team providing opportunities for others to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the process of developing the PBL lessons, teachers will be more likely to have buy-in and the possibility of them integrating these lessons into their curriculum will increase. Some other stakeholders the learning team might want to engage in this process include parents and students. Their input will prove useful in the delivery of the lessons. Some guidelines we might use to identify who needs to be at the table could be to include all impacted by the lessons. This ranges from all those involved in providing the necessary support to make these lessons a reality to those at the receiving end. Other contexts we might consider for being more inclusive in decision-making include giving everyone involved, from the creation of the lessons to those who bring it to life by participating in their own learning, a voice so their views may be represented.
Reflection:
The sexual orientation of Zenovah's parents is not an issue for a learning community unless they make it one. I don't see how a student's parents sexual orientation would infringe on any child's right to learn. Their sexual orientation is their business and, in my opinion, is not an issue for a learning community. The learning community needs to be respectful and supportive of diverse backgrounds and their delivery of their lessons should reflect that. Information about parental sexual orientation might inform a learning community that they need to be sensitive and respectful of that lifestyle and be ready to help students understand that different people are comfortable with different lifestyles IF the topic comes up or if students are curious about it.
In this vignette, resistance to adjusting to a changing demographic, along with barrier questions/comments from the staff, was getting in the way of the mission and goals of the learning team.
As I think about my school community, information about various definitions of family might benefit me and my colleagues and, in turn, my students in different ways. One of those ways it might benefit us is so that we are aware that various definitions of family exist in the first place and that way when we come across them, we are not in shock so that we do not make anyone feel uncomfortable. We do not want it to distract our students from having an environment conducive to learning, so front-loading them with this information from the beginning of the school year, when establishing the behavioral expectations for the school year, would be beneficial so that when our students do come across situations like these they are not distracted from their learning and they just respect it as another lifestyle that some people choose. All students might benefit from this information so that students who discover that they have a different type of sexual preference, than what society expects them to have, they are not bullied, harassed, made fun of or isolated. The more we educate our students with respect to this matter, the more well-adjusted, respectful and healthy social-emotional relationships our students will have with each other. In my district's vision statement, valuing diversity is reflected as we aim to help our students develop "a respect for self and others", "the academic, vocational and social skills necessary for personal fulfillment", "a sense of responsibility to our community and our global environment", "a realization for the need for peaceful resolution of conflict".
Going Deeper: 3 Keys
3 Key Learnings:
*Integrating diversity into our curriculum must be an intentional task.
*Wider meanings of culture exist that we, as educators, must explore and be open to so that we may support our students more effectively.
*Some educators still need help accepting wider meanings of culture.
3 Key Quotes:
*"When the door to diversity is opened, we are compelled as educators to be receptive to the wider meanings of culture in order that we may focus on the issues that are most pressing at our schools" (Lindsey et. al, p. 78).
*"Being open to these wider meanings for culture will, in fact, be moments for disturbing the system that has been unaware of or unwilling to address inequities or lack of access within the school or district" (Lindsey et. al, p. 78).
*"Valuing diversity is seemingly inherent for some of our colleagues and is evident in their personal and professional relationships, their approach to instruction and curriculum, and in how they speak about their students" (Lindsey et. al, p. 79).
3 Key Questions:
*How can we help educators realize that they do not have to necessarily agree with different lifestyles, but they do have to respect them and guide students through lessons to realize that respect is key to everyone's well-being?
*How can we minimize the number of students who get bullied during the school year due to their sexual preference?
*How can we guide others to embrace breakthrough questions and comments vs. barrier questions and comments?
Thinking of my role as an educator, this information from this chapter causes me to think about my practice in a new way. I realize how much power I have to set the tone for what is accepted in society and model for my students how to react to it, in a healthy way that shows respect and tolerance for wider meanings for culture. Our students look up to us for a reaction of what they should embrace and reject and we need to make sure we are modeling healthy reactions, at all times, that allow all students to feel validated and respected.