I hope that I will be able to see each student as a wonderful individual

"There never was in the world two opinions alike, no more than two hairs or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity"

--Michel Eyguem

High school. It is a place filled with diversity. In the classrooms that I am observing, by "normal" definition--it isn't diverse.

I am white. I am a woman. I am 21 years old. I want to be a teacher. I love English and I have a sincere desire to convey my love to students. It would be nice to say that diversity in classrooms does not matter, and that it does not directly affect school atmosphere. Not necessarily unfortunately but more so realistically, diversity is real and should be taken into consideration when presenting any information in any content area.

Marva Collins gives a great answer to the question of “Can Anybody Teach These Children.” She simply states that she “deal[s] honestly with children.” Honesty is such a powerful tool that if implemented correctly can cross over barriers. I feel that another important aspect of teaching is to see students as they are: Human beings, little boys and little girls. We can get caught up in Kathy is black and John is from Japan, but if teachers first took a deep breath and saw each of their students as equals, it would be a lot easier to then addressing their differences. This might appear conflicting, and maybe a little backwards, but the idea is actually very pragmatic and easy to fallow through. For example, when I was younger I had a hard time seeing people, girls particularly, in a positive light. I always prejudged them according to how they looked, dressed, talked and acted. One day I was really getting frustrated with myself for being so judgmental, so I decided to change. Instead of seeing one girl as a “snot” or seeing another girl as “popular” I decided to look at them differently. I would try to picture them like myself: A teenager, a daughter, a friend, someone who feels pain and happiness, someone who might have cried at the same movie, and who might also like pizza with pineapple. By taking away their apparent differences, I was able to bring those that I prejudged onto neutral ground. Once everyone is on neutral ground, inhibitions can be let go and walls can be taken down. I really believe that the mind change that I experienced can be applied on multiple levels and that it is a perspective teachers could really embrace.

Diversity in the classrooms is more likely to occur in urban schools. It is almost impossible, once thrust into these situations, that student’s extracurricular lives will not directly affect classroom attendance and instructional retention. For example, students are not only ethnically different but their home lives may set them further apart from each other. Some parents might be drug addicts, many may come from single parent homes, and some may have a parent who is in jail. All of these differences and diversity will affect how a student learns. Unfortunately, knowledge is not always measured fairly. A student’s performance may only be determined by standardized testing. If one does not do well on these tests they are often coined as “disabled;” another diversity issue to add to the table. Therefore, the question is what can be done? I really believe that teachers need to be educated on the importance of understanding multicultural education.

It is imperative to make sure that multicultural educations are not being “shoved down” the student’s throats. For example, in the movie Freedom Writers, an AP English teacher singled out a student because she was black, saying: “What is the black perspective of this story? I am excited to see what your type has to bring to the discussion board.” The student did not particularly care for the way the teacher addressed the situation in singling her out and categorizing her as a “type.” Pedagogically, this was a horrible way of addressing diversity into the class room. I believe that the purpose of education should be in instructing the students on a variety of content and allowing them to bring in their personal experiences, beliefs, and desires. By promoting an open classroom where differences are expected and accepted programs like the TFD—“a program designed to prepare teachers to teach effectively in a multicultural, social-reconstructionist ways—may help teachers create a multicultural pedagogy, and help teachers feel comfortable in supporting and highlighting differences appropriately.

Michel Eyquem, born in 1533, once said: “There never was in the world two opinions alike, no more than two hairs or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity.” It may appear contradictory to call diversity a universal quality; for if something is universal it would negate that chance of it being divers. Nevertheless, by looking at the fact that every student is different, in some way—then the every student is brought under the collective cohort of being divers. Not just anybody can teach children. It takes someone who is aware that there are important differences. It also takes someone who can address the differences in a careful, understanding way. Being honest with ones self and also with the students is a recipe for success.

It is also vital to understand that the best teachers supplied with the best teaching tools are not going to reach everyone and anything. No matter what measures are taken there are going to be children left untouched. I have learned this through my observations. This realization makes me really sad. In the words of Thoreau “I hear beyond the range of sound/ I see beyond the rang of sight” and no matter what differences may occur, I hope that I will be able to see each student as a wonderful individual.