Running head: DISCUSSION ON DIVERSITY 1

Discussion on Diversity

Hadley O’Neill

Michigan State University

DISCUSSION ON DIVERSITY 2

August 9, 2019

To Whom It May Concern:

As educators, we hear the term “diversity” more and more in conferences, staff meetings

and professional conversations, but what does it mean? Before answering this question, it is

important to understand that each individual most likely has their own ideas about what the term

means, as impacted by their respective ideologies. Thus, my experiences affect my current

definition of diversity. Based on course readings, however, I can provide you with some clarity

as to what scholars have to say about diversity and how it translates to our student and staff

populations and community.

Diversity is an umbrella term, it is all-encompassing. Underneath the umbrella lay so

many different theories and pedagogies with respect to the term. Diversity includes, but is not

limited to, similarities and differences in individuals’ racial make-up, religion, social-economic

status, gender identity, sexuality, ability, culture, interests, experiences, and learning styles

(Foley, 2008; Schultze, 2008; Coates, 2013). Each of the categories listed can be broken down

and analyzed in great depth, however, what is most important to remember is each person is

unique. While our teachers might have classrooms that serve predominately Black students, we

need to be cognizant of differences within what appear to be homogenous groups; within these

homogenous groups, diversity is still ever-present (Sleeter & Carmona, 2017, p. 109).

Before one can make steps to teach a multicultural curriculum, one must observe, analyze

and engage with the students in front of her and withhold judgement regarding the

parents/guardians who are not (Compton-Lilly, 2004). A strong appreciation of diversity begins

with a caring classroom community (Nieto, 2008). As Riverside moves to become a more
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trauma-informed school, as a staff, we can put certain concepts into place that will work

alongside a multicultural approach to education. First, we can use proactive restorative circles in

the form of morning meetings. In this space, the class decides on meeting values. Sleeter and

Carmona (2017) suggest norms centered around the following: respect towards different

perspectives, avoid generalizations and interruptions, listen, and ask questions or paraphrase to

clarify (p. 37). Once agreements have been made, practiced and maintained, morning meetings

can become more productive. For example, this year I plan to have conversations with students

around diversity within these meetings. Rather than only using prompts around favorites and

hobbies, I am going to include prompts that dig deeper into diversity. Prompts may include:

What does your neighborhood value? What does it feel like when you’re proud of something

you’ve done? What are some issues in the community? Have you witnessed a racial incident; can

you describe it (Blum, 2008)? Through targeted prompts centered around exploration of identity,

my class will have a better appreciation of themselves and others, a better appreciation for

diversity.

Another key aspect in creating a caring community includes the exploration and sharing

of identities. In the past I have assigned students a homework project during the first week of

school aimed at this very purpose. However, again, after engaging with readings in my course, I

have made some changes regarding how I think about this assignment. I realize now by requiring

students to present and share personal objects, I was demanding vulnerability which counteracts

principles of caring communities. This year, rather than requiring all students complete “Bag It!”

during the first week of school, I will create more of an arbitrary due date. This, in turn, creates a

more mutually respective community.

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After a caring community has been established, teachers will need to analyze curriculum

through a multicultural lens. When looking over and planning units, we must consider who is

valued, seen and heard in the curriculum, and, more importantly, what perspectives are absent.

Sometimes the null curriculum—intentional silence on specific topics—can be more powerful,

more destructive than content-coverage (Sleeter & Carmona, 2017, p. 12). Questions teachers

should consider while planning can include: “What problems, issues, and points of view does

[the curriculum] direct attention toward? What does it direct attention away from? Whose view

does it undermine or ignore? Whose knowledge isn’t here, that could be here? What is left out?”

(Sleeter & Carmona, 2017, p. 38). These questions have led me to realize that I have silenced an

entire group of people, the LGBTQ+ community, through my read aloud choices—a wrong I

intend to right. With a quick Google search, I found countless novels centered around the

LGBTQ+ community. Now, as I begin to plan my read alouds for next year, I am in process of

narrowing down a novel that includes at least one character from this community. My top

selections include: The Pants Project (Clarke, 2017), The Best Man (Peck, 2016) and The Parker

Inheritance (Johnson, 2018). It is my intention that by sharing one of these texts with students

and having conversations around the social issues within the plot, that students will see

perspectives aside from their own. In this sense, I will be using texts which help students explore

identity—using a text as a mirror—and understand those who are different from them—using a

text as a window (Sleeter & Carmona, 2017, pp. 137-139). When teachers supplement

curriculum, using resources as mirrors and windows into identities and perspectives, students

learn more and are better able to practice empathy (Sleeter & Carmona, 2017, pp. 138-140).

Although we are in the trenches of standards-based reform, research supports including

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multicultural perspectives in curriculum; with supplemental resources we cannot only create a

more inclusive community, but also improve student learning (Sleeter & Carmona, 2017, p.138).

Again, faced with the realities of standards-based reform, remnants from the No Child

Left Behind Act and similar legislation, schools have seen a significant decrease in instructional

time pertaining to social studies, specifically civic education (Kahne & Middaugh, 2008). In an

effort to engage in good teaching (Fenstermacher & Richardson, 2005) one cannot afford to

exclude social studies from instruction. While the subject area is not tested in elementary school

standardized tests such as Smarter Balanced and PARCC, silencing the curriculum is another

form of silencing students and perspectives. It is all too important, especially considering our

political and social climates, that we provide our students with an understanding of American

history and their civic responsibilities. This is yet another change I will be making this year—

making time for social studies, specifically civic education and the civil rights (as most of our

students are Black) and equal rights movements. A teacher who does not teach social studies,

Black history, etc. sends the message to his learners that diversity and minoritized groups are not

valued. With the inclusion of social studies, one can more effectively teach with an emphasis on

multicultural perspectives and diversity.

It is my sincere hope that with the four changes I have outlined in this letter I can provide

a more multicultural-informed education to my class. I intend to equip my students with

knowledge of and appreciation for diversity in an effort to create a more equal world.

Sincerely,

Hadley O’Neill
DISCUSSION ON DIVERSITY 6

References

Blum, L. (2008). Racial incidents as teachable moments. In Mica Pollock (Ed.), Everyday anti-

racism: Getting real about race in school (pp. 236-241). The New Press: New York.

Clarke, C. (2017). The pants project. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

Coates, T. (2013, May 15). What we mean when we say 'race is a social construct'. Retrieved

from https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/what-we-mean-when-we-

say-race-is-a-social-construct/275872/

Compton-Lilly, C. (2004). “Assumptions about families.” Confronting racism, poverty and

power: Classroom strategies to change the world (pp. 5-14). Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann.

Fenstermacher, G. D., & Richardson, V. (2005). On Making Determinations of Quality in

Teaching. Teachers College Record,107(1), 186-213. doi:10.1111/j.1467-

9620.2005.00462.x

Foley, D. (2008). Questioning “cultural” expectations of classroom behaviors. In Mica Pollock

(Ed.), Everyday anti-racism: Getting real about race in school (pp. 222-225). The New

Press: New York.

Johnson, V. (2019). The parker inheritance. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Kahne, J. & Middaugh, E. (2008). High quality civic education: What is it and who gets it?.

Social Education, 72(1), 34-39

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Nieto, S. (2008). Nice is not enough: Defining caring for students of color. In Mica Pollock

(Ed.), Everyday anti-racism: Getting real about race in school (pp. 28-31). The New

Press: New York.

Peck, R. (2017). The best man. New York, NY: Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random

House LLC.

Schultz, K. (2008). Interrogating students’ silences. In Mica Pollock (Ed.), Everyday anti-

racism: Getting real about race in school (pp. 217-221). The New Press: New York.

Sleeter, C. E., & Carmona, J. F. (2017). Un-standardizing curriculum: Multicultural teaching in

the standards-based classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.