Embracing Multiculturalism: Seeing diversity in students, teachers, parents by Christine Davidson Westerly Sun September 27, 2023 My first classroom was in Central Falls, Rhode Island. It was an arch of diversity. I did not fully understand diversity until a comment by the school secretary made me examine carefully my own biases and those of others. Early in that first year, she said with a bit of surprise, “You know Chris, I think you are brilliant, and I know other Polish people, and some of them are smart, too.” Her remark hurt, and I thought long and deeply about it. I had heard people ridicule Poles – the Polish jokes, the “Dumb Polack,” and other name-calling, the history of Hitler annihilating Poland, and calling Polish people “Pigs.” My mother was a Polish immigrant. Such hurtful and misdirected attitudes were part of the atmosphere I grew up in. My ability and intelligence as a new teacher surprised the school secretary; she had expected little of me, and if she had low expectations of me, the wide-eyed, enthusiastic new teacher of Polish descent, how did her negative biases affect our students, their parents, and other teachers in our school? And, what were my biases, and how did they affect my students and their families? So, let’s talk about bias and how our attitudes harm one another, especially our children. The question is: “Do all the adults in the school know my child? Have all those adults examined their biases and those of our system and community?” Do they understand my child’s socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, and cultural background? Do they know how these factors, and many others, impact my child’s learning? Do they have the resources necessary to help my child be the best learner possible? The first step for every adult in our school community, including parents, is to examine their biases. We can read about diversity and its importance, but how do we overcome our own biases to help all students learn and develop? We must be able to “see” all our children for who they are, not for who we think they or their parents are. We must recognize and honor their individuality with all their talents, strengths, challenges, and needs. Our schools need to provide consistent research-based professional development for all our adults. We must invite people of various backgrounds to become part of the classroom conversation and community. We need books -- lots of books - books that meet the vast needs of all children, books that describe different cultures and lifestyles -- inclusive books. A rainbow quilt of books to reveal to our children their individuality and the differences between them and others so they can talk about and celebrate them with parents, teachers, and one another. Open, non-judgmental, reflective discussions about differences curb teasing, mitigate microaggressions, challenge biases, and create a structure for accountability that limits conflict. I was fortunate to begin my teaching in Central Falls. I had students from many different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, and races. Even in the classrooms of the most outwardly homogeneous communities like Westerly, there is great disparity, difference, diversity, and need. According to the recent Westerly School Department’s Equity Audit, our classrooms are at least 20% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and at least 30% of our children qualify for free and reduced lunch, a measure of economic need. All our children and families are different; all our children and families deserve to be valued, included, and loved. Despite the negative impact of the secretary’s biases on me, her comment opened the door to personal growth, self-examination, and a career of self-reflection. My students benefited from my openness to using the sadness and rejection of anti-Polish bias my mother and I had experienced. Unnecessary and unfair personal struggles with prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination can build empathy and commitment to keeping our promise to create an inspiring, challenging, and supportive environment where students are encouraged and assisted to reach their highest potential. I was successful, not only because of my love for teaching, but because each student could shine in a non-judgmental, developmentally appropriate atmosphere that helped all of us see our humanity and similarities in our differences. I worked intentionally to give each child in my care the gift given to me – overlooking biases to see people. It has been many years since that first class. Recently, a former student from Central Falls reached out to me. I remember her as a creative writer. She was brilliant, imaginative, African-American, and very poor in a school district with very limited resources. Today, she is an educator and an expert in Shakespearian theater. We talked recently. I apologized that I did not do enough for her in my classroom. With kindness and conviction, she said, “You did enough, Christine. You saw me.” Written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Sunday, meet the author and join the discussion about this column. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected] Comments are closed.
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This website is a publication of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. ARC is a community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization. ARC embraces multiculturalism to address racism.
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