Teaching Diversity
Helpful Tips on Teaching Diversity
Teaching diversity doesn't always mean teaching that is done in a classroom. Much of teaching and learning about diversity is done in casual settings.
As you teach about diversity, at any level, step back before the class starts, and take a good look at your own biases and your own fears. When you deal with diversity, your own feelings are more present and more emotionally charged. You are who you are based largely on your age, sex, race and social class. These stats need to be acknowledged and then set aside so you can teach without subconscious bias.
Your students may believe that their feelings on diversity need to parrot yours, in order to get a passing grade. Be clear on your objectives from the start, and use a transparent grading system, so that your students know that they are being graded fairly and without bias.
In this momentous time in our nation's history, you have new role models to aid you in teaching diversity. The U.S.'s majority election of an African-American as our president is a ready-made stepping stone for discussions about diversity. However, sometimes peoples' discomfort or uncertainty prevent them from really discussing the topic with others.
Many people who are Caucasian have trouble getting their minds around the term “diversity”. Some of them may have come from a geographical area in which most everyone was pretty much “just like them”. For people like these, “diversity” is sometimes interpreted as “them”. You need to break through that obstacle so that these people too can realize that there shouldn't be separate worlds for each culture, but one world, where people of all cultures live together.
If you are teaching diversity, you must be prepared for reluctance from at least some students, because you will be covering some topics that are controversial. This can actually be a valuable learning experience for the class as a whole, as their concerns are brought up, and each one of them discussed.
One horrible event in our nation's history actually came close to bringing all of us together, perhaps even more so than the election of Barack Obama. That event was 9/11/01. For a time after that fateful day, we truly fit in the mold of Martin Luther King's vision of a place where we are judged “not on the color of our skin, but on the content of our character”. Everyone in lower Manhattan that day was the color of ash. And our country cried as one. But, sadly, it was only days or weeks after that when we were back to “business as usual”, and in fact perhaps more biased, because then we looked at anyone with skin not black or white with suspicion.
Teaching diversity is not easy, but if you are open to feedback from your students, the entire group may learn to be more respectful and accepting of people from other cultures.