Diversity.. can be an uncomfortable topic :/

     Last Wednesday's class on diversity was very difficult. There were some uncomfortable moments for me especially when we had to blurt out what first came to our heads when Dr. Duncan said a phrase. I couldn't believe what came out of my mouth and I think others were just as shocked about what had come out of their mouths. I felt bad about putting stereotypes on a certain race, hair color, profession etc.. I was really scared that I would offend someone in the classroom. When Dr. Duncan said lazy so many people said black people and I felt bad because I have so many friends who are of that race who are certainly the opposite. When Dr. Duncan said "astronauts are.." and "doctors are.." everyone said smart, but it was crazy that no one said smart when Dr. Duncan said "teacher's are..". This really got me thinking and made me feel sad that we weren't even advocates for the profession we are going into. I was so intrigued by this game that Dr. Duncan played with us that I went back and told all of my roommates and talked to my boyfriend about it.
    I was really not surprised by the classes responses because I believe some of the same responses are found in our society. Media portrays black people in a negative light most of the time and teachers are very under appreciated and believed to not be as smart as maybe astronauts or doctors. I really liked the fact Dr. Duncan pointed out that someone has to teach those doctors and astronauts.
    After this class I did reflect on some of my thoughts, ideals, and practices and found out that I need to try to stereotype a lot less so that I do not hurt some of the students in my classroom. I also need to figure out where I stand on issues and have an opinion. I need to let my students know that I have an opinion but not try to force my opinion on them. I guess I always thought teachers couldn't really have an opinion because if they did they might try to push that on their students. I have had teachers who have done this and I felt like the only thing I was learning in their class was their opinion. I believe much of my thinking has changed since freshman year of college because I had a korean roommate. She made me change some of my stereotypes and see the way we were alike instead of our cultural differences. I guess I realized that even though people come from different cultures they still are alike in many ways and have the same kind of feelings as I do. This lesson was great, because it really made me stop and think about how I was stereotyping people because they were different from me.
    I think these kind of discussions can be hard in the classroom. If this exercise was challenging for college students then of course it would be hard for elementary students. I think the best way to address this is like one teacher I observed did. Somehow different types of families came up and she said having one dad or two moms is not the traditional way but it is fine. She modeled the accepting behavior that is important to model for younger children so that they understand that every family might not look the same. It is important to get students to accept all different cultures so if there is a person from another culture in the classroom, you might can ask the parents to come in and share a little information about their culture. When having a discussion on diversity it is important to make sure that all students know that everyone has similarities and differences and those differences are what make the world interesting. During the discussion I will make sure everyone is respectful and accepting. This discussion should be a learning process and not a time to be judging or stereotyping.