Q on statement of intent... diversity

[Counterpointer]

Been applying to schools lately... Although most of these were due Dec. 1, Some schools I'm applying to have flexible or later deadlines.

 

OK. This one application that has been troubling me is due Dec 18. Only 3 days left.

 

The application asks for the following:

There is a broad range of diversity in our classrooms today.

1. Describe your experiences in working with diverse populations.

2. What would be your approach to creating an inclusive classroom? In your description, include three attitudes you would demonstrate as well as three particular strategies you would use to create the appropriate classroom climate.   

 

 

It's asking for 3 attitudes and 3 strategies for appropriate classroom climate?

I have experiences teaching at university as well as working with younger kids at camps and the Salvation Army but I'm not constantly thinking about diversity and racism. I don't think anybody is.

I would only mention if I see it being a problem. Other schools didn't ask for such specific details on diversity so I somehow did it, but 3 attitudes and 3 strategies?

Not to mention the word limit (400) answering both 1. and 2.

 

Diversity is such a hard topic to talk about, especially nowadays with all the Ferguson stuff.. And I don't think it's usually a serious problem in classrooms, at least in my classroms.

How do you all approach the diversity question?

3 Attitudes and 3 Strategies... that's too much.. way too much to answer in 300 words too.

This is for K-12 teaching certification. Any suggestions? Would an "international day" be a good idea, where students present about their family background?

 

I have a pretty solid application, GPA and experiences, just the diversity Q's bother me so much. Anybody on the same boat?

[hesadork]

Back when I was applying for my master's degree a friend and mentor gave me some good advice (that I have since given to many others): if something is really bothering you about a school's admission process -- including questions on the application that seriously rub you the wrong way -- listen to what the universe is telling you and don't apply to that school.

 

Questions like this one tell you something about the institutional culture.  No matter the school's ranking or how much you like the curriculum or the strength of the faculty, if there is not a culture fit it probably isn't the place for you.

 

FWIW, I actually think diversity in the classroom is very relevant/resonant...but that can vary a lot by field and geography. 

 

Hope that's helpful.  Good luck.

[Counterpointer]

Back when I was applying for my master's degree a friend and mentor gave me some good advice (that I have since given to many others): if something is really bothering you about a school's admission process -- including questions on the application that seriously rub you the wrong way -- listen to what the universe is telling you and don't apply to that school.

 

Questions like this one tell you something about the institutional culture.  No matter the school's ranking or how much you like the curriculum or the strength of the faculty, if there is not a culture fit it probably isn't the place for you.

 

FWIW, I actually think diversity in the classroom is very relevant/resonant...but that can vary a lot by field and geography. 

 

Hope that's helpful.  Good luck.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Well, it was almost $300 just to apply to that school, $240 application fee and a few bucks to send my transcripts and test scores, so not applying is out of question.

The process was that I had to pay the application fee, then they send me the essay Q's, so I had no idea before paying.

 

Some Canadian schools are so expensive to apply to, both U of Toronto and U of Ottawa were over $200, each.

I'll make some stuff up.. But I don't see how diversity is really important. I mean, of course any aspect in education is important. But if I had to rank them, diversity is to the  low side for me. If I keep mentioning race and poverty stuff, students may think that I'm doing things differently because of their backgrounds, no? I'd be quite scared of my students accusing me of discrimination. I don't understand how one can be constantly doing stuff about diversity without sabotaging the class time and have the students go "why are you talking about this?" I see no reason to do anything about diversity, unless I see a conflict caused by it. I do think that it's very good to have a diverse classroom with many cultures represented, but I don't get to control who's in my classroom--that's beyond my control. 

Edited December 15, 2014 by Counterpointer

[CHWF]

Hi, Counterpointer—I think hesadork makes a good point: if writing about diversity doesn't speak to you now, can you imagine what your program would be like if diversity were a serious strand of the curriculum? 

 

Additionally, I know applying to schools is a serious investment. However, the money you've spent is a sunk cost and should not play any role in whether you continue to apply to that school.

 

Like hesadork, I think diversity is one of the most important topics for education, not only in the USA, but in Canada, too. (Although, considering that's my area of interest, I recognize my bias). Having an international day is good start, but as a one day event, it may not have a lasting impact that promotes diversity. Here's a website I have used while working on a race and ethnicity unit—maybe you can glean a few strategies, too:

http://www.eds-resources.com/edmulticult.htm

 

Also, here's another resource you might enjoy. It's the Freakonomics podcast, and this episode is about a program called Pathways to Education, a community-based educational program in Toronto that aims help struggling students graduate from high school:

http://freakonomics.com/2014/12/04/how-to-fix-a-broken-high-schooler-in-four-easy-steps-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

 

Good luck!

[Counterpointer]

Hi, Counterpointer—I think hesadork makes a good point: if writing about diversity doesn't speak to you now, can you imagine what your program would be like if diversity were a serious strand of the curriculum? 

 

Additionally, I know applying to schools is a serious investment. However, the money you've spent is a sunk cost and should not play any role in whether you continue to apply to that school.

 

Like hesadork, I think diversity is one of the most important topics for education, not only in the USA, but in Canada, too. (Although, considering that's my area of interest, I recognize my bias). Having an international day is good start, but as a one day event, it may not have a lasting impact that promotes diversity. Here's a website I have used while working on a race and ethnicity unit—maybe you can glean a few strategies, too:

http://www.eds-resources.com/edmulticult.htm

 

Also, here's another resource you might enjoy. It's the Freakonomics podcast, and this episode is about a program called Pathways to Education, a community-based educational program in Toronto that aims help struggling students graduate from high school:

http://freakonomics.com/2014/12/04/how-to-fix-a-broken-high-schooler-in-four-easy-steps-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the replies.

I just had a phone call with my good friend who did TFA program.

I think the problem was that I didn't really recognize as to what extent diversity plays.

 

If diversity is an essential part of the program, I have no problem with it.

This part, I'm not worried, I'm quite open-minded (I think I am), so if they tell me to go read about diversity and they would teach me, it would be ok.

I think I just didn't know where to start without any previous readings and discussions on this topic--this was why I was frustrated.

 

Diversity is also in the books that I choose, as well as the activities in the class.

Until now, I was given a textbook, and a syllabus that I had to stick with (at university), it would be wrong for me to go off topic in my current teaching position.

But in public schools, of course I will have a lot more freedom. I now think that the universities are looking for teaches who would choose books and novels that show a lot of different cultures, and do activities that promote and celebrate cultures. In this way, I agree that diversity is important. If I were to assign books to students, the students should be exposed to characters from many different backgrounds and cultures. Before I realized this, I kept thinking I have to physically say stuff about diversity in classroom. Rather, it's more of "do" than "say". Now that I'm more enlightened, I can finish this application and let the waiting game begin. 

 

TL;DR, I was just lost where to go in diversity, now I have better idea, got things to write about, and I'm not really scared even diversity is a big part of the program. Because I was frustrated when I was lost, but in the program I can probably have a discussions and get directions from the faculty members too.

[TakeruK]

I am not an expert in education nor am I an expert in diversity. One of the things I currently work on is to help create a inclusive and welcoming atmosphere/environment for everyone at my current school. So I would echo MAC2809's suggestion to read about equality and equity and especially how this affects higher education. As I said, I am also trying to learn these things so I am not in a position to know what to recommend to you. However, I do feel that having an inclusive atmosphere is much more than just mentioning certain themes in your syllabus!

 

I'll share an experiences from my past (at Canadian universities) that I feel are related and might be helpful?

 

One of my favourite university classes was my mandatory first year English literature class (I was a Physics major and it was my first year so to be honest, I was pretty naive and was expecting it to be one of those classes I'll just have to suffer through). We read a lot of fiction and analyzed it. The theme of the fiction is completely up to each instructor and my section read all about "coming of age stories as a hyphenated Canadian". For example, we read about teenagers growing up as a Japanese-Canadian, Chinese-Canadian, German-Canadian etc. I didn't think about this until many years later, but I think that topic made a big difference to me (I identify as a hyphenated Canadian as well). Prior to that class, almost all of the fiction we read were about Caucasian Canadians or Americans growing up: my high school reading list were titles like The Outsiders, Cue for Treason, How to Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, etc. Although all children face common themes when they are "growing up", and all these titles tackled important issues in society, in an overwhelming majority of the fiction we read in high school, the protagonist was almost always white. And some of the extra things I felt that I struggled with (e.g. feeling trapped between two cultural worlds) were never in these stories. This college class made a big difference and I finally read stories where someone "like me" is actually the protagonist. I felt like I was able to fully identify with the protagonist, for the first time. Also, I felt like other people who might not identify as a hyphenated Canadian might gain some insight on the perspective of a hyphenated Canadian. Not to continue the whole "us vs. them" mindset, but it did feel good that it was "them" reading about "us" for a change.

 

Most of the analysis of my feelings above came years after the fact. When I was taking the class, although I registered that I felt good about the class, I didn't really figure out why. And I think that's because the professor was subtle about it and that was good. The prof did not make a big deal out of it at all, and instead introduced the theme for the class just like he would have introduced any other theme. And I think that's the whole point -- the best inclusive atmosphere/environment includes everyone without making a point to show why a group is different! Or in summary, I think it's important for all of us to remember to take a step back and realise that our worldview is a product of our background and our experiences and that different people with a different experience will have a different worldview. And to remember that no worldview is necessarily "right" or "correct". And as educators, we should strive to make sure all worldviews can succeed, not just the ones that are aligned with ours.