For several years, I taught a diversity class which met one evening a week--for 3 hours! We discussed race, gender, poverty, religion, the handicapped, sexual orientation--any issue of diversity was open for discussion.
Students often began the class disliking me for the statement I made the first evening: "Any person is a racist unless he/she is actively working toward a solution." Definitely not the most positive way to begin a discussion, but it did provoke response--usually negative, and most often at me. Since I included myself, with examples, in the explanation, I decided I'd work with the students' responses.
One of the assignments was to "e-journal" me with their reflections after each class. I didn't grade the e-journal, but students lost points if I didn't receive one each week. Here was their opportunity to say whatever they wanted--criticize me and/or the ideas presented in class. One quarter, a student would not let go of an extremely defensive attitude. She disagreed with me on every point. Several students fiercely complained about her, and their many e-journal entries centered around wanting her to be more open...or even drop the class. I encouraged them to give her time.
The class included small group discussions--with heavy topics, it's often easier to enlarge comfort levels by offering opportunities for discussion with fewer participants. With comfort established, these can lead to examination of the issues in larger groups.
While I loved witnessing my students learn to think critically, the most heart-warming learning experience came the last night before the final. I asked the students to put their desks in a circle. The assignment was to choose one person in the circle and tell that individual something you like about them, or if you don't know the person, ask something you'd like to know. What surprised me most is that with each quarter I repeated the experiment, I realized that most every student in the circle was approached with a question or comment. Inclusiveness was evident.
We also shared ethnic foods, history that spoke of tragedies no one wanted repeated, and laws of discrimination in more recent times. We role played and discussed feelings toward the characters--abusers, victims, cultural minorities, females, and handicapped individuals.
One evening while discussing women's issues, a student asked me--Mary, are you a feminist? My response was--I
have no "card" if that's what you mean. When I was a young mother, the
feminist movement was active. I didn't participate. But I am a
feminist. A level of anxiety appeared on his face, and then he asked: What does feminism mean to you? I responded--It's about justice. Whether for a man, a woman, a child, an animal or the earth. It's just about justice. What most surprised me was that the idea of justice was addressed in every discussion that evening. They were getting it!
As the quarter wore on each time I taught this class, I saw more unification within the group. Students came together not because they always agreed with one another, but because they understood they could respect, even like people with whom they disagreed. And the young woman mentioned earlier who so vehemently objected to any course content presented? The last e-journal I received from her was after a conversation with
her father. Her e-journal: "Mary, I see where I get my negative attitudes. I told my father about our class discussions, and as I listened to his response, I knew
how I learned to think as I do."
How would your life be different if....You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day...You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey. ---Steve Marabol, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
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