Then, yesterday I was inspired by our lunch with Sharon Bramlet-Solomon. As she spoke and we talked I realized the definition of diversity was broader than I had previously thought. When I got back to my room, I looked at the two editions of the O and B that I brought with me. One of them was brilliant and showed a great deal of diversity in a broad sense of the definition. Then I looked at the most recent edition and was a little disheartened. I have some work to do.
But I realized that the most recent edition was done with the staff I have now and they are all new. We don't have the diversity in our staff that I'd like to see, but I think I can change that with some invitations and some strategies that will foster inclusion. There's a student I have in mind. Hilda is her name and she is getting my first invitation. I want to open the door to empowerment to her.
I want to link these two ideas of empowerment and diversity. I think it's doable and I am excited to get going on it. This is going to be so much fun. Can't wait for school start. Oh yeah, we start on August 3-I don't have long to wait.Sutton Casey
Grand Junction High School
Grand Junction, Colorado
Hearing Sharon always challenges me. One resource I've used with students and myself is the Maynard Institute's Fault Lines, which define the many aspects of diversity.
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
Sharon's session focused my intent to empower students to open up to the benefits of diversity. I champion this at my school by approaching minority students and visiting our Gay Straight Alliance club to ask them to write about their perspectives and experiences. I simply say "Hey, as a minority in a school like this, I wonder if you'd be willing to inform our student body about your perspective." And then I tell them with all of the sincerity that I can muster that the student body benefits from learning about the perspective of a member of an under-represented group and that they can take pride in having their voice heard and their issues acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding issues in diversity is important to being sensitive to people in under-represented groups, but I think we as journalist advisers can take it a step further and encourage students to share what we can gain from understanding each other and sharing ideas and traits, not only learning how to avoid worsening the cultural/racial/class/etc divide.
Steve Whitman
Geneva High School
Geneva, Illinois