That makes a lot of sense, Rachel. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I think that your willingness to be disrupted is how the world changes. You are brave.
I often wonder what else will come along to shake my own sense of self and if I will be brave enough to feel it and let it change me. On some days I feel brave and on others I feel tired.

Thanks, Mary! Somehow I feel that the powerful people tend to talk and disadvantaged people tend to listen. Because these people think that nobody will listen to their opinions or nothing will change even if they speak out–trying is embarrassing. Your are right, to improve inclusive environment, we need to listen more and create the brave places especially for the people who are afraid to talk, to make them feel safe and comfortable to express themselves.

I can relate as well. I, too, have been able to travel to places where most people do not look like me or speak my language. I think it is interesting that for us to really have this exposure, we have had to travel to somewhere exotic even though there is diversity all around us. Why do we not engage with people who look different from us at home? Is it less comfortable or socially unacceptable? Are we just too busy? Is it something that we would like to change?

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Great post, Elizabeth. I so agree with your recognition of how our own and our student’s experiences affect what we create and experience in the classroom and that we must be mindful of these in order to effect change. One assignment I required of all of my high school students was that they compose some sort of autobiography for me. It could be factual or fictional and could be in any format they chose–written, electronic presentation, song, movie, sculpture (no one ever created this for the assignment, but it would have been cool!), etc. It was an idea I stole from a geology professor I had in my undergrad program. I loved finding out things about my students that I would never have known otherwise.

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Thanks! When I read your post, the education system you describe in your home country is quite the same as mine. I don’t know why our education systems are so passive compared to the western ones. Well, a stereotype of Asians is lack of creativity. So I think we should make a difference not only for ourselves, but also for our next generation to have a better education system.

I like your idea of finding a teacher to learn about different cultures. I think that the choice of whom to open yourself to as a learner is one of the most important choices in this process. Because “diversity” implies socially constructed groups, it deals with both hidden and explicit power differentials. The skill of listening to and learning from people who are more or less valued by society than you are, without presuming to know their experiences already, is something that I think we, as educators, need to constantly work on in ourselves as well as to facilitate for our students.

It is interesting that, in the US, education is supposed to be the great equalizer. However, our schools are highly segregated (see http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/17/gao-study-segregation-worsening-us-schools/84508438/) by income because many are primarily funded through property taxes. (See this story from NPR http://www.npr.org/2016/04/18/474256366/why-americas-schools-have-a-money-problem.)
Therefore those who can afford to live in more expensive areas have better funded schools which simply perpetuates the class system. It is not to say that there is no class mobility in the US, but there is much less than one would hope.

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I’ve been here for more than twenty years. InclusiveVT is not the first iteration of an institutional effort to foster inclusivity and embrace diversity. I have seen several such initiatives wax and wane over the years, and I confess to a certain amount of despair that we will ever make serious headway — even as the imperative to do so becomes more compelling with each passing moment. But my hopeful self notes that InclusiveVT has more traction and already seems more vibrant than previous projects. I also believe that change can be incremental, and that eventual success can come from what feels like a defeat. So, let’s make this time count!

I love your sharing. And I totally understand your worries. I am from Chinese. My skin color, eye color, and hair color make me more noticeable in this countries comparing to the time when I was living in my homeland. Sometimes, I can feel people’s eyes fastened on me, especially kids. Most adults will try to avoid staring at others, but kids are different. Kids are not tied to social rules. They will express their emotions more directly. In my experience, most kids look at you full of curious, they are growing angles, their world views haven’t been developed yet. Most of the time, I would try to smile at them if we made eye contact, then I would have another interaction with their parents. Some of the parents will smile back if they notice the smiling moments between me and their kids, but some will just ignore me. I always feel bad for those kids whose parents had the distant faces.
Once when I was shopping in Food Lion, a little boy smiled at me first, I smiled back. Then when we run into each other the second time, I saw him mustering the courage to talk to me. He asked me if I was Korean. I was surprised that questions since I did not see that coming. I wondered if he had former experience with Asian people who came from Korean. I told him that I was Chinese, not Korean. I could tell that he had more questions coming up, but his dad showed up at the corner, and he said bye to me a little unwillingly. After I left the store, I wondered where the conversation would go without disturbing.
The education about diversity always comes from the parents first. I feel I am powerless to help with the parenting part. However, I believe even just a brief moment can change someone’s life. I hope in all those short moments owned by the kids and me, I add something nice to their heart about humanity and diversity. I think that is something we can do starting from today.

I enjoyed reading this post, and I can definitely relate– I can’t say I had a very diverse, exciting childhood, but when I studied abroad, it really expanded my perspective of the global world.
I think, as you say, it’s really important to remember that true diversity change takes time and patience. Everyone is different, and everyone adjusts at different speeds.

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