Reply to What should come first a diverse school faculty or a diverse student population?

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Reply to "What should come first a diverse school faculty or a diverse student population?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]You raise some excellent points, but therein also lies a conundrum of "comfort level and being understood by teachers who look like themselves" where if AA students are never exposed to anyone who doesn't look and sound like themselves, as with any population in the same circumstance, without regular exposure, they will likely continue to be uncomfortable with anyone who isn't like them, and will likely continue passing on that discomfort to future generations, which is why a faculty demographic matched so tightly to the student demographic maybe isn't such a good idea. [/quote]

Thank you! You also make a great point and I don't disagree with you in terms of exposure (which is a long winded way of saying I agree with you). That said, I'm committed to a multi modal approach because my gut tells me that simply expecting students to buy into the idea of regular exposure is asking for a big leap of faith from (in many cases) young children and may not be as effective as an approach that recruits a diverse staff, engages in culturally sensitive PD, and asks both students and teachers to create a mutually respectful and rich learning environment.

In the end, I want to teach in a world that doesn't need closely matched demographics because the world respects the differences we all bring to the classroom. We're not there, not by a long shot, but I believe that every time we engage in conversations like this, and ask the tough questions, we are moving in the better direction.[/quote]

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