Diversity

I hate this question: “How many little Indian kids do you have in your class?”  I hate it for many reasons…

1.     First I have NO Indian kids in my class.  They are Native Americans.  Their people were here before your people.  That is if we are keeping score.

2.    Does it matter????? NO, it doesn’t matter.  There are many prominent issues in my school, poverty, abuse, neglect, alcoholism just to name a few.  These issues occur regardless of race. 

3.    Do you think anyone ever asks an African American or Native American teacher, “How many little white kids do you have in your class?” and if they did, would they ask it with the same preconceived notions they do about “Indian” kids?

4.    There are special things about each race.  I think Europeans (yes, us white folk) sometimes don’t get this because we often don’t identify and celebrate with a particular group.

When a student walks in my room I worry about many things, but race is not one of them.  I care about whether or not that child has had enough to eat.  Did he or she sleep well?

I care who they live with, so if they show hostility to a dad who has never existed or a mom who left them I can try to understand.  Can Grandma keep up with them?

Do they feel taken care of?

Do they feel loved?

I love all my kids, from the kindergarteners to the high schoolers.  I feel terrible when they have a bad day.  I worry when they don’t work.  I pray always that they are taken care of beyond my classroom walls.

What can I do to stop this?  Well I need to get the courage to explain to people why I don’t like that question.  I’m starting today with this blog.  Maybe after getting it out in print I’ll have the courage to say it out loud.

If you are curious about my classroom, ask me about its diversity.  Ask me about the individuals that make up my classes.  Ask me about the people, not the race.