Re: Class Discussion

Diversity targets legal discrimination, Equal opportunity targets illegal discrimination.

This is such an intriguing quote, that leads me to consider my perceptions of the education of minorities. Diversity is what we encourage to bring people of all cultures together. I suppose the reason we do this is to cultivate tolerance and understanding among people of all backgrounds. Diversity in a classroom can be a good thing because it helps give students different perspectives about many different situations. When diversity is encouraged in a classroom it can help students understand the differences in how other cultures bring up their children, what kinds of things are important, and what type of values they hold important. If the teacher mirrors this understanding the children will hopefully gain an understanding that it is important to be accepting of other cultures, and that all of these cultures have an impact on modern society. So much of America is shaped by ethnic minority groups, and it is important for students to recognize this early on. I wish that I had had more personal experience with diversity in my education because I think it would have helped remove some of my fear of saying something innapropriate, or not being able to relate to children from a different ethnic background than me.

Equal opportunity is there to satisfy laws. I think in an ideal world we wouldn't have to be concerned with equal opportunity, because people would accept and welcome diversity. Children wouldn't have to worry about getting a poor education just because their parents lived in segregated neighborhoods where the only work available was blue-collar and low-paying. Equal opportunity will be difficult to attain considering the current state of our nation and the overwhelming amount of stereotyping and racism that still exists. I hope that as a teacher I will be able to encourage tolerance and acceptance so that my students can grow up to bring the world that much closer to being equal.