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A Disposition for Diversity: Teaching in the 21st Century 1

A Disposition for Diversity: Teaching in the 21st Century

Rachel Lord

Wesleyan College
A Disposition for Diversity: Teaching in the 21st Century 2

Abstract

As a teacher in the 21st century, it is important to value diversity as a critical teaching


disposition because being different is beautiful and when people respect differences we can gain
a deeper understanding of the world around us. Throughout this paper, I will discuss five forms
of diversity that include: Cultural and linguistic, learning style, sexual, physical, cognitive, and
affective disabilities, and socioeconomic status. My synthesis on valuing diversity as a critical
teaching disposition is gathered from these forms of diversity. I believe diversity is an amazing
attribute to have within a classroom and that being different means there is always more to learn!
In order to teach students how to value diversity, teachers must be prepared and made
knowledgeable on how diverse our world is. Once teachers are prepared for the diversities they
will encounter, they will be able to implement rules, guidelines, and routines within their
classroom that will allow for a diverse atmosphere to blossom. In saying all of this, it has not
been without great effort that the people in our society have been fighting for decades to help
students who are underrepresented within our school systems and society. The importance of
valuing diversity in all aspects of life lies in the roots and history of great diversity issues in our
society.
A Disposition for Diversity: Teaching in the 21st Century 3

Today, our world is more diverse than ever before and the world will only continue to

grow, change, and develop. With that being said, as a teacher in the 21st century, it is important to

value diversity as a critical teaching disposition. I believe diversity should be valued for many

reasons, but in order to value diversity one must understand there are many different forms of

diversity. I will discuss five forms of diversity that include: Cultural and linguistic, learning

style, sexual, physical, cognitive, and affective disabilities, and socioeconomic status. My

synthesis on valuing diversity as a critical teaching disposition is gathered from these forms of

diversity. I believe that it is important to value diversity because being different is beautiful and

when people respect differences we can gain a deeper understanding of the world around us.

Once we gain an understanding for unique people from all over the world, we will possess

compassion. Compassion will help people begin to see that our differences encompass a wealth

of knowledge that is ours for the taking. This knowledge will never be discovered without first

learning respect, understanding, and compassion for people.

Cynthia Robinson, PHD and Pand Clardy, PHD (2011) wrote an article titled, It Aint

What You Say, Its How You Say It: Linguistic and Cultural Diversity In The Classroom.

Robinson and Clardy state that most of the teachers being hired out of teacher education

programs are primarily Caucasians. These teachers have been taught about diversity within their

teaching programs, but some have not experienced cultural and linguistic diversity firsthand. On

the other hand, there are those teachers who do not value diversity within their classrooms.

Teachers need to be equipped before entering into the classroom on how to handle diversity in a

way that allows students to feel valued and welcomed. Robinson and Clardy share an example in

their article of an African American student speaking in Ebonics. The student said she felt
A Disposition for Diversity: Teaching in the 21st Century 4

criticized by other students and only felt she could talk in the classroom with the African

American teacher because this was the only place she felt comfortable. In this instance, teachers

need to be shown that there is a time for grammar and a time for content. The girls words have

meaning and power and the way they are spoken tell of where she comes from, her history, and

her culture. This culture and linguistic diversity should be honored and praised and the other

students should be made aware of the culture that this dialect comes from. In these instances, this

is a good opportunity for a teacher to spontaneously teach and prevent bullying within the

classroom (Robinson and Clardy, 2011, p. 101-110).

Furthermore, many students who come from a different culture experience culture shock

when they walk into an American classroom. A good way to prevent this from happening is to

teach about cultures from all over the world. In order to effectively teach diverse students

teachers must be prepared and have a positive attitude about the process of integrating all

cultures into one classroom. Robinson and Clardy (2011) state that teachers need to be

addressing the needs of their students in a holistic manner. This can be done by allowing the

students to think critically as they are taught. Robinson and Clardy also encourage the inclusion

of students who come from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds in order to help these

students make connections and build on their current knowledge. Robinson and Clardy state, In

our classes, students learn that when children are not allowed to speak in their home language in

the classroom, this lets the child know that his/her "language, culture, and previous experience

have no place within the school or, by extension, within this society (2011, p. 108). Students

should feel included, welcomed, and respected. Their cultures and dialects should be praised and

taught about because this is who they are and where they come from. Every student has a special

and unique place within a classroom and something they can contribute to society. These
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powerful points prove why teachers should value diversity as a critical teaching disposition

(Robinson and Clardy, 2011, p. 101-110).

Additionally, cultural and linguistic diversity is something that I am very passionate

about. I am an advocate for mission trips no matter what religious affiliation one associates with.

Mission trips are an amazing way to really immerse yourself into different cultures. I have

chosen to go to Africa twice and my second time I left home for almost a year stayed with people

from all over the world. Some nights, I would hear thirty different conversations going on and

none of them were in English. Many days, I was the minority among my classes and some days I

experienced racism against my own culture. Honestly, this was the most eye opening experience

of my life. I learned about so many culturally diverse people and I loved them all dearly. I

believe that people have to be open minded about going out of your comfort zone in order to

learn. During my time abroad, I learned to value people, value you their culture, their history,

and where they come from.

Next, another form of diversity is learning styles. Learning style preferences can result

from a students cultural background. Lisa Leopold (2012) wrote an article called Prewriting

Tasks for Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic Learners in which she explains that sometimes

teachers tend to teach in a way that represents their own learning preference. Unfortunately, this

will hold students back from learning in a way that best suits their individual needs. As a teacher,

it is important to research different learning styles and how to teach in a way that incorporates

every type of learning style. The learning styles most familiar in the education field are auditory,

visual, and kinesthetic. Leopold states, Visual learners learn best when they see something;

auditory learners prefer to process information through oral/aural modes; and kinesthetic learners

prefer to learn through activities that require total physical involvement (pg.98). Leopold goes
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on to say that teachers need to teach in an inclusive way that allows for students to learn in many

different styles. Students who tend to gravitate towards auditory learning are said to love stories,

discussions, and oral brainstorming. (pg.99) Students who may learn better visually may love to

participate in mind mapping and graphic organizers. These two types of activities allow students

to get their thoughts and concepts onto paper and see it in front of them. (pg. 100) Last,

kinesthetic learners will probably prefer to learn through movement activities such as organizing

themselves into different categories based on different topics they are learning about. (pg. 100-

101) This type of diversity is important to value for the reason that students are being left behind

every day because they are not learning in a way that speaks to them. By valuing learning styles,

teachers will be able to awaken their students interest in learning (leopold, 2012, p. 96-102).

Unfortunately, when I was in school I hated being tested. I would cry and feel like I could

not breathe. I vividly remember a time in first grade when my teacher put a tri fold board around

our desks to prevent cheating. I already had testing anxiety and now there was a board around

my entire desk. I felt like I could not breathe and I remember my chest feeling as if my school

books were sitting on it. I knew the information, but I was scared. I was scared of being a failure,

I was scared of not making a perfect one hundred, and I was scared of disappointing my teacher

and parents. Grades are weighed out by percentages and unfortunately more often than not tests

weigh more than other assignments within a classroom. I was actually a great student and I still

am, but I feel as if I was never given a chance to find out my learning preference. My love for

learning was never awakened. To this day, if I am asked about my learning style I usually say

that I have to do a little bit of everything to pass. If anything, I learned that a lot of hard work

will get me where I want to go. Although this is how my educational journey has been in the
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past, I do not want my future students to have to go through this. I see an importance in valuing

their different learning styles and I will teach in a manner that speaks to their individual needs.

In addition to these forms of diversity, there is the diversity of sexual orientation. Laurie

Hanson (2015) wrote an article called, Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Address Issues of

Sexual Orientation in Their Classrooms. Within this article she states that teachers need to be

made aware and educated on the LGBT community. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender. Educators, no matter their religious background or moral standards, should value

their students sexual diversity. Students are coming to school to gain knowledge and learn.

Students are not coming to school to be condemned by people for their sexual orientation. I

believe there should be protection for students who are bullied because of their sexual

preference. Hanson (2015) wrote in this article that many students have complained that teachers

just stand by and let name calling and bullying happen. Often times, if students are educated

when they are young about sexual diversity they will have an understanding and respect for those

who are sexually diverse. This type of diversity is a tough area for teachers. Although teachers

own their classrooms, students are at home more than school. I believe valuing sexual orientation

is important because every student should be able to live freely and how they feel is best for their

life. I would never want my students to feel trapped, scared, or unwanted because of their sexual

orientation. I would teach my students to value sexual diversities by having positive classroom

management skills. This can be done through educating students on sexual diversities,

maintaining a positive and strict classroom management, and implementing a no bullying policy

(Hanson, 2015, p. 51-55).

At the end of the day, this issue comes down to having respect for others. I believe

diversity is beautiful and that being different means there is always more to learn! Therefore,
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there will always be something to teach! As a teacher, I would love to be a model and lead by

example when it comes to sexual orientation. I was raised in a Christian home and I went to a

private Baptist school until I graduated from high school. I was raised very conservative, but

never judgmental. I was very uneducated on the LGBT community and I believe this to be a very

sad situation. I wish I was taught more about sexual diversity and what our world has to offer.

Now that I am a Wesleyan student, I am being well educated about this type of diversity and I

value this knowledge. As a result, I will be able to conduct my classroom in a way that values

sexual diversity.

Moreover, another form of diversity is physical, cognitive, and affective disabilities.

Timothy Baghurst (2014) wrote an article about encouraging disability appreciation. Baghursts

article is geared towards students who wanted to become physical education teachers, but the

article has a great message that all teachers can learn from. The intent of this message is to prove

to teachers that having empathy means standing alongside students through their activities.

Baghurst is trying to say get involved, do the activities, and endure the hard work in school

together! He states that many teachers do not want to tackle the challenge of working with

disabled students. This is because teachers lack the knowledge and understanding of the

disabilities they encounter within the education field. In order to help prevent this, an experiment

was conducted using nine students who were going to school to become physical education

teachers. These nine students picked a random disability that they had to live with for a twenty

four hour period of time. The students had to complete their every day school routines with their

disability for twenty four hours. According to Baghurst, the disabilities included: blindness, loss

of dominant arm/hand function, loss of leg function, and loss of speech (2014, p. 45). After the

experiment was conducted, one student reported back and said, Any time youre out doing
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anything like going to a restaurant was kind of awkward. The hostess is asking you for

information and you cant say anything. She looked at me funny. I couldnt talk to our waitress.

Similarly, another student with a different disability reported, Going down the stairs to eat was

hard, but I knew where to go and felt my way. I had to have someone find the milk in the fridge

for me. I tried to make myself a sandwich and had to have help finding the ingredients. It was so

hard to tell how much peanut butter was on the bread. My jelly ended up being just a big blob in

the corner and it didnt end up being a very good sandwich (Baghurst, 2014, p. 46).

Additionally, Baghurst (2014) stated it has been proven that when teachers feel confident

to teach students with disabilities it is more likely that they will accomplish this task and

welcome the challenge. With that being said, why is this type of diversity so important? The

importance of this diversity lies in the fact that these students want to learn and prosper just like

any other student. Students with disabilities have reported feeling mistreated, isolated, and

inferior. A schools purpose is to help students prosper from all walks of life and disabled

students cannot excel unless the teachers are prepared to work with students. Overall, when

teachers are prepared and made knowledgeable about a range of disabilities their attitudes toward

welcoming and including disabled students will improve (Baghurst, 2014, p. 44).

Similarly, I agree with this notion of preparing teachers to handle students with diverse

disabilities. Years ago, I was a nanny for a little girl with autism and I had no idea how to handle

her or understand her, but I was willing to learn. I learned so much more from that little girl than

she ever learned from me. She was truly such a bright light in my life and I will say I came out of

that job with a true understanding and knowledge about autism. She helped me to see the world

from a different perspective and to have empathy for those dealing with disabilities within a
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classroom setting. To this day, I think about that little girl and the impact she had on my life and

my future as an educator and because of her I will be willing to work with disabled students.

Lastly, socioeconomic status of students in school systems is a diversity that should be

valued among educators. Robert Bradley and Robert Corwyn (2002) wrote an article about the

multitude of studies conducted on children from low socioeconomic status. Unfortunately

students who come from low income families lack access to many things the world has to offer

such as: parent involvement, clothes, food, and social gatherings. It has been researched that

these issues could cause students to lack proper development. (p. 372) Bradley and Corwyn state

that children who come from low income families have been known to come down with growth

stunts, birth defects, neurological issues, AIDS, or alcohol syndrome. This is just a few of the

many things these children suffer from when they come from low socioeconomic families. Often

times, children suffer from these things due to lack of prenatal care, parents using while

pregnant, and poor nutrition. According to Bradley and Corwyn (2002), studies have been

conducted that state poverty and low parental education are associated with lower levels of

school achievement (p. 371-399).

In light of knowing this information, why is it important to value our students from

different socioeconomic statuses? I believe that it is important to value this diversity because

students need to have a safe place to come to where they can have a good meal and get the

education they deserve. These children matter and there are so many college graduates that have

come from low socioeconomic families. The statistics can be defeated, but defeating them means

having a teacher who is passionate and who cares about students well-being. Teachers cannot

do this unless they are made aware on how to identify students from many different
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socioeconomic families. As a school, I believe teachers need to be prepared to handle and value

these types of students that will be in their classrooms for years to come.

Correspondingly, I believe, as a future teacher, I should model for students how to value

and respect diversity in the classroom. Throughout this paper, I have shared many life

experiences that have equipped me to deal with many different types of diversities. My

experiences have allowed me to become passionate about valuing diversity within the classroom.

I will implement these values into a classroom by treating all of my students equal and making

every student feel included. There will be rules about my strict bullying, respect, and valuing

diversity policies listed in the classroom. Within the first few weeks of school the rules will be

reviewed every day and I will discuss with my students different diversities schools have to offer

and how we can learn from each other because we are different.

Moreover, a diverse classroom functions well by having superb organization skills. As a

teacher, I plan to have a very organized classroom in which I am able to meet the needs of all of

my students. Diversity can strengthen a classroom because children can learn from one another.

Students learning from one another can be a strength because, as a teacher, it is always great to

have many ways to complete assignments and tasks. For example, there is no one right way to

complete a math problem and at the end of the day I believe diversity will allow students to

become more well-rounded individuals.

Although diversity may seem well accepted in America, this feat was not conquered

without trials and tribulations. The roots of diversity issues in our society started with

segregation in our schools. According to Ivory Toldson (2014) it wasnt until 1954 that the U.S.

Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown in the Brown v. Board of Education case. This case

stated that segregation in schools is unequal. After this ruling, no one was safe and many riots
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broke out from both sides. Even though people supported integration of schools, they suffered

violence among many other hardships for supporting this cause. People sacrificed their lives in

order to fight for integration in schools. Later, under President Lyndon B. Johnson legislation

passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Higher Education Act of

1965, and the TRIO program. These acts and programs were designed to recognize and deliver

services for individuals from disadvantaged circumstances (Toldson, 2014, p. 194). Years later,

the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 was passed. This act prohibited discrimination

of racial, ethnic and gender in schools. Following, the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act was passed that stated children with intellectual, emotional, developmental, or physical

disabilities must have access to individualized education program, free and appropriate public

education, fair discipline, and a least restrictive environment (Toldson, 2014, p. 195).

In saying all of this, it has not been without great effort that the people in our society have

been fighting for decades to help students who are underrepresented within our school systems

and society. The importance of valuing diversity in all aspects of life lies in the roots and history

of great diversity issues in our society. Society has come so far, but still has so far to go to defeat

and overcome these issues today. Future educators should not let the deaths of the heroes who

fought for injustice go in vain. Albert Einstein once said, The world will not be destroyed by

those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.
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References

Robinson, C. C., & Clardy, P. (2011). IT AIN'T WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S HOW YOU SAY IT:

LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM. Journal Of

Cultural Diversity, 18(3), 101-110 10p.

Leopold, L. (2012). Prewriting Tasks for Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic Learners. TESL

Canada Journal, 29(2), 96-102.

Hansen, L. E. (2015). Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Address Issues of Sexual Orientation

in Their Classrooms. Multicultural Education, 22(2), 51-55.

BAGHURST, T. (2014). ENCOURAGING DISABILITY APPRECIATION AMONG

PHYSICAL EDUCATION, TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS THROUGH

PRACTICAL SIMULATION. Palaestra, 28(4), 44-47.

Bradley, R., & Corwyn, R. (2002). Socioeconomic Status and Child Development. Annual

Review of Psychology, 53, 371-399. Retrieved November 7, 2015, from

http://psych.annualreviews.org/errata.shtml

Toldson, I. A. (2014). 60 Years after Brown v. Board of Education: The Impact of the

Congressional Black Caucus on the Education of Black People in the United States of

America (Editor's Commentary). Journal Of Negro Education, 83(3), 194-198.

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