#7- LANGUAGE

Language always seems to be a topic when related to diversity! There are so many opinions, ideas, prejudices, and jokes related to language. Who is right? What is wrong? Is the quote, "when in Rome do as the Romans do" still exist?

I grew up in a small east Texas town and I had and still have the "twang." Once I moved to Dallas and attended Hockaday I made many people laugh with my inability to say mail, ice, and oil "correctly." I worked hard to sound educated and make my language more "real English." It is hard to not speak correctly but still sound "smart." I only had an accent and it created a hardship with me, I can't imagine what people from another country feel like that get transfered here without any help learning English.

Aren't we the melting pot? Shouldn't we want all sorts of languages flowing through our schools? Aren't Americans the only country that lacks bilingualism? I regret not knowing another language, but yet we judge and discriminate those that can't speak OUR language. When I have visited Europe and Mexico they made every effort to speak English to me. In schools we should be open to diversifying our curriculum to educate our students in other languages way before middle school. Children at young ages are sponges and we should be using that as an opportunity to educate them in vast languages beyond their first.

ON the flip side.....should those that move to our country at least try to learn English? Should we be catering to their first language or just helping them grasp our language? This is a constant question and conflict we as educators have!

SEE YALL LATOR! :)

# 6 HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate

I love my diversity book, Home of the Brave! It is an amazing book full of rich language, diverse topics, and a young boys struggle to make it in his "new world."

Kek is a young African boy that has lost his father, brother, mother, and now his homeland. He is shipped to Minnesota in the middle of winter to live with his aunt and cousin. He has no clue what snow, an airplane, or even a washing machine is used for, but through a new friendship with a "white" girl he finds his heart still is alive. I love how he calls an airplane a "flying boat", and snow "frozen milk". This book is full of laughs, tears, and thought provoking pages.

The book focuses closely on how African culture differs from American culture. Kek describes the wars in Africa in intense ways that makes all readers feel sadness. The diversity covered in this book relate to: ethnicity, race, SES, and education.

My students loved this book and allowed many deep discussions in our classroom about wars and death. I recommend this book as a read aloud as it has many tough topics. After reading this book to my children, I went out to buy it immediately!

#5 Exceptionality

When many people hear the word EXCEPTIONALITY they think of: exceptional, awesome, different, wonderful, etc....but in the world of education it means learning difference. A learning difference is EXCEPTIONAL! It allows the learner to learn in a way that works for them, but may not work for others!

Each year I get a list of all my students that have BIP, IEP's, 504 accommodations, so on and so on....it is a lot to weed through and remember, but in reality it allows me to grow as a teacher. Each year I find a new meaning for difference. Last year I learned it could mean awesome! A student came to 4th grade with failing TAKS scores, a list of "problems", and all the red ink of why he couldn't learn. I tried a new approach....I followed the law, but also included lots of love, positive words, and lots of "please redo!" At first he resisted. He was use to being a loser, a failure, but after a couple of grumbles and missed recesses he began to "like" learning! TAKS test came around and ....HE PASSED ALL THREE!!! Not only that, he got COMMENDED in MATH!!! I cried, and he actually did too (though he will never admit it)! For once his exceptionalities didn't cause him failure, they gave him success!

Sometimes being exceptional can cause labels, negativity, and heartache, but once an exceptional student is held accountable for what they CAN do instead of what they CANNOT do....we see success!!! This student will always hold a special place in my heart and hope he will continue to be exceptional in a positive way!