Diversity in Action

05/11/2006

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
Helen Keller

I had a very interesting teaching experience last week that provided me with an enriched understanding of the work of Louise Derman Sparks, our colleague from Pacific Oaks College. The topic was same-sex-parented families and the audience included First Nations and Metis students as well as international students from Belgium. Taken together, the class broadened everyone’s understanding of diversity, including mine.

For educators interested in promoting welcoming environments for all students and all families, the goals of anti-bias curriculum support a coming together of ideas and interests, regardless of the diversity inherent to our unique experiences. Louise Derman Sparks outlines five goals:

Supporting inclusion
Promoting a positive sense of self without superiority
Fostering empathy
Promoting problem-solving and critical thinking; and,
Promoting and supporting action when encountering unfairness.

These five goals guided my work last week and will again in the weeks ahead. Thanks to Louise Derman Sparks for her significant contributions to the field of anti-bias and diversity (see Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children, 1989).

Contributed by Laurie McNelles – Mothercraft Institute for Early Development

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