Diversity in Education 1

Diversity in Education: How Diversity Benefits Children

Hannah Finch
10 April 2013

Diversity in Education 2
Abstract
Diversity is an important and necessary aspect of any school setting. Diversity in the
classroom allows students to have a better understanding of the world. In school students will
come to the realization that everyone is different; not everyone has the same color skin, or the
same color hair. Individuals dont have eyes or noses that are exactly the same shape and size.
No two people look exactly alike, and yet humans are all the same on the inside. Everyone has
feelings and emotions, they can love and they can hate. They can feel joy and sadness. Most
people are capable of these things and this is how humans are all related to one another. This is
why schools need to be diverse, so that students learn from the beginning that although we may
look different, we are all the same on the inside. Fostering a sense of closeness with peers no
matter their appearance will engender a sense of acceptance among people as a whole.

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It is important to teach diversity early and to ensure that children understand that
differences between people are not negatives. Children should be taught to view unique qualities
as special and things to learn from rather than something to fear or discriminate against. Creating
an atmosphere of acceptance and equality will foster a comfortable and safe learning
environment for all students. A schoolroom should be conducive to the learning styles of each
and every child because not all people learn in the same way and students should not be forgotten
simply because they cannot learn in an environment which may be considered normal to a large
portion of the population. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to make sure that children feel at
ease in the classroom and that they are free to learn without fear of being bullied or forgotten
about due to their race, learning style, disability, sexual orientation or socio-economic status.
There are many ways to show this value in diversity. These would include discussing and
celebrating all of these differences and showing the students that differences are inherent in the
human race and are important. The various ways in which a classroom can be diverse include,
race, learning style, physical, cognitive and affective disabilities, language, ethnicity and culture,
sexual orientation and socio-economic differences. Each student comes from a different
background and has different experiences in life which will affect their view on the world and
will also affect how they learn.
Race is a key difference that is generally the most easy to recognize in a classroom. It
also tends to be the difference which is discussed the least in society today. It is important that
race is recognized in classrooms and that children are taught that everyone is created equal and
the color of someones skin does not matter. According to Lesia Oesterreich (1993), a human
development and family studies professor at Iowa State University, Racial and ethnic slurs and
comments based on physical disabilities cannot be ignored. They are like verbal slaps and are too

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hurtful or damaging to the victim to be ignored (Oesterreich, 1993). Ignoring remarks or
attitudes about physical appearance can harm children emotionally and can severely effect a
students education. Diversity of race is important to have in a classroom because it can help to
teach children to be more accepting of each other and this will create a generation where racism
is not so prevalent. It is important to have racially diverse classrooms and to embrace this
diversity, especially because differences in race were not always accepted in schools. In the
United States schools had been segregated up until the Supreme Court decision Brown V. Board
of Education which desegregated schools in 1954. This was a key decision because it set the
precedent for future rulings that children with disabilities cannot be excluded from school
(Smith, p.20). This decision allowed for more diversity in schools. Diversity in schools leads to
a better learning environment because students benefit from diversity. This was found in research
done by Jeffrey Milem, (2003)
Moreover, Tanaka (1996, cited in Smith and Associates, 1997) found that a more
supportive campus climate had positive effects on sense of community, cultural
awareness, commitment to promoting racial understanding, and overall satisfaction with
the college experience. Similarly, Gilliard (1996) found that perceptions of a supportive
campus climate were important to the success of Whites and students of color. (p. 131)
Milem saw through his research that racial diversity was an important aspect of education at any
age because it broadens kids experiences and makes them appreciate differences rather than
fearing them or judging people based on their appearance.
Language and culture is also another aspect of diversity. This is not a disability that
students have, although often they are treated as though it is one, especially if they do not speak
English as their first language. Language and cultural differences simply add to childrens

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education because they get a chance to experience different cultures and learn more about other
places in the world. It is important that schools have English as a second language offered so that
students are not disadvantaged simply because they are from a different country and do not speak
English. The best time for children to learn another language is when they are young and so
schools should help them to accomplish this so that they may be successful in other areas of
school. Important court cases pertaining to culture and language include Diana V. State Board of
Education, Larry P. V. Riles and Lau V. Nichols. Diana V. State Board of Education said that
giving IQ tests to Hispanic children as a measure of retardation was discriminatory Larry P. V.
Riles brought to light the issue of overrepresentation of African American children in classes for
students with mental retardation due to biased testing and Lau V. Nichols said that schools must
offer services to help students overcome language barriers (Smith p.78). These court cases all
helped to bring to light discrimination against children of different cultures and children speaking
different languages. Children can greatly benefit from a multicultural education and the best way
to get a multicultural education is by learning it directly from their peers. This can be
incorporated into the classroom by discussing holidays of many different cultures, especially
during the holiday season. It will be important to not only focus on Christmas during the holiday
season but to focus on the holidays of other cultures. Not only the holidays of other cultures but
also the different customs that they may have to celebrate Christmas. This can be done by
reading books from different cultures that discuss this and having children share their own family
traditions which they practice during the winter break.
Socio-economic status ties into culture and language because often times these two things
are linked. Many children from culturally diverse backgrounds are more likely to come from a
background of poverty, limited health care access, homelessness etc. (Smith p.79). These

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children may not have access to school supplies and may need extra assistance when needing to
get school supplies. This can be done by encouraging students to share or by creating a family
assistance program through your school. This program could create school supply drives which
could help families that need assistance in a discreet way in case a family does not wish to have
financial issues broadcast to the entire school community. Children who come from
impoverished backgrounds may also have other issues plaguing them such as hunger and lack of
sleep at night or health care. These concerns cannot necessarily be addressed in the classroom,
but by helping that child to be successful, I can give them a way to escape that poverty when
they get older.
Sexual orientation has very recently become hotly debated in the United States today. It
has also been in the news when peoples lives have been affected by bullying due to their sexual
orientation. In a classroom, it is important to foster a sense of safety and comfort in the learning
environment so that every student can be at ease going to school and will be successful in the
classroom. It is important to encourage students to accept everyone as they are and to not bully
someone because they have different views on the world. In young children, elementary school
aged, sexual orientation may not be discussed often because children of that age are not focused
on romantic relationships. However it is important to teach that derogatory language is never
okay in the classroom or anywhere because it can have a great effect on someones emotional
state. Derogatory language should not be tolerated at all because it impacts students learning and
prevents them from being their best. Encouraging a supportive environment for all students is
necessary to ensure students success.
Learning style is another way in which many students differ in schooling. Howard
Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences which was some of the first research to

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show that all children did not learn in the same way. Children have different strengths and
weaknesses and it is necessary to discover what their strengths are so that as a teacher, I can
teach to their strengths so that they are more successful in school. Howard Gardner developed
the theory of multiple intelligences which included linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, musical,
spatial, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential. These
intelligences are discussed in the book Seven Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your
Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong. In the introduction, Armstrong (1999) discusses
why he became interested in the multiple intelligences,
My interest in exploring the seven kinds of smart began after I had worked for several
years as an elementary school teacher and become disenchanted with the way parents and
teachers all too often plucked the learning potential away from blossoming children by
focusing too much attention on words and numbers at the expense of other gifts and
talents. (Armstrong p.5).
Armstrong could see that children have different strengths and it is important to recognize these
strengths and work with them. It is important to incorporate all of the different intelligences into
lessons so that all children can benefit to the highest degree from each lesson. If children are
taught to their intelligences, then they will have higher success rates and they will be more
confident in their own abilities. There will be fewer children who lose confidence because of
poor test scores and children will be more likely to enjoy school and continue with school all the
way to graduation.
When there are children in the classroom with disabilities all of the children should be
taught how to treat people properly and the appropriate way the address disability in case this
case ever occurs. There is a proper way to address disabilities and according to Deborah Deutsch

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Smith in Introduction to Special Education: Making a Difference (2007) there are two rules to
follow when discussing disabilities. These two rules are to put people first and to not make the
person equal the disability. This is important because the disability does not define the person. If
a child in the classroom is seen as their disability then this will not only affect their emotional
state because they will be hurt by this but it will also hurt how they learn because they could be
underestimated and not challenged enough. Children with disabilities are also greatly impacted
by diversity rulings in education. Public Law 94-142 addressed children with disabilities in the
classroom. This was passed in 1975 and was reauthorized in 1986 and eventually it was renamed
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and it guarantees that students with
disabilities have access to services which allowed students a free appropriate education in the
least restrictive environment (Smith p.21). The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was
passed in 1990 prevented people with disabilities from being discriminated against based on their
disability. It is important that children with disabilities are in the classroom with other students
because this can help them to socialize with other students and it allows them the same education
as everyone else. It is also important that the class is educated about disabilities so that they are
aware of what other people may have to go through every day because of a learning disability
that they have. This also allows children to be more accepting of everyone else in the classroom,
even if a child may look or act differently because of a disability that affects them. It is also
important to not underestimate children with disabilities. As I stated above, children are not
defined by their disabilities and so it is important to have standards and goals for the children
that you know the child can achieve with hard work. Underestimating the child because of their
disabilities will only harm them because they will not be able to reach their full potential.

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In my own personal experience the type of diversity I have faced has mostly been with
disabilities in the classroom. When I was in high school, there was a girl named Kate in my
grade and she had some type of cognitive disability. I dont know exactly what she had because
of confidentiality reasons, but you could tell by the way she acted and because of her physical
appearance. Kate had a paraprofessional that went around to her classes with her and sometimes
she would leave the classroom to get extra help with her work. However Kate was friends with
everyone in our class and she participated as often as she could, especially in our physical
education class. She loved sports and was involved with the basketball and soccer teams at
school and would always be at sporting events cheering her classmates on. The majority of
people in my school were very caring and thoughtful and always made sure Kate was included.
Another time when I saw clear diversity was when I observed at Burdell-Hunt Magnet School.
The class I observed was solely African American and the teacher and I were the only
Caucasians in the room. Often times the children would want to touch my hair and they always
had questions about my freckles and hair. I thought this was a great experience because I never
had even imagined that the kids may never have seen people with a lot of freckles before or that
my hair was so different from theirs. This was a wonderful experience for me because I believe
that I learned a lot from the kids and I believe that they learned a lot from me because we were
from different backgrounds and different areas of the country (myself being from New
Hampshire and the kids being from Georgia).
The experiences I had with diversity showed me that it is important to teach children
about it because it makes people happier and allows children to have better lives. If there is a
child living with a disability and they are able to interact with the other children in their
classrooms and be involved with their schools then they will have a more fulfilling education. If

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a classroom has children of many different backgrounds, kids will learn more from each other
and will be more open-minded to differences that people have throughout the world.
Diversity is an important aspect of every classroom. It brings students a greater
appreciation of the world as a whole and helps students to appreciate their own individual
backgrounds. Teaching diversity also helps students to appreciate their classmates and gives
students a chance to see how unique people are and to see how differences do not hurt people but
in fact bring people together. Differences are not something to be feared but to be embraced.
There are many ways in which children can differ and there are many ways to address these
differences and encourage children to embrace them. Diversity is found throughout the United
States and it is especially important to teach the benefits of diversity so that the next generation
is more open-minded and accepting of people of all color, shape and size.

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References
Armstrong, T. (1999). 7Kinds of smart: Identifying and developing your multiple intelligences.
New York, NY: Plume.
Gardner, H. (1999) Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligence for the 21st century. New York,
NY, Basic Books.
Milem, J.F., (2003). The Educational Benefits of Diversity: Evidence from
Multiple Sectors. In

M.J. Chang. (Ed.). Compelling Interest: Examining the

Evidence on Racial Dynamics in

Colleges and Universities (pp. 126-169).

Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Oesterreich, L., (1995). Precious Children: Insensitivity to Physical, Racial, or Ethnic
Differences. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren
/diversity/read_insensitivity.html
Smith, D. D., (2007). Introduction to special education: Making a difference. Boston, MA:
Pearson Education.