What Diversity Do You Bring?
I was asked this question once on an application to serve on a GT advocacy type panel. This was a good question in the light of the lack of identification for certain minority groups, yet even though I agreed with and understood its intention I was bothered by it. You see I knew that I was not "diverse" simply because I was a middle class Caucasian female in education. Many of us are. Yet, I so badly wanted to help. I knew I had something to give. What about rural communities? Are we underrepresented in the GT process? Is being rural a minority classification in comparison to the big picture?
I would say, yes. And, yes. Not a minority in the traditional sense of race, but certainly the rural culture is fading as we become more efficient with our food production and the small farmers are replaced by large agribusiness. Also, from what I have read rural GT education has its own set of challenges from identification to services. Is this something that should be addressed collectively? Or are these challenges that individual communities just need to "deal with"? Do we answer these questions any differently when the rural community is predominately "white"?
And that brings me to my last question, "Am I able to adequately serve students who are racial minorities as a "white" teacher? Notice the quotes. I really don't racial labels. I really want to be a person first. A person who helps people. However, I hear of the struggle others have, and I frequently hear it said that unless I am one of them, I just wouldn't understand. So I am reading. I am trying to understand. I want to help my students regardless of back ground or ethnic mix. I don’t like being told I “can’t” because I am “entitled by my race”. There will more of my thoughts on this later (I am reading Jose Vilson).
But this I do know—once upon a time, I did not understand the rural life. I do now. I understand that living a rural is different than reading about what living the rural life is. There is so much more to say on being a part of the community in which you teach, but that will have to be a Part 2. So do I represent? Yes. And what culture/persons do you represent? What diversity do we bring?
