Diverse Inclusion

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After having taken a number of classes in the past year where i get looked at whenever the idea of "culture" comes up, I though that it would be a good topic to cover.  Culture has been one of those topics that has always been brought up throughout my education - Multiculturalism days, the focus on the Japanese during the war, cultural identity, and so on. I never really saw myself as someone that was "different" from the majority until grade 6.  Up until then, I always knew that my dad was of Japanese descent, while my mom was British and Dutch, but it never occurred to me that (at least my dad's side) was not the same as everyone else.  In grade 6, I experienced racism for the first time, and after that, i was forced to look upon an identity that i had never connected with before. By the time high school graduation came around, I think i had a pretty good grasp on my own identity and was ready to stand up for myself when necessary. 

About 5 years ago, Jeff Chiba-Stearns animated a movie called "What Are You Anyways".  It is about a boy that is a mix of many ethnic cultures growing up in the Interior of British Columbia.

It shows his journey of accepting the 1/2 Japanese in him and being proud of that heritage.  One of the things that I learned from that movie was realizing that everyone takes a different journey to their own identity (cultural perspectives, beliefs, activities, etc).  This movie is something that I would like to show students that i teach, or recommend the movie to other teachers that may be discussing material that is more related to this topic. 

In my opinion, one of the most important parts of being an effective teacher is being inclusive.  This means being conscious of the differences in students' cultures, beliefs, life perspectives, learning styles, disabilities, etc. There is no way that I can learn all of these aspects after one day, but hopefully throughout the class term, I will be able to acknowledge, and hopefully understand, these personal differences.  In my classroom, I want my students to be respectful of these differences, and teach them to realize that they are different from every person in that classroom, and school, and to learn from these differences.  I want every student to have an equal opportunity to learn the material that I am teaching.  Sometimes, this may require the help from peer tutors/TAs for students with learning/physical disabilities, and other times I can probably handle it on my own.

Inclusion does not only mean the ensuring every student is included in the learning experience.  To me, it also means including different cultural perspectives of the material that I teach.  For example, In my science classes, I want to discuss some of the views and practices of Aboriginal Peoples that lead to sustainability of the environment and resources.  I also want to explain how foreign species of plants and animals have ravaged traditional populations.  In PE, I want to include games that, traditionally, are not taught in PE, such as: European handball, cricket, or netball.  Many of these games are similar to other traditional sports, but it brings in snippets of other cultures.   I hope that I am able to teach people in my family, school, and community the importance of expanding their perspectives in many directions, as it can lead to personal growth and acceptance.