Diversity
A
child's age is one of the most important factors in considering how to begin a
discussion on any subject dealing with prejudice, discrimination or, more
simply, the things that make people different. The most important thing to keep
in mind is that it is never too early, or too late, to talk to children about
respecting diversity. t is essential to keep these stages of development
in mind when addressing issues of diversity. What is in a child's environment (as
well as what is absent) provides children with important information about who
and what is important. Some things we can do are : play music with words
from different languages and try to introduce games from around the world, try
art projects that introduce various cultural traditions or just do a folk
dancing and storytelling are two especially effective ways to introduce
children to other cultures.
If you want to start by
showing what diversity is by steps you can also start by having them see what
is different in each and one of their peers. Let them visualize that diversity
is everywhere and that it’s something they have to embrace. They will see that
their peers are of a different skin color, height, age, families and interest
and that they have to accept that because no one is to be rejected for those
things. This is also something that we as teachers have to also embrace and
remember that one major diversity in the schools are the special education
students that need special attention and this is something else they need to
see as part of the environment and to not reject them because of it. We want to help all children develop a positive
self-concept and feel proud of who they are - although we don't want them to
feel better than other groups, either! If this positive sense of self and
others is allowed to flourish, today's children will become adults who accept
and affirm differences, identify unfair situations, and strive to eliminate racism
of any sort. The best
thing to do is to encourage them to accept and celebrate their differences
no matter where they are.Leadership
When it comes to learning leadership skills, kids are in a winning
position, as they can be taught without pressure and guided through the process
at their own pace. One thing that’s true is that kids are open and honest most of the times
but in elementary school kids still say if one of their peers is doing
something wrong with some other student or are doing it behind your back. This is
one way they bring out their leadership and actually another core value, social
transformation. We have to guide them into taking the initiative to help you in
the classroom, to help their peers when they need it and to be responsible for
their things.
I saw my students develop more this skill as the semester passed. At first
they would ask me very shyly if they could help me do something as simple as
hand out the paper or write the date or even to help one of the other students.
As time passed they would get up and kind of informed me that they were going
to help not do the work for them but to help them do it. They would even copy
my attitude towards having control and attention of the students when in front
of the classroom. This is the big why we have to, as we ask our students, be on
our best behavior, follow the classroom rules and be responsible and respectful
towards the class and towards our peers.
Creativity
We
as teachers have to provide an environment where our students’ creativity is
not just another mess to clean up but welcome evidence of handling successfully
the end product of it. All of us need access
to creativity to solve the problems of daily life, and I believe that everyone
is creative, although some people are born with talent such as an artist’s eye,
for instance, or perfect pitch, or a writer’s way with words. We can’t
give people talent, but we can train the eye and the ear and the mind, and we
can help our children gain access to a creative way of seeing. We can also help
them gain the concentration, competence, perseverance, and optimism necessary
to succeed in creative pursuits.
This is
one thing we can’t let go by like it’s not important. As I said before we have
to be creative every day in our life, in every decision we make no matter how
insignificant you thing it might be. So in the classroom we have to motivate
them to be as creative as possible in every way. We can have them be creative
even by having them do a sentence, a drawing or a project for example. At first
we may have to guide them, give them ideas but that is just to make them start
but at some point they will be doing it by themselves. This is why having them
be creative is important because it gives them a sense of independence and proudness
of themselves so it also helps them to have more confidence in themselves and
of what they are capable of reaching.
Social Transformation
Though almost all kids
would like to be more involved, only about half are actually participating in giving
back to their community. There is much less opportunity for the younger kids to
fulfill this need to give in their community and they simply can’t take this initiative
on their own. Community service allows our youth to feel pride in what they
accomplish, whether that is learning new skills or achieving a goal, along with
meeting important social needs such as having fun and meeting other people. Parents’
availability status has a big impact on the child. If a parent takes part in
some community service their children are most likely to follow suit.
We as teachers have to
be able to help, need to have that availability, openness and positive attitude
towards social transformation. We have to make the change, have our students
see that we care about everything that is going on, we want to help society to
be better. If our students see this in us, even if they don’t see it in their
homes, they will also be eager to do the same thing. We have to remember that
we have to set the example so that our students will do the same. This is
something that will help them become better citizens, better professionals,
have better possibilities in their future and the most important one better
human beings. For me this is the way for us to contribute to a better tomorrow,
for society to have those values, moral and heart that are so lost in these
days.
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