Celebrating diversity in the classroom is one of the most important roles for me

as an educator. Children are raised in a variety of homes and it is a reality that some

households may not value all types of diversity. When my future students are in my

classroom I have the opportunity to teach them how to value differences among their

peers, to ensure that they leave my classroom as open minded, caring individuals

regardless of what is stressed at home. One of my favorite websites in the education

realm is Teaching Tolerance. This website has a variety of resources that teachers can

use in the classroom to start conversations about equity, diversity, and justice with

students. It also has resources, such as magazine articles, specifically for teachers to

access to stay in order to informed on issues related to diversity in the classroom. They

are quick, easily accessible and can be used in a very meaningful way in the classroom

if you take the time to implement them in the classroom. One of my favorite activities to

do in the beginning of the year is called the puzzle activity. Each student in the

classroom, as well as the teacher, draws different items on the puzzle piece that

represent who they are as an individual. The can include anything that is appropriate

and important to them. Each individual fills out their puzzle piece and then the teacher

combines them all to form a puzzle that will be displayed in the classroom. This leads

into a conversation about individuality. Each student is an individual piece with

individual needs, interests, and backgrounds, but together they form one unbreakable

unit. I find that this activity is a nice way for them to visual that induvial learners can

come together despite differences and form a unit. As a teacher, you can choose how

far you want to take this activity. Some may just want to talk about the differences

visible on the puzzle pieces, but you can take it further and talk about invisible
differences between individuals in the classroom. While I do plan on implementing

specific lessons that focus on celebrating diversity, it is also important that I represent

all students cultures in all aspects of learning. This can be as simple as talking about

famous scientists from all around the world instead of scientists from the US, or more in-

depth such as studying cultural aspects of new place around the world and taking a

virtual tour every two weeks.