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We live in a country that is known for its diverse, multicultural society and thus we as educators and mentors need to know all the aspects that separate us as people. I believe this unit is essential for future teachers in order to open their minds to the reality of our student’s lives, cultures, values and beliefs. Knowing this information will allow us to better understand our students on a personal level as well as intellectual, and guide us when making decisions on how to assist them with issues that they will face during school (such as discrimination). Apart from ethnic diversity, we also need to allow students to feel free to be themselves. This includes being accepting of their sexuality, chosen gender as well as their preferred interests and passions. As a teacher from a diverse background myself one of my many responsibilities will be to support, empathise and encourage students toauthentically and fearlessly be themselves.

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Stigma
A mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.

During class today we watched a video on what ‘stigma’ means. A variety of people were asked to define stigma and many could not answer confidently. It became clear that the point of this was so that as future educators we understood this term and familiarised ourselves with the negative impacts it could have on our students.

We were required to discuss in small groups what we thought the term meant, and essentially I came away thinking that was a negative connotation associated with certain ‘types’ or ‘groups’ of people, similar to the definition of ‘stereotypes.’

Examples
- Asians are bad drivers or All Asians are good at maths

- Women aren’t as smart as men

- All Muslims are terrorists

- Blondes are dumb

- All lesbians are butch

It was interesting to here other group opinions or understanding on what ‘stigma’ meant. One particular student gave the example that “racism was a stigma of the KKK.” However my argument was that this is a fact, not a stigmatism. It is not a pre-conceived notion that this cult was racist, its widely known and stated by this group that anyone who joins does so because they are racially against people of a darker complexion.

I think it’s important for future teachers to fully comprehend this term. It is our duty as teachers to create a safe environment for students and in order to do this we must be well versed in the potential dangers that can cause mental or physical harm. An Asian student could feel out of place or unintelligent if maths isn’t there strongest subject, causing them to feel less valued because they aren’t fitting into a box that society created. My aim is to destroy those boxes for my students and allow them to be who they are without the worries of society telling them what is and isn’t the correct way to behave/live.

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Privilege
a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

In todays class we discussed the idea of 'privilege' and how that connects with the kind of education a student receives. After going through the required reading Vicki & Thanh (Thomson 2001) it is clear that ones ‘virtual school back pack’ contributes greatly to how the education system will help them. Thanh has brought with him ‘three spoken languages’ as well as people skills, knowledge about Vietnam and China and a high regard for education. Yet he comes from parents that, although have worked hard to own and run a restaurant, have a poorer income. He is classified as coming from a ‘low socio-economic’ background and statistically have a lesser chance of completing his full twelve years of schooling. This is in comparison to Vicki, who comes from a middle class, educated family and has greater chance of gaining more opportunities through her education.

I agree with this comparison. I’ve seen first hand how those whose family know the ‘right’ person will get ahead much further then those who have better suited qualities for the role. If you know the right people you don’t have to work as hard, and those whose families have created these connections long before their child graduates have already secured their childs future. But students like Thanh have to start from the bottom, they cannot slack off and must build themselves up because no one is going to give them an opportunity as a favour to someone else.

During the discussion there was a Caucasian student that states he did not think his “white boy privilege” was real and he had never experienced it being an advantage for him. However my argument is… how would a white person know of of their privilege when they’ve had it their whole life? Only by being ethnic would you be able to see the difference in how someone treats you vs. someone else. Or by understanding that the only reason, despite having the same qualifications, you got the job over another is because your name is Vicki and theirs is Thanh.

A quote that resonated with me from the reading:

Statistically speaking, the best advice we can to a poor child, keen to get ahead through education, is to choose richer parents (Connell, 1995, p.6).

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Diversity
The inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, colour, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.

Diversity is arguably the most important aspect to encourage acceptance for in the classroom. No matter if you are in a private or public institution, you’re classroom will include a range of students with different wealth, culture, religions, beliefs and values.

It’s interesting to look at ‘The Smith family foundation’ sponsorship add, supplied to us in week 3 resources. The Smith family uses the photo depicted below of a sad, Caucasian orphan needing new uniform and school supplies. I feel this representation is different to what one may usually think when hearing the term ‘diversity.’ Generally when I hear that word I think of various cultures and religions, I often forget that diversity includes those living in poverty. This add shows that very side, and I feel that it appeals to white Australians because its uses minimal ethnic children in its campaign. It wants Australians to support other Australians and give to their education. I do believe the purpose of this campaign is valid, as it’s asking for sponsorships so that students can have new uniforms, books, bags and utensils. It’s true that when a student has out-dated or visibly older things they can feel out of place or even be teased by other students and thus I do think the purpose of this campaign is important.

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Normal
Conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

This lesson we discussed what we thought was 'normal' and why its important to be conscious of what we as educators believe counts as 'normal'. Below I have completed activity A from week 4 resources, where I drew four pictures that I depicted as normal. If I were to justify my reasons for the dog, I'd say because the first thing that came into my mind when I thought of a 'normal' dog was a happy, friendly puppy that many families would like to own. It’s interesting that I thought of this as I myself have a Husky, a dog that’s known for its serious stares and endless amounts of energy. A husky is a normal dog for me, but I know for a lot of people it would be too much to handle. So it makes me wonder, why have I depicted drawing 1 the way I have? I think its comes back to stereotyping, in my mind this is the stereotypical dog most people would like to have, even if its not the case. Same with the bed, some people's idea of a normal bed may be queen size instead of the double that i have drawn, or with just two pillows instead of four.

I think what comes from this activity, as well as the discussion in class, is that what we perceive as normal and what someone else perceives as normal can be entirely different things. It's important that as educators we understand and accept this idea. We must be open to other peoples 'normal' and sometimes we're going to have to conform or compromise so that everyone in the class (students and teachers) feel comfortable.

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Difference
The degree to which one person or thing differs from another. // The act of distinguishing; discrimination; distinction.

Where did you start? Where are you now? In understanding ‘difference’ and teaching for diversity?

I started this unit very open minded, I’ve always been one to be aware of cultural differences and proactively be accepting of others differences. However I think through these five weeks I’ve learnt why being like this is important, particularly as a teacher. We need to understand that if we are not open minded and don’t take the time to learn about our students backgrounds, needs, differences etc. then we won’t be creating a classroom environment where students feel they can express themselves freely. We don’t have to know our students sexuality or preferred gender, but what we do need to know is that they exist and they shouldn’t be made to feel like they have to hide these things about themselves. If they get the vibe that teachers will judge them or treat them differently to other students because of this then their learning will be greatly impacted. They’ll no longer feel comfortable or safe in our classroom, they won’t focus on the lesson or absorb information if they can’t trust you as a teacher/guardian.

How will you judge the effectiveness of your teaching for diversity? What will ‘effective teaching for diversity’ look like to you?

I will judge the effectiveness of my classroom through my students work, their attitudes in class as well as how they work and interact with each other. If I feel the overall vibe of a happy classroom, I know I have created an open, accepting and positive space. ‘As populations in contemporary Western societies grow more diverse, the need for teachers to better understand and work with difference productively becomes increasingly critical  (Allard  &  Santoro,  2006;  D’Cruz,  2007).  There was a student in today’s class that expressed he would not know how to teach someone if they were transgender or gay. This was interesting to see because in my mind they are all the same in terms of teaching them, I would not change a lesson because of someone’s sexuality or gender. I would only make changes to my lesson based on their learning needs and abilities, however this conversation made me realise that there are people out their who aren’t used to certain diversities among people. Just like being gay wasn’t as openly accepted 10 years ago as it is today, the transgender community is still new to a lot of people and thus they may need more time to be understood and accepted openly. In my career I will most likely work with people that aren’t as likeminded as myself, and in which case I need to learn to be cooperative with them and support my colleagues during this time of confusion, only then will we be able to work collaboratively to create an education that embraces all students no matter their wealth, looks, background, culture, religion, beliefs, gender or sexuality.

Draw a graphic to depict where you are currently placed in relation to difference, diversity and being a teacher for diversity:
The following picture symbolises my current and future students, the variation in colour represents their differences (whether it be culture, religion, gender etc.). They are all standing on a different base to show that their foundations are all different, some are rich while some are middle class, everyone comes from a different start in life. I am in the middle and have depicted myself coloured in every different shade that represents my students, as I am an open and accepting educator that welcomes and encourages diversity among my classroom.