Field

Experience in Diversity 1 Field Experience in Diversity Adam Schwaninger Doane University

Field Experience in Diversity 2 I have recently finished my first year of teaching at Schoo Middle School in

Lincoln, NE. Schoo has a very diverse student population, coming from various backgrounds. The school is located in the Fallbrook neighborhood, a newly developed, prestigious area with freshly painted houses of considerable size with price tags to match. I will be discussing the contrast between the community in which Schoo is located and the communities that the student population resides. My first year of teaching, was Schoo Middle Schools first year in existence.

Costing around 21 million dollars, the school is beautiful, with ceramic tile covering the walls, large classrooms, and modern computer labs. Schoo fits in well with the Fallbrook community. It is nice, new, and expensive just like the houses that surround it. There were many staff development sessions prior to the opening of the

school where the new staff was able to come together and learn about each other, and the students that would soon populate their classrooms. We were fortunate enough to take a bus tour of the neighborhoods that our students would come from. After taking a quick drive around Fallbrook, we headed west to Airpark. Airpark was an air force base used in World War II, and is surrounded by small military housing units. The base has since been shut down for military purposes and the housing is rented or sold to the general public. While driving through the Airpark neighborhood it was clear that this was not a wealthy neighborhood. Many of the housing units, most of them connected like duplexes, were in need of some obvious repair. There were unsupervised children in the yards and streets, the conversations on the tour bus lulled a little as the new staff took in the environment

Field Experience in Diversity 3 that many of our future students are raised. We continued on our tour and made our way though the highlands were the mood picked up a little. There were clearly more middle-class families living here and most of the children we saw were with an adult. There were still some seemingly lower-class housing but overall this looked like a nice neighborhood. We then crossed the highway and looked at housing near Campbell Elementary near Superior Street. There were plenty of houses in this area, but duplexes, townhomes, and apartments dominated the community. As we made our way back to Fallbrook, I overheard many conversations showing concern and pity for the students living in the lower-income housing, and I couldnt help but think it would be interesting to meet my eclectic classes. On the first day of school each teacher was to meet their meet in the front of

the school and hold up a card with their name on it. The students would find their teachers and walk to class with them after a short ribbon cutting ceremony. Needless to say this was chaos. 750 middle school students, crammed on the cement space in the front of the building, yelling for their teachers and harassing friends they hadnt seen all summer, was my welcome to Schoo. Even during this brief encounter with my students I couldnt help but notice the diversity amongst the group. There were students of all nationalities and social status. A few students were wearing new clothes and shoes, carrying spotless backpacks full of supplies, while many of the students clothing showed considerable wear, and had nothing in their hands. It was interesting to observe the behavior between these groups. The children in the new clothing seemed uneasy, and were very timid. They quickly

Field Experience in Diversity 4 found their teachers and stood quietly. The students from seemingly lower status families, showed little interest in finding their teachers, and were participating in very boisterous behavior, especially for the first day of school. This situation immediately brought up some questions in my mind. Why are the students behaving this way? Do families with less money have lower expectations of their children? After getting to know the students, I found that many of the students did in fact have lower expectations from their parents. It seemed many of the parents from the lower-income families were in a bad situation because of bad decision- making. Their children see these bad decisions daily, and begin to accept them and think they are ok. I noticed, students from these house holds not being held accountable for their actions. After making a few calls home, I was shocked at some of the responses that I heard. He is like that at home too. What did she do this time? I just dont know what to do. Although several parents were not very supportive, there were some parents that I called who were on board with enforcing discipline at home. Seita defines family privilege as, the benefits, mostly invisible that come from membership in a stable family. Or, An invisible package of assets and pathways that provides us with a sense of belonging, safety, unconditional love, and spiritual values. (2001, p. 131) I found that the students struggling didnt have family privilege and were in desperate need of positive role models that they trusted and listened to. Swearing, name calling, and fighting were some major issues at the beginning of the year. At Schoo we had several times where issues of diversity were brought up in small group discussions (SOAR GROUPS) that met once a month. I found that

Field Experience in Diversity 5 these discussions helped students relate to one another, and become more accepting of others. Once the year got started I saw many students make friends from different social classes and racial groups, and the overall attitude in the school shifted in a positive direction. Dewey argues,that the school is primarily a social institution. (1987, p. 24) I believe that the students Schoo needed assistance in controlling their social interactions, and the staff played a large role in helping students make better decisions, and see each other in a more positive manner. I was amazed at how much student attitudes changed when the faculty worked together to bring social interactions and acceptance into every classroom almost everyday. Noddings points out that, Caring should be the foundation for ethical decision- making. (2004, p. 3) The students could see that we, the teachers, cared about them and wanted them to be able to make good decisions in their lives. I believe that it was the caring attitude and relentless work of the teachers that made it possible to establish a deeper relationship with students and influenced a change in their behavior. This is something that students of all race and socioeconomic status can appreciate and learn from. After Christmas break I noticed that students were glad to be back with their friends, and even more friendships were being formed between racial and social status groups. Students were beginning to see each other as Schoo Skyhawks as opposed to airpark kids, or highlands kids. There was an identity in the school that students, for the most part, were proud to be included in. Overall, my first year at Schoo was an eye-opener. I grew up in a small town, and attended a schools saturated with students from white privileged backgrounds. Seeing the students from a variety of backgrounds and cultures come together for

Field Experience in Diversity 6 the first time was quite an experience. Although things started out rough, I wouldnt change this experience at all. I found that all students are capable and even willing to work and learn together in harmony once they are shown the importance of accepting differences and being accountable for their actions.

Field Experience in Diversity 7

References Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogic Creed. In E. F. Provenzo (Ed.), Critical Issues in Education (pp.22-30). Thousand Oaks: Stage Publications Inc. Seita, J. R. (2001). Growing up Without Family Privilege. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 10(3), 130-132. Smith, M. K. (2004) Nel Noddings, the ethics of care and education', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm.