Celebrating Diversity

I am visiting classrooms during the month of March to talk about diversity. When I talk about diversity with kids I like to go beyond celebrating our differences. I like to focus on how we treat others when they are different from us. My focus is on respecting others even when they are different from us and when we sometimes don't understand them.

In Kindergarten I brought in a brown egg and a white egg. Students brainstormed how these eggs are different on the outside. The list was rather limited--to color (brown and white), where they came from (different chickens produce different colored eggs) and sometimes their shape (my eggs were not congruent!). Then, we predicted what was the same about these eggs. Answers included: you can eat them, cook with them, they are both round, both have a shell, they both have yolk, and both come from chickens, etc.



Then, I cracked open the eggs. We looked at the insides, and students decided that though the eggs look different on the outside, they are the same on the inside! I took this farther and related it to us as people. Even though we all look different, sometimes some of us act different from each other, and we have different backgrounds (come from different places) we all have many similar wants: to be liked, to learn, to have fun, to be included, to have friends, to be treated with respect.


(One sweet child talked about how in Africa children eat very different food from us and have a lot less than we do. I agreed, and said, I bet they still like to have friends and play and want to learn as much as they can! Many students nodded in agreement!!)

We read the book "This is the Dream" by Shane Shore & Jessica Alexander. Students learned that in our country's past different people weren't aloud to do things because of the color of their skin. Students were able to relate what we learned from the egg experiment to how far we have come in respecting other's differences.



In 5th and 6th grade students learned the definition to the word prejudice, "an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand, without knowledge, thought, or reason." Students brainstormed ways that they might be "pre-judged" or what opinions others might form of them just by looking at them or their first impression. Examples included: "because I am tall people think I like basketball. I am a girl so people assume I like the color pink." One student said, "because I have white skin people think I am Caucasian, but I am part Hispanic."

Students used paper plates to reflect personally on how others might pre-judge them on first impression, and draw and write this on the bump/outside of the plate. On the inside or "crater" of the plate they drew and wrote what they are truly like on the inside.

We discussed how when we make assumptions about others, we don't allow them to be who they truly are. I gave the example: what if someone who was really tall didn't like basketball, but played anyway because he felt that's what he was supposed to do based on the opinion of others? What if, on the inside, he was an amazing chemist and if people would let him be who he truly is maybe he would create a cure for cancer! But, because he felt he had to like basketball, he didn't get the chance to build on the skills he has on the inside.

Then, to end the lesson, I showed the following video which encapsulates exactly this idea:



At the end one of the judges claims it was a privilege to have heard Susan Boyle sing. We don't allow ourselves to grow, learn, and be blessed when we pre-judge others based on outward appearance or first impression--we may be missing out on a great relationship and the potential to grow from that relationship if we decide beforehand what we think about a person without getting to know them, first.

Leader In Me--Want to learn more????

I can't wait until tonight's event! You WILL NOT want to miss it! Hope to see you there :)

Conflict Recap and Parent University

I wanted to post what lessons I have conducted in January to teach conflict resolution skills! I also wanted to share a great resource from Lee's Summit Cares--a wonderful opportunity called Parent University which will occur on February 23rd at Pleasant Lea Middle School. Be sure to check out this website for more information!

In Kindergarten we read the book "Armadillo Tattletale" by Helen Ketteman. In the book Armadillo has very long, large ears and has difficulty with not twisting information and "tattling" on what he hears his friends discussing. He creates a great amount of conflict between his friends. Though he feels very remorseful he is unable to stop this behavior! Finally, Alligator, one of his friends, gets tired of his tattling and chews off his ears! This is always a surprise to the children but we learn that Armadillo, without having such large ears to cause him to hear information that is not for him to know, no longer tattles and feels better about himself. He is even a faster runner because his ears don't drag him down! In one class when discussing what we learned one child said, "I hope I don't grow long ears and tattle on all of my friends!" This provided a great opportunity to discuss how we are in control of what we say or do--large ears or not :)



In 1st grade students watched an animated book called "Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen." Students learned that they can prevent conflict from occurring if they are good listeners. Students brainstormed who we need to listen to, and what happens when we don't listen. Students were able to identify that many conflicts happen due to misunderstanding or not listening well to others. We discussed what a good listener looks and sounds like. Students also learned that they feel better about themselves when they are good listeners and avoid conflicts with others.



2nd Graders read "A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue" by Julia Cook. Students learned the rules for tattling, including the difference between reporting if someone is getting hurt or in trouble, and tattling--when the problem doesn't involve you, when you can wait and try to solve the problem later, and when and how to solve small problems on their own before running to an adult for help. Students learned a decision making process to help them decide if it is a situation to report or if they can try another technique to solve the problem.



3rd Graders were taught "I-Messages" through a Smart Board Lesson. This technique is one students can use to try and solve a problem by telling the person they are having a conflict with how they are feeling, why they are feeling that way, and what the other person can do to make the situation better. An I-Message is a very effective way to solve a problem with out causing further arguing. It is not blaming and does not cause the other person to be defensive. Students worked through several scenarios to practice identifying how a conflict situation would cause them to feel and then created an appropriate "I-Message" for each one. At the end of the lesson, students thought of a recent situation they had been in that they could create an "I-Message" for. Students were encouraged to use I-messages specifically at recess as many times that is where conflicts arise at school. We also read the book "Trouble Talk" a book about bullying by Trudy Ludwig and discussed how an I-Message could have solved many of the conflicts that were evident in the book.



4th Graders watched a video on Decisions & Conflicts and learned the decision making process for how to resolve conflicts: Stop (don't rush into a solution), Think (what are all of the possible solutions and consequences of each), Act (make a choice), and Review (decide if it was the best decision resulting in the best outcome). They then worked in groups using this process to solve different types of conflicts that many students face.

5th and 6th Graders received the same lesson on Sean Covey's Leadership Habit 4: Think Win-Win. Students learned that in order to successfully solve a conflict, you have to get beyond being right and wanting to be the winner in an argument, and instead think Win-Win: How can the conflict be resolved that results in a win for everyone involved? Students discussed various conflict situations and decided what could be a Lose-Lose result (for example arguing about a game at recess and all students having to sit against the wall) and what could be a Win-Win result (compromising so all students can still play) for many different conflict situations that students face at at school.