STUDENT #1
When I initially enrolled in this course, my thoughts were, “Oh no, not another class on diversity.” As a
Southeastern undergraduate student, I felt that this topic had been run into the ground through previously
completed coursework. I had learned about the varied student differences I could expect to encounter in my
classroom, discussed in length how different backgrounds might affect students, and was consistently reminded
that as a teacher, I would be expected to teach to effectively meet all of these differences. In all honesty, I felt
that this class would be overkill for me. To my pleasant surprise, this has been one of the most enjoyable classes
I have ever taken, and one that I feel will undoubtedly make me a better educator…I believe learning about
critical pedagogy has helped to open my eyes to the necessity of not only being aware of the makeup of my
student population but also understanding what the make up of my class means…My cultural plunge
experience also related to race….The activity I chose to participate in was to attend Sunday services at a black
church. This was something I never particularly wanted to do, but thought was important for me to do. For so
many people, their church is their home away from home. I felt that to really understand some of my black
students, it would be helpful for me to enter their home -- their house of worship.
This proved to be a particularly meaningful learning experience for me…I went into this experience with
expectations of learning more about my students, but what truly affected me was the fact that I was welcomed
by the church population in such a genuine manner and with open arms. Here I was, a white girl in a
predominantly black church, and the members came to hug me. This small action had a profound impact on me
on a personal, level. I learned then and there that all blacks do not hate all whites, something I have honestly
and unfortunately grown up believing. This experience was extremely eye opening for me and has forever
changed my way of thinking. Though I may work with some people who dislike me based upon the color of my
skin, or my religious beliefs, or even my gender, I will come across those who open their arms to me no matter
what differences exist between us. It has now become my goal to model this type of unconditional acceptance
towards my students, co-workers, parents of my students, and anyone I meet throughout my walks of life.
This class has been an incredibly eye-opening experience for me. I never realized how blind I was, so to speak.
I realize that we all experience challenges in this world. However, until participating in this class, I had never
delved so fully into potential challenges and gained such an understanding of the struggles people face because
of their culture, race, and beliefs. Without having experienced the learning activities that this class provided, I
could never have fully looked into myself to recognize my prejudices and stereotypical practices and beliefs. I
also couldn’t have learned to break myself of my own prejudicial behavior and to strive to be more open to
unconditional acceptance of my students… The lessons I have learned in this class are priceless and will forever
shape my beliefs and behaviors as an educator … and a person.
STUDENT #2
On the first day of class we reviewed the syllabus. As we went over the assignments for the course, Dr. ####
gave very little about what he actually “wanted.” This frustrated me so much. I became very stressed out! I did
not know what to do when a teacher didn’t tell me exactly what they wanted. I even began to question if I
should really be in graduate school. I found myself often comparing this course to courses throughout my
schooling. Although I had always done well in school, I could recall few authentic learning experiences.
Through my reflections I realized, I had been “spoon-fed.” Teachers had given me the information and told me
what they wanted and how they wanted it. Because of my ability to regurgitate facts, I had always seen myself
as a strong student and independent thinker. This insight terrified me. I did not know if I would be able to
critically examine the content or myself. As the course progressed, I began to understand that critical thinking is
process. It is not a switch that can be flipped on. It is a lifelong skill that requires patience, understanding, and
reflection.
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Another portion of this course that challenged my beliefs and understanding of the world was the discussion of
homosexuality and alternative lifestyles. Growing up I was taught that homosexuality is a sin. I was taught that
individuals chose this life style and by doing so they were choosing to deny and disobey God. It is because of
this upbringing that I have always avoided situations that may put me in contact with homosexuals. My family
sheltered me from this lifestyle and as I grew older, I began to shelter myself. I believed the saying “ignorance
is bliss.” This is not true though and this course revealed to me the hatred and discrimination that ignorance
created. I told myself over and over again that I was not that person, I did not discriminate or have prejudice
against anyone. I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince myself I do not show prejudice or discriminate against
homosexuals. In order to teach truth and honesty, I must be honest with myself. Although I do not believe I
have discriminated against any homosexuals, I have reconciled that I am prejudice against alternative lifestyles.
As I reflected, I came to the realization that I was prejudice against them partially because I did not know or
understand them. I perceived them as perverts and pedophiles. I know now that this is not true and that they are
people just like me.
During class discussions about our cultural plunge project, I decided to confront my fears of homosexuals. For
my experience I chose to visit an “alternative lifestyles” bar. Although I was very anxious, I knew that I needed
to do this. The experience at this bar changed my views and forever altered everything I have learned the past
26 years. I felt comfortable talking to gay men and my anxiety had been suppressed. Not long after my
experience at the “alternative lifestyles” bar, I was required to watch the movie Milk. This movie depicted the
life of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist. This movie made me feel so uncomfortable and embarrassed. After
my experience at the bar, I was taken aback with how uncomfortable I felt…I don’t think I have ever been so
affected by a movie before. This discomfort continued to affect me, so I searched for information on Harvey
Milk. During my search, I found that most of the information available pertained to his efforts in gay civil
rights. It was then that I realized that although I may not agree with their lifestyle, they are Americans first. All
Americans deserve and should have equal rights. This insight I believe helped me grow personally and
professionally. As an educator, I must understand each child for who they are, not by what they are labeled.
Through this understanding, I can effectively educate all students to the best of my ability. This self reflection
and new understanding has also strengthened me spiritually.
STUDENT #3
Upon entry to this class I had what I assumed was a decent amount of knowledge on the topic of diversity and
the different issues related to it. However, after sitting through a few class lectures and completing some of the
given assignments, my knowledge expanded and I even began to question some of my previous thoughts…I
feel that the assignment or part of this class that had the most impact on me, my beliefs, my philosophy and my
outlook towards diversity was my cultural plunge experience [visiting senior center]. It seemed so simple and
in a way meaningless to complete what I thought to be such an insignificant project. To enter into a world you
are uncomfortable with and observe their culture, customs, and exceptionalities seemed like an easy enough
task. Nevertheless, it was bit of a shock and in some cases a life changing event or experience. I was able to
come to terms with stereotypes that others feel and that I was unaware that I felt. It is a little disappointing when
you realize that you do show some prejudice and bias towards a certain focal group. I feel that it is good that I
was not only forced to come to terms with that recognition but to challenge it. The completion of this
assignment affected my thoughts and feelings toward the elderly and challenged the common stereotypes that
many, including myself do indeed have towards this focal group. The theme “never judge a book by its cover”
appeared again upon completion of this assignment and I realized how relevant that saying is to stereotyping
and other aspects of diversity.
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STUDENT #4
When I reviewed the first courses in the curriculum and instruction master’s degree program and saw “EDUC
660: Dimensions in Diversity,” I thought, “Oh great, more diversity!” As part of Teach for America’s (TFA)
training institute, we had two hour sessions entitled Diversity Competencies (DC) every Friday for five weeks.
In the DC sessions, we discussed many of the things we have reviewed in EDUC 660: racism, ageism, sexism,
etc. We read stories about principles who did not like young, TFA teachers, we read stories about students in
poverty, and we discussed our role as teachers in a variety of other situations… When I saw I had to take a
diversity course, I thought, “Well at least this will be an easy A.” Now that I have finished this course, I can see
what was missing from our DC training sessions… This class exceeded my expectations and has significantly
altered my thoughts and self-awareness, my behaviors, and my role as a teacher…One experience from this
class that immediately influenced my behavior was the cultural plunge. I chose to attend a non-denominational
church service with my cousin, his wife, and his son. I had many stereotypes about protestant religions. These
stereotypes cause me to disregard many religions as fundamentalist and intolerant. These stereotypes affected
the ways I viewed my family members and society at large. Going to church helped me not only to bond with
them but to dispel many of the stereotypes I had against protestant religions. When I think of this experience, I
am reminded of one in the classroom I had with a student. We were on a field trip to the Global Wildlife Center
and I commented that one of the animals had horns like the devil. He whipped around and said, “Don’t speak
the devil’s name around me.” We had a conversation about it and I thought his reaction was humorous and
peculiar. Now, combining that experience with my cultural plunge, I realize the importance of being sensitive
about religious language around my cousins and my students. They experience religion in a different way than
I do…Since the plunge, I have changed the way that I think about other religions and the way that I talk about
them. I am now conscious that many of my beliefs about protestant religions are based off of my stereotypes.
Without my cultural plunge experience, I would have continued to make the same generalizations.
STUDENT #5
EDUC 660 brought me to a new level of enlightenment. It constantly made me feel uncomfortable in a “now
I’m forced to be more aware” kind of way. Through the various aspects of the class, many thoughts and ideas
which were concrete in my mind became a little muddy, while others were further solidified…The cultural
plunge had the greatest impact on me. In some ways it really changed me. It also made me question my beliefs
about homosexuality. As I indicated before, I have always thought that homosexuality was wrong. To
elaborate, I refused to believe that someone was born homosexual. I honestly believed that it was a choice, one
usually made as a result of some occurrence in one’s life, very early or later on. Now, I am forced to
acknowledge that I could have been wrong. After hearing my lesbian friend tell me her life story, I have to say
that I believe her when she tells me that she was born this way. As a Christian, I do not know what to do with
this new thought. First, God made us like puzzle pieces; common sense tells me that He did not mean for me to
be with a woman. After all, two women cannot reproduce. Next, the Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is
wrong, and I do believe that the Bible is God’s word. On the other hand, it is not my friend’s fault that she was
born this way. Is she supposed to live her life in misery and denial of who she feels she is? What is the
answer? I do not have it yet, but I will keep searching until I find it. What I do know is that I will never again
look down upon a person who says that he or she is homosexual or lesbian.
STUDENT #6
Before this course, I didn’t realize just how narrow my view of the world was. I realized a while back that being
from such a small town created a very sheltered life, but over the years I’ve tried to broaden my horizons by
taking interest in different things. Yet each week I became aware of issues that I didn’t even realized existed. As
each of these issues came to light, I thought about how the lack of this awareness affected me not only as a
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teacher but as a person, as well as how my awareness would influence my future teaching and outlook on the
world… The cultural plunge activity also played a large part in me having these realizations. Before I actually
went to the Spanish Mass and saw all the people there, I just could not understand why churches here offered
masses in Spanish. I didn’t think we had very many Spanish-speaking people in the area, and I certainly didn’t
think there were enough to have an entire mass for. This experience strengthened my awareness quickly
because I immediately found myself thinking about people from other cultures and if they were offered the
same courtesies. I’ve never heard of masses in other languages.