When Kids Can't Read-Ch.13

Chapter 13 talks about some unique ways of celebrating differences in the classroom. It's hard to celebrate differences in the classroom when teenagers want to dress, act, and sound alike. Most teenagers want to conform with others around them so that they can fit it. When teachers look across their classroom and see the different ethnicities and social economic groups all in one room, teachers might need spend time making sure that their students value their differences.

One way to initiate conversation, over this topic, is to ask the students what life would be like if every student in the school was an amazing quarterback? Some may say that it would be awesome, but when they really think about they will realize that it would take away from the rest of the school's sports and activities many are involved in. Another good question to spark conversation is, "What's the advantage of having multiple languages in the school?" A student might say, " If we all spoke the same language everywhere, then, for sure communication would be easier, but life would be duller." Helping students see the different ways to celebrate diversity should be the job of the teacher.