MY APPLE OF DIVERSITY

By Amari Suskin-Sperry

Diversity to me is like an apple. First you have to break through the bitter and tough skin to reach the juicy luscious flesh. After a scrumptious snack you come across the core. Diversity is just the same. First we have the uncomfortable ignorance that can lead   to frustration and even anger. Once we have sunk our teeth in we experience the beauty and emotion of diversity we once questioned. In the end we have been pushed, challenged and rewarded with the values of life and education.

Getting through the tough skin can be the hardest step. As a young child I would complain I did not want to eat new or unusual food. My parents made me always try it before I decided if I didn?t like it. I most always loved it. It is the fear of change, fear of the unknown that makes us unsure about facing diversity. Once we get through the tough skin of resistance the reward is sweet. The meat of diversity lies in the beauty of taste and differences.

Every apple looks different, tastes different, and grows differently. The most meaningful and significant classroom discussions I have ever had were with people from different backgrounds, and religions with many different stories to tell. I feel privileged to go to a school that takes the battle of diversity head on. Each year multiple times a year my school gathers to do all day workshops about diversity issues. I am proud a small school such as mine makes those issues a high priority.

I believe that the core to education is challenging student?s views and ways of thinking. To learn, study, and experiment with diversity opens our eyes. We see new people, hear new views and are challenged by the new ideas we are exposed to. Every child should experience the values and equality that diversity has to offer.

Diversity is more than just having different people. It is the teaching and learning as a community of children that fulfills what diversity should be. We must go beyond having diverse schools to schooling for diversity. It is our generation that needs to make it through the bitter skin to the sweet flesh in order to reach and experience the core. We are children of the future, the children who will make a difference.