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Spring Magazine 2018-19
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Teaching Diversity
Summit Curriculum Standards Encourage Students to Challenge Prejudice
By Tanya Bricking Leach There’s a Jewish parable Kirstin Pesola McEachern, Ph.D. thinks about when she imagines what students here will learn about diversity by the time they graduate. It’s the story of two pockets. The Hasidic tale goes that everyone must have two pockets with a note in each one. That way, they can reach into one pocket or the other, depending on their need. In one pocket is piece of paper that says: “The world was created for me.” In the other pocket, that note says: “I am but dust and ashes.” The lesson in reading each note may be about ego and humility, but it’s also about diversity, says Dr. McEachern, The Summit’s Curriculum and Instruction Director who also oversees Diversity & Inclusion. “You are special and unique, and no one else is like you,” she says.“At the same time, you are not better than anyone else.” SETTING STANDARDS The Summit has been building social justice, antibias and civil rights education into the curriculum for years. Now, Dr. McEachern is benchmarking it by setting 20 curriculum standards for educators to reach across four domains: identity, diversity, justice and action.
During a collaborative work time called “Mappy Hour,” Middle School teacher Laura Dennemann, left, and Upper School teacher Megan Luiso, right, work with Kirstin Pesola McEachern, Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction Director and Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator, on the religion curriculum. Dr. McEachern is helping teachers benchmark 20 curriculum standards for teaching acceptance.
WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS? Here are some examples: IDENTITY Students will develop positive social identities based on their membership in multiple groups in society. DIVERSITY Students will express comfort with people who are both similar to and different from them and engage respectfully with all people. JUSTICE Students will recognize stereotypes and relate to people as individuals rather than representatives of groups. ACTION Students will express empathy when people are excluded or mistreated because of their identities and concern when they themselves experience bias.
In Upper School biology teacher Bret Miller’s laboratory, Jade Hays, Abby Almaguer, and Zoey Collier-Gooden study diversity of life and microscopy. The directive in lab groups, Mr. Miller says, is always to appreciate the diversity in the group in order to get fresh perspectives from each other. Summit Magazine 13 13
The standards are based on national best practices meant to help teachers and schools educate children to be active participants in a diverse community. From Montessori through Upper School, teachers are incorporating the program’s goals into lessons and discussions that encourage each grade level to challenge prejudice and value others’ perspectives. “Being able to understand people’s differences and then work for common ground is at the heart of a lot of our conflicts,” Dr. McEachern says. “When we talk about preparing leaders of character to value and improve the world that they will inherit, it’s all about being a global citizen and cultural competency.” This is as important as anything else in the curriculum, she says. “The key message for me is how crucial diversity and inclusion principles are to education and to one’s growth,” she says. “I think if any adult were to look back on their life and think about a time when they most changed or grew as a person, it was because they were exposed to something new and different. So how do we take that concept and make sure that we’re doing that across the board with our students, even though it might make us uncomfortable?” This is how.
Eighth graders Shelby Gottenbusch, Gwen Hellmann, Owen McEachern, Savannah Eveslage and Kendall Ralph place donated items in a box prepared for the Bond Hill Food Pantry.
A COMMON HUMANITY
The Summit prides itself on being inclusive. One of the hallmarks of the founding order, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is embracing diverse cultures,
Third grader Beckett Brinkman writes in his reflection journal. Lower School students write about their feelings on topics, such as homelessness, covered in readings or presentations.
BY THE NUMBERS Our student population: • 1,034 enrollment • 28% multicultural • 61% Catholic • 39% other faiths • 25 international students • 128 faculty • 63% of faculty have advanced degrees
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Spring Magazine 2018-19
Fourth grader Danny Beyerbach tries to button his shirt while wearing gloves, an exercise that helps develop empathy for persons with disabilities. The exercise was part of last year’s “Art of Acceptance” Character Education capstone in which seventh graders research physical limitations and present related activities to Lower School students.
Bo Pang, a native speaking Chinese teacher, plays a word memorization game with eighth grader PJ Schaaf, sophomore Savannah Lewis and eighth grader Shannon Dennemann to help them build their vocabulary. World Language classes are a natural curricular fit for teaching acceptance of other cultures.
ethnicities, races, socio-economic circumstances, genders, ages, sexual orientation and faith traditions. Nearly 40 percent of the student body comes from other faith traditions. The school has attracted firstand second-generation families from 24 countries. Each year, more than 130 new students enroll from other private, public and international schools. The school also offers financial aid for families who qualify. The Summit also offers a wealth of clubs – from the student Diversity & Inclusion clubs in the Middle and Upper School, to special presentations such as a troupe of Chinese Acrobats, to the faculty and Upper School students who annually attend the annual National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference. Opening students’ mindsets is part of the character education built into The Summit’s signature programs. The commitment to diversity also comes across in subtle ways, such as the day this winter when a visitor from the Bond Hill Food Pantry came to talk to Middle Schoolers about what the pantry does for people who are hungry and economically distressed. Speakers often visit the school to share experiences that students here have never thought about experiencing themselves.
IN THE CLASSROOM
In Meghan Cole’s fifth grade language arts classroom, the novels students carry with them make it evident that diversity is woven in the fabric of each lesson plan. They read books such as “The Lions of Little Rock,” author Kristin Levine’s piece of historical fiction about kids caught up in the 1958 political rage over school integration. One summer read has been “Out of My Mind,” a novel by local author Sharon Draper about a brilliant fifth grader with cerebral palsy. Classroom discussions tend to revolve around that grade level’s character trait of courage and how characters in the book are courageous and worthy of empathy and respect. Each book selection is eyeopening for 10- and 11-year-olds. “Some of our novels tell stories of horrible things that have happened in the past. We want students to be knowledgeable, so they will work to prevent something like that from happening again,” Mrs. Cole says. But the teaching goes beyond literature. “It’s about life skills, too,” she says. “There can’t be a sense of entitlement. You have to be open. Everyone’s different.” 15 Summit Magazine 15
Dressed in native costumes, Middle School students Quinn Bohmer, Axel Kindel, Sasha Woodard and Cammy Lorentz lead the procession for the annual Spanish Mass.
Montessori Spanish teacher Katia Palek uses a book to prompt preschool students to describe the characters’ moods, feelings, roles and settings and to predict what the characters are going to do. World Language exposure begins at age 2 with Spanish. Classes in French or Spanish begin in the Early Enrichment Program with 3- and 4-year-olds.
After hearing about the Ojibwa legend of the dream catcher, Montessori children make their own dream catchers to give to a friend during the Corn Festival.2018-19 Pictured: Hudson Allen at the end of the table 16 Spring Magazine and Matti Hofmann, Ryan Schaaf and Micah Northern on the right.
COURAGE TO STAND UP Would a fourth or fifth grader stand up to bullies, to insensitivity, or to racism? Mrs. Cole is working with fourth grade language arts teacher Frances Keller to make sure the answer is yes. It starts with culling their novel collection to feature stories from all kinds of perspectives, be it a female protagonist or a Native American’s story about his culture’s naming ritual. The theme might be about understanding a culture, building empathy for an underdog, demystifying stereotypes or standing up to exclusion, prejudice or injustice. From first through fourth grades, students keep reflection journals to write about how experiences such as reading about homelessness or hearing from a speaker from the food pantry make them feel. “I would like them to walk away with an openness and an interest in finding out more about all people,” Mrs. Keller says. “I would like for them to realize that there are multiple perspectives, and there are multiple experiences that may be different from their own. And I’d like them to understand how those experiences shape and impact the way that people approach their existence.” “I hope that they walk out of my door feeling a global connection,” she says. “We are all humans going through it together.”
BEYOND HUMANITIES
Even subjects that might not obviously lend themselves to diversity lessons are opportunities for educators to find a way to weave it in. Karen Cruse Suder, an Upper School biology teacher and science department curriculum coordinator, works it into the study of bones. Mrs. Suder has a background in biological anthropology. When her students study skeletal remains to determine ancestry, they use calipers to measure areas of the skull, such as the nasal region, eye orbits and nose shape. They learn about how even a suture pattern on the back of the skull can be indicative of ancestry.
“I share with my students that there is a great deal of debate about using skeletal material to determine ancestry,” she says. “People with similar ancestry share certain characteristics, but there is a great deal of variation within populations as well.” In her genetics unit, she teaches about the biology of skin color. In her Honors Hawaii Marine Science Seminar, students learn about that culture’s respect for the land and ocean. They even learn Hawaiian myths, legends and history to gain a deeper understanding of the Hawaiian culture beyond marine science. Mrs. Suder also stresses the importance of various learning styles. “Not every student learns and studies the same way,” she says. “It’s about finding the effective study strategy for each student, refining it and continuing to develop it.”
Ethan Wu, an eighth grader from Shanghai, speaks during a Naturalization Service hosted annually by The Summit.
FROM THE BEGINNING
Even The Summit’s smallest learners are getting a taste of diversity. In Lauren Guip’s Montessori classroom for 3- to 6-yearolds, it begins with reading “We’re All Wonders,” a picture book by R.J. Palacio, the same author as the middle-school novel “Wonder,” that was made into a movie. The picture book is about a child who’s physically different and how he longs to belong. Mrs. Guip uses the book as a starting point for discussing empathy and kindness. “We talk about how we might all look a little different on the outside,” she says, “But on the inside we’re all the same.”
Diana Sofia, left, and her sister, Livia, work with materials in a Montessori classroom. The sisters are multinational, speaking Hungarian to their mother and Italian to their dad. The Summit community includes families from 24 countries.
L to R, fifth graders Caleb Driessen, Rosie Gieseke and Sophie Brouwer collaborate in an iLab lesson on engineering with Legos. The Summit believes coeducation prepares boys and girls to collaborate and communicate as adults.
The Rev. Peterson Mingo from Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church speaks to the Upper School during an assembly to 17 celebrate Black History Month. Summit Magazine 17
On a more tangible level for the Montessori kids, she has another activity that demonstrates her point. It’s the story of two eggs. It goes a little like this: There is a brown egg and a white egg. Take a look. Touch them, feel them. Break them open. What do you see? “It’s a very concrete way to teach kids that we all look different on the outside, but we’re the same on the inside,” Mrs. Guip says, “and we all have feelings.” Karen Suder, Upper School biology teacher and science department curriculum coordinator, uses a sliding caliper to examine a bone from a “breakout box” experience in a discussion of forensic anthropology with, L to R, freshmen Reagan Sutton, Bridget Baker and Nicholas Ciaccio. In the lesson, students ascertain a biological profile of skeletal elements whereby age, sex, stature and ethnicity can be determined.
It’s like the story of two pockets on a Lower School Level. They learn that they are unique, but no better than anyone else. On a day-to-day basis, Mrs. Guip likes to embrace similarities and the differences in other ways that are tangible. She invites parents to come in to share their heritage, language and cultural items. All of us, no matter our age, need to learn more about embracing diversity because it’s so relevant in today’s world, she says. “Right now, we are in really tumultuous times,” she says, “And it’s important to be raising children that no matter what your political beliefs are or what your religion is, kindness should always be there, tolerance should always be there, and it starts with you. It starts with children. It starts with teachers.”
Montessori lead teacher Lauren Guip reads “We’re All Wonders” to her 3- to 6-year-olds as a starting point to talk to children about empathy and kindness.
Parent Christian James talks to seventh graders at their confirmation retreat about his faith journey and coping with amyotrophic lateral 18 sclerosis, Spring Magazine also known 2018-19 as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Members of the new Upper School Student Advisory Council gather with the Upper School’s Assistant Director Cliff Pope in the Bishops Parlor. L to R, seated, Bennett Caruso ‘19 and Mike Stanis ‘20. Standing are Naomi Purdie ‘21, Bry Woodard ‘21, Evan Purdie ‘19, Mr. Pope, Maliah Bricking ‘20 and Sydni Black ‘20.
Student Advisory Committee Takes on Tough Topics Imagine a topic tougher for a teen advisory council to undertake than a new ban on cell phones in the classroom. Cliff Pope, the Upper School’s new Assistant Director, convened a Student Advisory Committee (SAC) this year to help him get a pulse on the student culture. In addition to discussing this year’s cell phone ban, topics have included the daily schedule structure, the biggest discipline issues and concerns, academic award recognition and another tough topic – parking. The council has been so helpful that Mr. Pope has decided to continue it next year. “I have learned in my 27 years in Cincinnati Catholic high schools that it is best if the person who holds my position develops strong educational relationships with the student body,” he says. “I have always believed that if you really want to learn who your students are, and what the things are that they truly value, then you simply have good honest conversations with them.” Members of the SAC were required to complete a formal application and get two faculty endorsements. The group represents the broad diversity of the school. Mr. Pope asks students be candid about how they think issues should be addressed.
“The creating of the SAC this year has been beneficial for not only a general expression of ideas without intimidation but also a great way for us, as students, to understand the problems the school has to deal with,” says junior Michael Stanis. Junior Sydni Black says the SAC has been successful in refining new policies. The committee has received ideas from the administration, asked for advice from teachers and students and brought responses back to the SAC. “Most importantly, it allows everyone to have input in their experience daily at The Summit,” she says. In his career, Mr. Pope says he has observed that some educators tend to “talk at” students and “speak for” students. “I have been relatively successful as an educator because I have always listened to what my students have had to say. The hope is that the ideas and suggestions of the SAC will have an impact on certain policies and structures that we have at school and, no matter what direction we go, the students will have had a “voice” in the process. – Nancy Berlier
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