CAIS

[Response to a comment below: this session was part of the conference, led entirely by students who attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference]

Once again, the students impressed the adults with their thoughtful, thought-provoking dialog. First, they had us line up a number of students in the order we perceived represented their socioeconomic status, rich to poor. Can you say uncomfortable? Can you say it again? 

The two adult volunteers were visibly distraught over their task, and I'm guessing the others were secretly thrilled they weren't picked for this activity. What did they have to base their decision on? Appearance, clothing, poise - that was about it. And that's just it. When we make assumptions about a person's class or socioeconomic status, it often leads to biases that can influence our expectations of both academic performance and social behavior.

We spent most of the remaining time doing a "fishbowl" exercise, where people sat in two concentric circles. At first, the adults were in the middle, students outside. Later, we switched. In some variations, people on the outside sit in silence, just observing the dialog going on in the middle. This time, there was more interaction. The initial prompt was, "Where do you see classism in your schools, and how does it affect you?" 

This simple yet provocative question led to a rich discussion that included personal accounts and awkward encounters. I asked how both adults and students could bring awareness to the situation. I hope the people in our group feel it's OK to mention some of the ideas that came up (without names), because they seemed important. Ideas such as:

* Students / adults - during and/or after school breaks, focus on the people aspect and catching up with friends and family instead of "where did you go?" While students with resources to travel far and wide shouldn't feel "bad" about their experiences, it's important to realize that a number of students have limited or no budget for trips. 

* Students / adults - limit or discontinue the use of fancy electronics at school. It often perpetuates pressure to "buy, buy, buy..." and can promote a culture of "have / have nots." Again, owning or buying some things are necessary and enjoyable. But to me, it's overconsumption and non-eco-friendly consumption and manufacturing that's problematic and causes so much damage to our planet. 

* Adults: share what you can about yourself. One student said, "Outside class, we have no idea who you are." Telling students about your personal experiences and challenges and successes, helps them see us as three-dimensional people, and will likely enable them to open up and share experiences of their own. 

The session also provided a break from conversations about race and ethnicity. As crucial as they are, sometimes we forget to engage in dialogs about other important areas, such as classism, heterosexism, ablism,  antisemitism, and the intersection of these and more. 

Once again, hats off to the students who put together a well-organized, thought-provoking session. You never cease to amaze me.