We are really fortunate to have a school community which is diverse. It is a privilege to work and teach in a school with lots of different kinds of people. It is somewhat of a rarity. David Brooks write in The Atlantic, “Maybe it's time to admit the obvious. We don't really care about diversity all that much in America, even though we talk about it a great deal.” 

Most of us gravitate toward homogeneity. We fear that which is unfamiliar.   We like to associate with people who reaffirm our viewpoints, lifestyles, values, education, wealth, etc.

In a school environment where 40 countries of the world are represented in the student body, we can become an interdependent community of people. We can learn from one another if we are intentional and eager to listen to voices that may express ideas unfamiliar or unlike our own.

As students get older and move to middle school, high school and beyond, I have watched “sameness” exert its powerful attraction and appeal. I hope that we can help the Angell students enjoy the rich variety they experience with the hope that sustaining that is worthwhile.