This week was annual No Name-Calling Week. Inspired by James Howe's book, The Misfits, the national project focuses attention on name-calling in schools. As all RDS Middle School students (and fifth-graders) read The Misfits this fall, our Middle School Diversity Club took up the reins to promote awareness in our school community.
Diversity and inclusion are cornerstones of the RDS mission statement: "Redwood Day School cultivates a diverse, inclusive community..." Our goal is always to "institutionalize" diversity at RDS, wherever and whenever possible: in our curricular choices, in admissions, in hiring, in professional development, in budgeting for financial aid. Our thinking about diversity as a school has been intentionally broad, including race and ethnicity, socioeconomics, sexual orientation and gender expression, ability, religion, and different ways of learning.
It’s been a little quieter than usual on the second floor of the Lower School, with fourth grade taking turns off campus for their Mosaic outdoor education experiences. Mosaic brings together classes from three or four schools that differ markedly in socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic make-up, giving students the opportunity to experience a diverse setting in which all are welcomed and respected.
Kevin Wood, KA Teacher
KA recently read a book titled The Other Side, in which two girls, one white, one black, live on different sides of a fence that separates their two homes. Each has been warned by her mother not to climb the fence to the other side. The two girls are fascinated by each other, as they see their neighbor playing on the "the other side." But because of their skin color, each girl's mother holds steadfast that the girls should not interact.
