mb diversity works march 2016

 Moses  Brown  School   March  2016  

Student  Takes  the  Lead:  “Between  The  World  And  Me”  

MB  Diversity  W

orks  

What’s  In  a  Hat?  During  their  World  Religions  unit,  4th  grade  students  visited  the  Masjid  Al-­‐Islam  mosque  in  North  Smithfield.  There,  their  budding  understanding  of  Islam  was  deepened  by  conversation  with  the  imam.  Back  in  the  classroom  with  9th  graders  from  Abby  Phyfe’s  English  class,  they  had  to  match  images  of  religious  headwear  to  their  respective  religions.  The  lesson?  Women  and  men  of  many  religions  wear  scarves  or  caps  for  important  reasons.  Demystifying  something  so  concrete  in  their  world-­‐that  is  also  at  the  root  of  cultural  misunderstandings-­‐  is  a  developmentally-­‐appropriate  way  to  build  inclusivity  and  respect  for  difference  in  our  younger  students.  Meanwhile,  8th  graders  are  digging  in  to  Islam,  Islamophobia,  and  the  dangers  of  stereotyping  by  grappling  with  the  broader  religious  history  of  the  Middle  East.  By  10th  grade,  these  students  are  deepening  religious  literacy  in  Religious  Studies,  so  they  can  articulately  challenge  stereotypes  about  Muslims  and  Islam.    Developing  ethical  leaders  with  the  knowledge  base  and  cross-­‐cultural  communication  skills  to  affect  change  in  our  world  takes  time,  repeated  exposure,  and  it  begins  with  thinking  about  ‘what’s  in  a  hat.’  

1

This winter, Nalin R ’16 was so moved when he read Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates that he sought ways to have more members of the MB community read it. The book is a profound narrative written by the author to his teenage son, in which he uses snapshots from his life to describe life as a black man in this country. Coates’ work was the foundational text for Karen Lustig’s Literature and Legality of Race elective this fall. Students began by reading the majority decision in the Dred Scott case. Lustig states, “as mind-boggling as that the 1857 decision is, Coates makes it clear that his life is a bitter testimony that Taney’s world still exists, and that oppression has only become more insidious and more deeply rooted in our country. It’s a devastating book. But the students took it on and allowed it to do its work.” After Nalin reached out

2

to faculty and students, upper school English teachers offered to incorporate it into their classes. All upper school students read and discussed an excerpt from the book in their English classes before March break. Teachers in each class prompted the students with two questions: What pulled you into the text? What pushed you away? When asked to reflect upon what he thought about the student discussions, Nalin said they ‘provoked a strong reaction (some good, some bad)’ from the community. “It’s easy to live our lives in a safe little bubble and I think perhaps the longer you attend MB, the easier it is to develop a distorted view of the world beyond our walls. But we should live our lives in acute awareness that we are privileged. And today I think at least some people really understood this; a bit of a wake up call from everyone's privileged dream."  

3

4th  and  9th  graders  matching  headwear  to  correct  religion  

A  pu

blication  of  th

e  All-­‐Schoo

l  Diversity  Co

mmittee  

Above:  Adam  Romano’s  term  paper  comparing  the  Syrian  refugee  crisis  and  Japanese-­‐American  internment  camps  took  the  form    of  a  graphic  novel,  displaying  a  deep  understanding  of  the  issues  and  simultaneously  showcasing  his  considerable  skills  as  an  artist  

 2  

Moses  Brown  School   March  2016  

In February, the hallways filled with overwhelmed 8th graders balancing iPads and notebooks in one hand and car carriers in the other. A mixture of exasperation and panic cross one boy’s face as his electronic baby begins to cry. The efficacy with which he manages this parenting moment is being recorded inside the baby’s computerized belly and will be part of his grade on a science project. In the 8th grade RealCare Baby project, every student draws their fate out of a hat: single parent,

co-parent with a classmate, or co-parent of twins! For one week they must care for their babies,

feeding, changing, and burping them through classes, meetings for worship, basketball practices, and homework.

Concurrently in Math class, they roll dice to determine their socio-economic status for the project. Using their assigned income, they must find an apartment to rent or a home to buy, decide if they are going to put money away for college, or spend it on a vacation. For many of them, it is the first time they begin to understand just how expensive it is to be a grown-up. At the end of the week, the 8th graders hand their charges back. What remains are powerful life lessons: the feeling of relief at 6:30am when the baby finally burped and gave its computerized happy sigh, memories of telling coach you can’t sub in until you’re done feeding your baby, the judging looks received in public from unknowing passersby. As important, many gained a deeper appreciation for the day-to-day economic struggles faced by those around them.

It’s  the  Second  Look  That  Counts  Give  yourself  permission  to  go  back  and  take  a  second  look.  That’s  the  message    David  Roche,  comedian  and  inspirational  speaker,  shared  on  November  17.  Born  with  a  significant  facial  difference,  David  is  familiar  with  the  shocked  stares,  awkward  look-­‐aways  and  other  reactions  to  his  face.  But  he  doesn’t  hold  people  responsible  for  those  first  looks.  Instead,  he  asks  that  we  work  beyond  our  initial  discomfort  and  take  a  second,  deeper  look.  When  asked  by  a  student  “What  advice  would  you  give  people  when  they  see  someone  like  you?”  David  responded,  “Turn  back,  look  me  in  the  eye,  give  me  a  smile,  and  just  say  ‘Hi.’”  David  believes  firmly  in  the  goodness  in  people,  and  in  their  ability  to  see  beyond  difference  to  find  common  humanity.  As  David  pointed  out,  within  ten  minutes  no  one  in  the  audience  was  focusing  on  the  left  side  of  his  face.  They  were  focusing  on  his  words,  his  smile,  his  twinkling  eyes  and  his  light  step  as  he  moved  energetically  around  in  front  of  them.    Spending  time  with  someone  like  David  allows  our  students  to  practice  

the  skills  of  listening  to,  learning  from,  and  incorporating  new  perspectives  into  their  own  worldviews.  Each  and  every  one  of  these  skills  will  be  fundamentally  important  as  they  head  out  into  our  globally  -­‐interconnected  world  one  day.  

What  to  Expect  When  You’re  Expecting…  The  Baby  Project  

Moses  Brown  students  and  chaperones  at  the  Student  Diversity  Leadership  Conference    

Parent  Persp

ectiv

e:  

Heidi  Gilk

enso

n  

Imagine  giving  your  child  a  stress-­‐free  weekend  of  rich,  meaningful  conversations  with  other  kids  with  similar  worldviews  and  life  experiences.  This  is  what  the  Student  Diversity  Leadership  Conference  (SDLC)  has  been  for  my  children.  SDLC  digs  down  deep  to  the  heart  of  who  you  are  by  helping  you  define  you.  It  instills  confidence  and  certainty  and  anchors  the  children  that  attend.  It  offers  them  a  lifeline  that  they’ve  never  experienced  nor  known  was  there.    It’s  freeing  and  affirming  and  it  bonds  the  kids  to  other  attendees,  past  and  present.  As  corny  as  this  may  sound,  it’s  life  changing.  Even  though  it  happens  just  once  a  year,  the  experience  lasts  forever  for  the  students  who  are  lucky  enough  to  go.