Diverse and Inclusive?

 

I am proud to be part of a multicultural school community that celebrates the fact that 47% of our students are students of color and their families hail from 35 different nations. Our international flag garden, which borders the campus, is representative of our community. It’s the landmark for which our school is best known.

And yet, I know very little about the diverse cultures of our families. I don’t speak their languages. I hug them in the way most Irish natives would. I listen to their concerns and often shrug them off. But I wonder what would happen if I asked more questions. If I listened more carefully. If I was more culturally sensitive.

I believe we welcome migrants into our school, and indeed into our communities at large, expecting them to fully assimilate and adopt to our way of living, rather than allowing them to integrate and keep their sense of identity, values and traditions. I want to do better for our migrant families so that they can contribute in meaningful ways and so that their children feel a true sense of belonging. I want to celebrate the migrant communities that may not feel as though they belong. I want them to know that they are valued and that our flag garden is more than a symbol of diversity – that it represents an authentically inclusive school community.