Teachers and students must embrace difference

Teachers and students must embrace difference

Simon Marcus Gower
Executive Principal
High/Scope
Jakarta

Indonesia has a well known and admirable motto "unity in
diversity". Even the most casual of observers of the great
archipelago could not possibly but agree that this nation has a
remarkable and undeniable diversity, but questions over the
degree of unity to be found amongst these islands inevitably
remain. Recent history has not been kind to the idea of unity in
Indonesia. With greater democracy, unity seems to have been
coming under increasing pressure.

This is, however, a pattern that has been repeated all over
the world. As the Communist bloc disintegrated a whole host of
new nations were born. It seemed as though, as freedoms increased
segregation and separation also increased. The horrors visited on
the nations born out of the collapse of the former Yugoslavia
were probably the worst manifestation of this process. And we
have seen similar woes visited upon parts of Indonesia.

It is reasonable to ponder why growing freedom should
potentially be the source of growing separation and even
discrimination. It has perhaps been too easy for people to
misinterpret democracy; to overextended democracy's principles to
the point of jeopardizing the very notion of freedom and in turn
destroying the very source of that freedom which is or at least
should be democracy.

But why has it been possible to misinterpret democracy? Why
have people not been able to see and value the notion of
democracy bringing people together rather than separating them?
There is sadly the potential to see "difference" as not being
something that should be respected, honored and appreciated,
something that should be valued and prized as one of the wonders
of our world; but instead seeing difference as a divider and a
source of hatred.

Regrettably, there are examples of this in daily life, and
most regrettably of all examples of this is in the daily life and
lives of schools in Indonesia. Take the students in street
fights. Anarchy is literally let loose on the streets as school
kids clash for no reason other than they attend a different
school. In short, a difference, which is hardly perceptible and
which is surely of little or no significance, is being used and
seen as justification for violent acts of aggression and the
stimulus for hatred.

The short fuse that burns and leads to the explosion of
violence is clearly born out of an ignorance and lack of
appreciation for others. Ignorance and an accompanying lack of
forethought and care for other human beings is liable to create
and nurture a culture of mutual distrust and even hatred.

Sadly, schools can consistently be observed that are not
engaged in encouraging tolerance, acceptance and appreciation of
difference. Whether it is racial, religious, political, cultural;
difference is not being respected and seen as the great source of
learning and indeed love of life that it should be.

School students can consistently be observed entering into
conduct and behavior which is disrespectful and offensive towards
difference. For example, in one classroom one child was
particularly excluded from the other children's activities
because "he's ugly ... his skin is so black," one child said,
with little or no realization that she was saying something
offensive.

Immediately, in a situation such as this, the children have a
great opportunity to learn and understand and not behave in a
racially offensive manner. But sadly too often teachers seem to
be tardy or ill equipped to respond to these kinds of ignorant
behavior. The teacher should be in the classroom to facilitate
and encourage tolerance and appreciation of difference but often
teachers themselves are stuck in a quagmire of intolerance and
failure to appreciate difference.

At one school the teachers themselves were literally
segregating themselves along ethnic lines. The ethnic differences
to be encountered and recognized within the teaching staff had
been allowed to create small groups or cliques within the staff.
These childish, foolish and ignorant notions meant that it was
possible to observe groups of Javanese teachers staying together,
of teachers from Sumatra staying together and of teachers from
Nusa Tenggara staying as a group.

These mutually exclusive groupings of teachers meant that
socially there was little or no interaction between these
ethnicly defined groups. Also, in their working practices and
day-to-day efforts within the school there was little
communication between these ethnic groupings. This inevitably
meant that the teaching staff was not getting along well. It
meant that difference was being allowed to stand in the way. An
atmosphere of distrust and even dislike was being maintained
purely based on ethnic lines.

In essence, then, these teachers were allowing their
prejudices to stand in the way of their working practices and in
turn these prejudices would be passed on to their students.
Effectively these teachers run the risk of extending and further
entrenching a failure to appreciate and tolerate difference.

Difference is a great thing. Difference is what gives us our
humanity; ethnic, cultural, religious, political, etc.; whatever
the difference may be it is a wonder and something that the truly
educated and wise person can look upon as something that is of
great value; something that makes us rich; something that can
make our lives more bountiful and fulfilling.

School students and their teachers need to be actively engaged
in learning of difference, understanding difference and valuing
it as a great thing. As globalization increases we will
increasingly encounter people of different nations and if we fail
to be able to understand difference then we are likely to fail in
the era of globalization.

In this sense it becomes essential that teachers are more
sophisticated and sensitive towards difference and in turn pass
on such sophistication and sensitivity to school students, who
may then capitalize and enjoy the wonders of human difference.

"Unity in diversity" is a great motto; alongside it we could
place "variety is the spice of life". By coming to appreciate
human variety we may have a more enjoyable and successful life,
which is not overshadowed by the clouds of prejudice and
injustice.