- DIVERSITY: Trust issues

• I don't trust the teacher, I don't take her courses

S1: What do I like to study?...er…I'm good at visual design. Did you see the posters on the wall? I made them.

S2: Wow, you’re an artist

S1: I don't draw though, I don’t have any patience…um…I do puzzles. I love puzzles.

S2: Those posters seem professional. You should take computer classes...Corel Draw

S1: Eek! I can't. I don't like the computer teacher. When my little nephew died from cancer I missed some classes. I went to explain to the teacher and she shouted at me... I came from the funeral and she said it wasn't her problem. She said I had missed too much class.

S2: How bad was it?

S1: Well, I was doing ok so I had used my free days. But how could I know my cousin was going to die? She said that as student, I should be responsible and attend the classes because she comes everyday to teach. I have too much self respect to be taught by such a b* like that! Sorry. Remembering this (she growled), it makes me sick...People have the right to avoid being bullied. I will not be intimidated by any teacher. I know how to choose; I want to see her class empty

• Critical thinking activity: the option is the teacher's viewpoint

The student read the Barney story as a fiction so she concluded the rat wrote the letter.The teacher asserted a rat can not write a letter. The teacher said in all her years of teaching experience, it was the first time that someone drew such a wrong conclusion and it might be because English was not student's first language.

The student could not believe her answer was wrong and asked two classmates to see what they had written. Here are their answers:

Girl:

a)I think the reason why there are so many spelling and gramatic errors in the entry is because the scientist is tired, upset and dieing

b)I would explain the request for only female rats...Barney was male and doesn’t wish to have other males on his island. (it was considered wrong by the teacher)

Boy

a) because Barney is dead so now Barney’s caretaker is poisoning himself and he also mentions he has hurt his wrist

b) Barney's caretaker wants one male rat on the island and even if Barney is dead, Barney is still a part of the island.

The student was even more surprised when she received her report back covered in red marks; the teacher had not accepted the student's solution of writing two possible conclusions: her own and the teacher's.

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Dialogues&Stories (Life, School, Classroom)

- DIVERSITY: Dress code, breaking connections

• If I am having a bad hair day, I skip school
  

S1: Do you know why hat and scarves are forbidden?

S2: No really but...I guess the hats and piercings are for safety reasons… you never know what people have hidden

S3: Yeah… Cap…Gangs, you know

S4: Wait, caps are not always for gangs. I hate that. People say things they don’t know. Doesn’t matter I don’t mind missing school if I feel like wearing a cap.

S1: How come? Are you cap obsessed?

S2 (hiding her scar with her hair): Do you think my hair is always like this? If I am having a bad hair day I skip class. No cap, no class.

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Dialogues&Stories (Life, School, Classroom)

- DIVERSITY: Each student is unique

• Teaching to learn, think and relate: diversity challenge
  

Teacher 1: There are students who don’t want to do group work; they prefer to use the time to memorize things or to practice by themselves

Teacher 2: There are students who don't want to be asked what they think, they expect a fast pace delivery of content

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Dialogues&Stories (Life, School, Classroom)

- METHOD: Surprising complaints against fun

Teacher 1: Some students complain about doing art or collages to learn history, they prefer if I directly tell them the content they will be tested on

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Dialogues&Stories (Life, School, Classroom)