Our learning community will gain empathy towards, and an understanding of, people from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints.
Our learning community will gain empathy and understanding through lessons, activities, and experiences that are connected to the district Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Standards, and through intentional use of "Windows and Mirrors".
Our learning community will ensure that policies and practices support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The phrase “mirrors and windows” was initially introduced by Emily Style for the National SEED Project. A mirror is a story that reflects your own culture and helps you build your identity. A window is a resource that offers you a view into someone else’s experience. It is critical to understand that students cannot truly learn about themselves unless they learn about others as well.
Multicultural education scholar Rudine Sims Bishop talks about books as mirrors, which are texts in which children can find themselves, their families, and their communities reflected and valued. When students read books where they see characters like themselves who are valued in the world, they feel a sense of belonging.
Bishop goes on to explain that windows help us develop understandings about the wider world. Students need to learn about how other people conduct themselves in the world in order to understand how they might fit in. For some children, this may be the first time they are exposed to differences in culture, skin color, religion, and lifestyle.