Diversity at Bertschi School

Definition:

At Bertschi School, we honor and support the unique contributions to our society made by people of all ethnic, economic, religious, racial backgrounds, physical abilities, learning styles and sexual orientations. We strive to promote inclusiveness in all school areas, including school programs, community activities and recruitment of students, faculty, staff, and Board. We are actively committed to increasing diversity in our school community to reflect the region in which we live.

Bertschi’s longstanding commitment to global education is rooted in the belief that children benefit from an environment where diversity is embraced on all levels. Diverse cultures are studied through year-long, project-based studies to explore origins of families, aspects of community, history and celebrations. The curriculum emphasizes diversity to broaden perspectives and encourages children to become active community members at Bertschi and beyond.

At Bertschi, children, educators and families embrace the principles of mutual respect, tolerance and compassion everyday. Children learn by example and through direct experience of the impact they have on their community, fostering positive self-esteem, security, and reliance. Bertschi students are prepared to actively engage in their future as life-long learners.

Experience Book Project 2011:

The Experience Book Project book, Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester, was introduced at the Martin Luther King, Jr. All-School Meeting. It is now available for checkout in your classroom. (You can also buy your own paperback copy at a 20% discount from the University Bookstore if you say you are with the Bertschi School Experience Book Project.)

This book provides an important opportunity to talk about the issue of race with your kindergarten child. As Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman say in their book Nurture Shock, “Conversations about race have to be explicit, in unmistakable terms that children can understand.” Furthermore, early discussions when children are forming their concepts and attitudes about race allow parents to influence their child’s thinking and values. Julie Olsen Edwards, author of Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, is a proponent for beginning discussions about race at an early age because “Silence is a powerful teacher. What adults don’t talk about teaches children that adults are afraid, that the subject is dangerous. That leaves children to have to make up their own information, which is usually incorrect.”

There are suggested guidelines for using the book with your family inserted into the front cover of the book if you would like some additional support. Please try to return the book within a week so that other families have a chance to read it too. Consider sharing the stories that emerge from your discussions with other members of our school community. Form a book club with other families or come to the Bite of Bertschi on Friday March 18th. We encourage everyone to participate in this year’s Experience Book Project!

In addition to Julius Lester's book, "Let's Talk About Race", Cathy Grant, our school librarian, has compiled an annotated list of books [PDF] that have been read and supported by the Bertschi Diversity Committee. Please pick one up for further reading at various grade levels.

Affinity Groups:

Definition: To quote NAIS, “The term affinity group is used as a bringing together of people who have something important in common, e.g. race, gender, profession, or special interests. Any significant historical movement or everyday social interaction could probably be traced to the actions of people who share a common experience and passion.”

Affinity groups allow for the following: building community, identifying issues, sharing successes, promoting ideas for action and preparing for deep and honest cross-cultural dialogue with other affinity groups. Participation in an affinity group also provides opportunities for affirmation and celebration. A large number of diversity initiatives in independent schools across the country originated out of conversations in these groups.

Our main vision for creating affinity groups is to provide a safe space for all participants to identify important issues and common concerns through dialogue, using our voices to bring about affirmation, fellowship, connections, and empowerment: to come together for sharing and listening and offering support towards greater understanding.

Affinity groups would be informal gatherings on campus, in homes, a coffeehouse, etc. Participants would self identify. So far we have affinity groups for parents of children with allergies, families of color, and adoptive families. We hope that as we move forward that families will identify affinity groups that they feel are needed.