Reaction to Gerald Campano Visit

     Attempting to give children a sense of belonging in a school setting can be difficult. Gerald Campano suggested the best way to develop a sense of belonging in a school is to embrace diversity. I thought Gerald's thoughts about diversity were very intriguing. Using students as resources to illustrate diversity was a great point he made. If you get students to talk about their different cultures and to tell stories about their families, they will be able to realize that being different is not so different. Someone on the forum said it is important for students to encounter multiple perspectives in order to instill true democracy in a school and I completely agree. If students are able to encounter multiple cultures, they will be more willing to except differences.
     Another good point Gerald made was every student has potential, but it is sometimes hard to find that potential. He suggested trying to make curriculum more relatable to students. He said teachers would be surprised to discover how much students blossom when they write about themselves. Based on my own experiences, I have found students are more motivated to complete work when it is more personalized. Teachers should consider encouraging students to learn more about their shared world and its diversity by creating ways to showcase that diversity, either by writing papers, show-and-tells, or by working on projects.