Appreciating diversity

I've found out that lots and lots of people don't like diversity - in society, I mean, and would rather stick to their own little sectarian compartments. My experience at uni has been that, happily, this is NOT true of the university milieu - at least, I've never seen it there. I've also realised that there is much to learn from people from backgrounds that differ from your own. It's the individual that counts...

...which takes me to my TAFE class. I'm a volunteer tutor and I'm tutoring adult migrants who are beginner speakers of English. Those classes are little havens for these migrants, a place where they are not looked down upon - where the teachers are so caring of the individual. The teacher whom I assist has my utmost respect.. the way she treats each individual is awesome. She pronounces each ones name correctly, because she takes the time to learn these names. This class is full of refugees, victims of trauma and violence .. and of war. In my quest to become a teacher I want to remember that each individual is special and needs to be treated thus...