Hi I must write a diversity essay for Boston. I am not sure if i fully answered the prompt or rambled too much, any pointers are helpful! I am still working on a better ending just wanted to get it posted to get some feedback asap. Thank you for any help, it is much appreciated!
Prompt: "Boston University School of Education is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Comment on these principles in the context of your professional aspirations. The statement should be approximately 2 pages, double spaced."
My sisters have always been people who have inspired me and people I look up to. My younger sister in particular is someone I have always admired, and one day; hope to possess the same qualities as her. The fearlessness combined with wanderlust and the need to experience something different, enabled her to live in Ecuador and China on her own beginning from the young age of sixteen. Her experiences motivated me to travel and live abroad. I studied a summer in Italy, and as I neared the end of undergrad, I sought experiences that would expose me to tough challenges, further my communication and organization skills, and give me new experiences before beginning graduate studies. After listening to my sister, I knew that teaching in Asia would be the best decision. I was successful in securing a teaching job in China to fulfill that goal, and I was under the impression that I would be in a big city with a relatively large expat community in order to maintain a good balance for an easier transition. The combination of my sister's experience with her time living and studying in Shanghai, and my friend's teaching experience in Hong Kong, I thought I would have no problem adjusting to life in China. As I said my last goodbyes, I was confident I knew what to expect. As I was prepared for some culture shock of China compared to America, I did not realize until I experienced living in that I was not prepared for what was ahead of me.
I attended orientation with fellow Americans in Guilin, China: a big tourist hub. I was confident that my time in China would reflect my experiences in orientation with a balance of Westerners and Chinese citizens, including a few options to have Western food as we pleased. As we neared the end of orientation in China, I attended my placement meeting along with a fellow American teacher in training. We received our assignments to go to a place called Dejiang in the Guizhou province of China. Our company had assured us that our transition with be easy. We were told that we were "right outside" of two big cities, Chongqing and Guiyang. We were also told that Dejiang was a growing metropolis and that we would find plenty of people who spoke English to help us with the transition. What I ended up experiencing was far from what was expected. In reality, Dejiang is a small town situated in the valley of mountains. The town is five hours from the nearest train station or airport in Guiyang and seven hours from Chongqing. Up until two years ago, the only way to get in and out of the city was through dirt and gravel roads. This took seven to nine hours. Needless to say, not many people left Dejiang and not many people came. We are the first foreigners to ever live or visit, and to the majority of the town, we are the first foreigners they ever had the chance to meet. The growing population of English speakers we were told existed here included us two Americans and no more than six other English teachers at our school.
I am faced with many different challenges living in Dejiang. To begin, the province of Guizhou, where were placed, is the poorest in all of China. Compared to the stories I heard in that of Shanghai or Hong Kong, the way of life here was a major adjustment. In addition, although our school and company were very welcoming to my colleague and I, there were a lot of unexpected changes. To them I am the unknown. This is the first time I've been a true minority. To the people of this small town, my colleague and I were physical representations of the western world that only existed in books. This resulted in outcomes that were a result of Chinese culture and fascination of the unknown. People stare at us, take pictures of us, and do not have any regards for our personal space.
Last minute culture has proven a large struggle to overcome. Many times we are made aware classes are cancelled by showing up to class in the morning with no students. Diversity, Equity and inclusion to me goes beyond just realizing a gender, race or social status but the ability to adjust and accept others for what they know and what ideas they have to share. In China, it is not rude to show up at somebody's door and tell them it is time to go somewhere; in the United States we would find no notice unacceptable at times.
Through my experiences I have realized how important diversity, equity and inclusion is in the classroom. Every student has his or her own upbringing and experiences, which may or may not be known at the time; however, there is no way to fully understand each child's idea of diversity and life experiences. Not only do I have classes where students are from a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds, but the Chinese culture of teaching is different when compared to American and other Western styles. It can be described as a "tear down, to build back up." I found constantly letting the students know they are free to express their own views and ideas was the only way to get them to participate. However, I have found if students do not shout out in class when asked, or are afraid to participate, it is not that they do not understand you or do not follow directions, it is a different way of teaching than what they are used to. The ability to understand and learn from new cultures and experiences can help me in teaching.
