Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/1209300
For example, Dickinson does an activity called e Apprentice with each grade level. Students are given eight candidates for an engineer who can support life on Mars. However, they are given very little information other than the names of the candidates. Some names are ambiguous by gender or ethnicity. Students have to fire a candidate each round. "e purpose is to uncover unconscious bias," said Dickinson. "e point of the exercise is that we all carry these, so we need to be aware so we can make more conscious decisions." Interestingly, the fifth graders, who are more eager to fire the candidates, are less aware of their biases and prejudices. "It was very eye-opening for many of them," said Dickinson. "e eighth graders are much more reticent. ey have a greater level of discomfort about firing candidates, given the little information they have. ey also exhibited a greater level of shame in their awareness of their biases." While Dickinson acknowledges that middle schoolers are sometimes challenging to teach, he loves that he is able to start students thinking about positive personal identity. "e more students can accept and appreciative differences, the more empathy and understanding they will have. We want students to feel free, open, safe and not marginalized because of any component in their identity." Upper school Global Studies Visual Arts (GSVA) class is an opportunity for ninth grade students to focus on connecting artwork to their identity. Betty Lark Ross, chair of the visual arts department and GSVA teacher, explained the My Visual Culture project, where students take photos of five small meaningful artifacts that will fit on a neutral background. Students then set to work, using one of 150 contemporary master images, giving students a guide for composition or color. "Students can incorporate the items into their work in any way they want, using any medium. e challenge is to make their work very personalized," said Ross. Ross insists that students must learn that they are unique and have creative ideas. "Many people think they are not artistic. We want to empower students to know they can express themselves visually." English class is another opportunity for ninth graders to explore identity. All freshmen students read e Hate U Give by Angie omas. e novel tells the story of Starr, an African-American girl who lives in a black neighborhood but attends a predominantly white school. "Starr attends a school that is a lot like Latin, so Williamson Prep serves as a mirror," said Kate Lorber-Crittenden who is the upper school diversity coordinator and also an upper school English teacher who has taught the text for two years. Starr witnesses a white police officer kill her childhood friend, and the news story becomes national. When the grand jury does not indict the officer, Starr becomes increasingly vocal about the situation, which causes tensions with her friends at school. "e novel asks students to think about biases," Lorber-Crittenden said. "Where we grow up and our values affect our understanding of people who might be different." "Students love this text. e protagonist is around their age, and it deals with real-life experiences," said Lorber-Crittenden. "It has a lot of relevance." "e goal is to create a learning environment so that we can support everyone," said Gay. Helping students understand their identities and the identities of others is critical to all members of the community feeling valued and engaged, which are the best conditions for learning. "Where we grow up and our values affect our understanding of people who might be different." 24 24