"Oh please, the diversity committee is a load of crap!" The first words spoken as my first day as a teacher echoed in the classroom as I stepped in.
"Yeah? Why is that, huh?" A big African American girl spun around in her seat. I had to break in and take contol of my students. I set my briefcase on the desk with an intentionally loud thud.
"My name is Joshua Braunstein. I am your new teacher. Please take your seats." I wanted to seem like I knew what I was dong but I didn't want the students to hate me. Nor did I want them to get too casual with me.
"Joe? Can I call you Joe? Ok, so Joe, I didn't really sign up for this class. I'll see ya around." A young man siting in the very back rose from his seat and proceeded to leave the room. I decided that from then on I would make the class so interesting that he would be begging to come back.
"Mr. braunstein?" A small vopice came up from the table directly in front of the classroom.
"Yes?"
"My name is Annie. What exactly is this class about?"
"Well," I left the back of my desk and addressed the entire class,"We will be mostly discussing issues of race, class, and gender in our society." A low grumble filled the room. "Oh c'mon guys! This could be fun. Listen, I know I'm new here buti believe you all have the potential to succeed. Expect that you can be mature in this class and if not, please feel free to leave now." I waited to see if anyone wanted to leave. I guessed I causght their attention. "From now on we have a pact. Nothing said in the room leaves this room. Not one word. Agreed?" I looked around the room and everyone nodded.
"So this is gonna be a controversial class?" A young man sitting next to Annie asked.
"Uh, you could say that. We will be discussing some pretty rough topics and that's why I expect you all to be mature, and also aware of everybody's feelings." They seemed pretty interested in the class at this point, which made me feel more comfortable with them. "So I guess I'll take attendance now. Who was the kid who walked out?"
"Anthony," Someone said in the back of the room.
Once I got everyone's name down and accounted for everyone I thought that starting up a discussion topic would get things going a bit.
"So, can someone tell me what this diversity group is about?"
"Yeah, it's when Kat stands up at assembly and invites anyone that isn't white for pizza at lunch."
"That is so not true, Jackson!" The Kat turned around to face him, again.
"No? Then what is it?" He seemed to be getting heated up about the topic.
"We discuss how diversity could be increased and celebrated in our school community." She crossed her arms in victory.
"Without any white kids? There is nothing diverse about excluding a certain group of people just because they look different."
"That's the whole point of it, idiot!"
"Kat, please, language." I wanted heated discussions but not name calling. That was inappropriate and I didn't want feelings to get hurt.
"Right, sorry, Mr. Braunstein."
"But if you are excluding all the white students, how can your group be completely diverse?"
"I understand your point, Jackson. I will talk to Mrs. Chamberlain about it."
"The committee should be open to everyone, no matter what Mrs. C says!" Another student, Kaley I believe, chimed into the conversation. "She just supervises the group, she can't decide who gets to be in it or not. That's like a dictatorship!"
"This sounds a bit like Nazism to me." I had to speak at some point or else the students would just go on arguing. They needed to be debating, not fighting.
"Exactly!" Jackson jumped out of his seat and pointed at me. "Your diversity committee is like the Nazi's and your treated us white students like the Jews and gypsies."
"Not exactly what I was looking for, Jackson." The bell rung and class was dismissed. "See you all tomorrow!" And the room was empty. It was lunch time so I headed down the endless hallways to the cafeteria. I was greeted by a beautiful blonde women on my way.
"Hi, I'm Sarah Zwelberg, you must be Joshua?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Never seen you before, and I heard we were getting an addition to the history department. What do you teach?"
"Debate class, how about you?"
"Studio art, art history and photography. There's only one debate class though. What do you do the rest of the day?"
"I haven't really figured that out yet." We both laughed. She sure is gorgeous, I thought. She ran her perfectly manicured fingers through her wavy golden hair.
"Well here's the cafeteria. I'll show you around a bit. Over to the right we have hot lunch, to the left we have the deli selection, straight ahead we have the salad bar and along the back wall we have drinks, snacks and condiments.