By: Reka Keller Director of Communications & Marketing

As educators, our mission is to help the children in our school explore the world and, in doing so, discover themselves. A significant part of this self-discovery involves understanding one’s own culture. At Green Hedges School, we have embraced diverse cultures since our establishment. In a 1993 essay, our founder, Kenton Kilmer, stated, “We had consistently taught, from the beginnings, the intrinsic worth of each individual and the value of the varied cultural heritages that make up America.” This commitment to celebrating cultural diversity has continued to thrive at Green Hedges, enriched by our multicultural staff and student body today. 

Multicultural learning communities are transformational for students; they can lead to more inclusive, equitable environments and aid students in developing diverse perspectives. Multicultural learning communities naturally ask students to examine biases and learn the value of life experience while participating in positive self and group identity development. These experiences directly result in students finding their fullest potential. While these learning communities are lovely and can enhance student learning independently, when partnered with anti-bias education, it strengthens students’ ability to deal with the situations they may face in an ever-changing world. 

Anti-bias education educates students on value-based principles that support respecting and embracing differences while acting against unfairness. As Louise Derman-Sparks, an anti-bias educator since the early ’90s, explains in her book Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, Second Edition, “To achieve this goal, [children] need to experience affirmation of their identities and cultural ways of being.” This process of affirmation helps students develop a strong sense of self, recognize the worth of others, and engage with the world fairly and justly.

At Green Hedges, anti-bias education is woven into the fabric of daily life. Teachers spend time at the beginning of the year creating the standards of their learning environments where students feel seen, heard, and valued. These environments ensure that each student’s unique identity and individual cultural background are confirmed. Through units of study, teachers provide and model diverse activities, conversations, and interactions, giving students opportunities to share their particular culture while listening and respecting the differences they see in others. Teachers take each day as an opportunity to model the inclusive behaviors they expect and guide students to become advocates for themselves and others in the face of unfairness.

You may think fostering such skills could be challenging for classroom teachers, especially when balancing curriculum and supporting differentiation. However, for our educators, it comes naturally. Our teachers devote time to guiding students through difficult conversations that often highlight differences. From teaching young students in Montessori classrooms how to share tools and handle comments like, “I don’t want to play with you,” to helping middle schoolers learn how to apologize with empathy and understanding, our educators constantly empower students to find their voices and speak confidently. These themes continue as our educators support students in identifying unfairness and creating inclusive experiences for their classrooms and the larger school as a whole.  

Having celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October, highlighting the remarkable contributions, we now look forward to International Day, which we will celebrate at Green Hedges on Friday, November 22. This event allows us to acknowledge and appreciate the varied backgrounds that shape our collective experience at Green Hedges. This event is one of the many we provide, where families have the opportunity to share their individual experiences and cultures to enhance student learning and affirm cultural diversity. Join us as we celebrate all of the incredible families that make up the tapestry of Green Hedges School!