18 October

The thing that is most obvious to a  kiwi from rural New Zealand when you walk into a school like Chatsworth East is the number of ethnicities that are represented here. Our last count showed we had twenty nine cultures represented by the students that attend our school. When coming from a bicultural, rather than multicultural school environment, this is a new, but really exciting prospect.

It took me no time to realise that the positives of this situation significantly outweighed the negatives. The most obvious benefit in my opinion is the richness that flows from a school where a multicultural community works together towards a common purpose. It is absolutely wonderful to see children and parents acknowledging difference as a positive thing, accepting that each of us comes from another place, looks different, eats different foods, speaks different languages and may have different beliefs. From a child's point of view, they understand difference but are more interested in the similarities that unite them. This could be the love of football or the bond of friendships that occur when certain personalities click. In this situation, children don't even see difference, just another child who enjoys the same things as they do. Cultural barriers do not exist.

The IB PYP curriculum puts a lot of emphasis on the development of 'international mindedness'. Promoting this concept within a school like Chatsworth East is so much easier than within a school where there is less cultural diversity. For each one of our students to understand  that they are a global citizen, with both rights and responsibilities within the global context, lies at the heart of our PYP curriculum. To provide the opportunities to celebrate  difference promotes a child's  understanding of who they are and where they belong. This is a prerequisite of a self confident and successful learner.

UN day this Friday is one of the special opportunities. I'm looking forward to seeing our children celebrate who they are and understand a little more about the cultural background of their classmates. It will affirm and develop their understanding of the diversity of our world. When I look around at our children I can't help but see adults in fifteen years time who will know themselves and who they are, but also think in global terms as far as opportunities and responsibilities. They will be able to naturally collaborate in an international context. When looking around at what is going on in the world currently, this can only be a good thing.

Although I am posting this today, I will add UN photos to this post on Saturday.