When I started teaching, we were not good at acknowledging differences. The government set a curriculum for every child, and the school bought standard textbooks for that curriculum. If a student didn’t ‘get it’, then it was their job to work harder. If they got it too well and finished early, they were welcome to finish up any homework they had.
We were just beginning to be aware of neurodiversity, although mostly still thought of students who struggled as having an attitude problem, and thought it was up to them to take a more positive approach. It was a shock when I first taught abroad, and most of my class had English as a second language. I simply couldn’t just present the curriculum as I had always done. It wasn’t good enough to tell students, ‘you just need to work harder’. I really had to think about my own practice - fortunately helped by additional training.
I learnt about how I broke down tasks, gave instructions and asked questions; how students could demonstrate their understanding even with a low standard of English. To begin with, these were techniques I reserved for some of my students; others didn’t need it. Gradually it occurred to me that those others had the language skills to learn in spite of unclear instructions or convoluted questions. By making a classroom accessible to a greater diversity of students, I improved the learning experience of all.
There are many ways diversity makes school’s stronger: it isn’t just a saying. 2025 has started with difficult weather, and will continue with all kinds of other challenges. But the ISA has a depth of different experiences that will enable us to grow stronger together.
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