At Hawthorne Elementary, diversity creates richness

1st graders at Hawthorne Elementary work on art projects in class.

Within the realm of poverty, I am tackling poverty and education. As part of my investigating, I had the opportunity to spend two mornings at Hawthorne Elementary observing a classroom and interviewing a few teachers. The part of the experience that shocked me most was something Julie Olsen–who has been teaching there for 30 years–said. She said, “Even though we are behind in some ways, I feel like we’re way ahead and have been for years, in trying to be inclusive and making sure everybody feels welcome.”

Sixty-four percent of the students at Hawthorne are eligible for the subsidized lunch program, which means 64 percent of students there come from families that live at or below the poverty line. The distribution of Asian, Black, Hispanic and White children is about equal this year. In the classroom there is no divide, all of the children play together regardless of race. While poverty is a problem here, teachers work hard to make all students feel equal. They teach a curriculum that includes lessons on history and culture from all of the races represented in their classrooms. Students here are learning invaluable lessons about tolerance and growing up in a multicultural world that were almost completely void from my elementary school experience in a predominantly white school. The diversity of races at Hawthorne teaches the students lessons that no book or art project can convey.

If more elementary schools in the United States looked like Hawthorne, I think the world would be a more peaceful, tolerant place. Kids would grow up with peers with all different skin tones. They would be able to break down racial stereotypes and barriers before mainstream media could influence their minds. Parents should send their kids to elementary schools with kids who are all different. As much as parents think other kids who look different will intimidate their kids, the kids can handle it and will be better for it in the future.