Diversity comes in all shapes and sizes. Today I had the opportunity to speak with a Caucasian student from my school who told me a story that made me rethink what 'diversity' really means. He said that when his mother got pregnant with him her boyfriend of the time found out and instantly dumped her. She thankfully found a man who loved kids, and this man became the 'father' of my student who to this day does not know the identity of his biological father. His parents have since divorced with his mother pledging to keep him from his father figure forever. She moved to across the country in an attempt to separate the father and son. He has 5 half and step siblings, 4 of whom he is no longer allowed to see or contact.
What a traumatic ordeal for an eleven year old student. Never before in my life have I heard of a story to compare with that one. If this boy is not coming from a diverse background, I don't know who is. Diversity is so often linked to race and ethnicity that situations like this one I fear are often overlooked when considering diverse experiences. As I have mentioned before, every student comes with their own unique circumstance and every student should be treated like the unique young person they are.
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