[Jessica Fischer]

In discussing any form of consciousness, or how we feel toward any particular subject matter, such as different forms of identity or diversity, can bring up many challenges. Will the students agree with the ideas we bring froward? Will they respect our opinions, along with the opinions of their classmates? Even if the students or even the teacher may disagree with certain ideas within the classroom, we, as teachers, must maintain a safe environment where all opinions are able to be voiced. I believe that having a clear understanding of where the students stand on certain issues of identity and are given the opportunity to explain why they feel this way, then as teachers we can better address the issues that go along with identity. I feel that it is important to stress that everyone, no matter how they may identify themselves, deserve to be treated equally and respected. However I feel that it is extremely important that they fully understand their history, and what makes them unique from how others may identify themselves. In understanding these differences we can gain pride in our identities and better realize why we may see things differently than others. I think that it is incredibly important for all forms of identity to be treated equally yet maintain the right to be different, which is something I feel many people lose sight of. If teachers have the ability to bring ideas such as anthropology into the classroom, students can get a better understanding of where they came from, why they may look the way they look, and why they may think differently than others. Anthropology helps to understand the complexity within cultures, and brings in an understanding of our social and biological history. In better understanding this history, we can better understand ourselves, and maybe even realize how incredible it is to be human, which is one thing we all have in common.

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