How to deal with the difference. How does it function in my life.

What do I hope my students will do according to these problems.

There are three “circles” where I have to deal with these differences;

• the other sex relationship with my wife and the different personalities of my children.
• family, people at work, friends- different thinking, perspective, hopes etc.
• “ strangers”; difference in culture and race

In a classroom you have to discover and understand; to open up is exciting.

There are differences of opinion, ideas, race, social class, spending your free time.

Home and at school; different work methods and characters.

Different education forms.

In a classroom everybody has to try to accept and not to judge too quickly and ask yourself a question: Where do those differences, conflicts, discrimination etc. come from?

Try to understand why people think differently.

Differences can be exciting in the classroom, school culture, types of education.

The interests I had when I was young are a whole lot different than the youth has nowadays.

My truths are not the truths, but we can look for things we have in common.

Luckily there are differences, it’s exciting but it is also the cause of tensions.

If there are differences between people we constantly will be confronted with positive and negative feelings. So we have to be aware of that.

Do you have to respect an idea you can’t appreciate at all? Students will bring it back to you, they listen to you; you teach us things, you don’t do yourself.

First you need to know the other person then you can accept the difference.

Discover and respect .

Accept your own boundaries and know where they are.

Every form of life asks for a certain attitude of respect. You can be critical about questioning your life and besides that there will be space for critical questions for “that other thing”.

Your unique being is very important so you can’t put people in categories. People deserve to be themselves. Isn’t it so that we mostly look at things from our point of view?

Dealing with differences is the most difficult thing there is: parents- child, man-woman, progressive-conservative.

Different is different, not better or worse.

Sometimes differences can’t be justified; handicap, place of birth………

2. What do I hope my students will do according to these problems?

Learning to be open minded and understanding. Build up their own opinion and a nuanced way of thinking.

Learning towards a more tolerant attitude. A way to choose.

Choosing is loosing because there are differences. Knowing that life is not always “ I-pointed”.

Learn to respect, learn to share. Differences can be a source of richness.

Understand that other students come from different backgrounds. Learn to deal with different relationships.

Try to breakthrough your own boundaries. Be open for things that are different.

From a perspective of an image ( be cool, ambitious ) you are not entitled to judge others.

The experience that others can be different does make you realize that you can be who you are. I can be me.

How different or unique, we all have a right to be equal.

Try to find a middle way; adjust yourself or stay who you are ( without extremism)

So in the classroom you have to have respect and listen to the students although it isn’t what you would have done or said in a certain situation.

Fred van Dijk