How To Start Inclusive Programs That Communicate Respect for All

Before understanding how to take on interactive online reading activities in developing mutual respect, I have to ask you this question, What famous musicians can you name? 

A few years ago, I was teaching at a prestigious international school in the Middle East. This school had access to the best curriculum, well-paid staff, and tons of professional development. It was a beautiful, colorful school…colorful because of its beautiful architecture and careful design, but colorful because of its diverse student body, staff, and community.

You might know this already, but bulletin boards are big in elementary and middle schools. This is an important way programs within the organizations communicate. Everyone who can see the board can learn something important within the organization. English reading practice programs also utilize these bulletin boards to keep progress in check.

These boards feature student work, important announcements, and information the kids are learning about. Sometimes, boards have themes. At that moment in time, when I worked as a student specialist/program designer, our music department had a theme going on: famous composers. Nice portraits with a brief history were displayed for all the students to enjoy. Well done!

The only thing was this. 

The composers on the bulletin board were all white. European. Nothing out of the ordinary. After all, this was a curriculum—a program the school had purchased.

Imagine my excitement when I noticed a bulletin board next to the music room was left empty. I actually wasn't excited. As any teacher knows, doing an extra bulletin board means more work, and we just didn't have that kind of free time. But, every time I walked by it, ideas floated across my mind about what needed to go in that space. 

The thought of my Ethiopian-born son, Korean-born son, and Indian twins walking by this board had me hyper-focused on how to communicate a more diverse program, starting with this board.

One day, I peeked into the music room to say hi to our music teacher, the owner of the empty board and the "famous white guy composers" board. To his credit, there might have been a white woman up there, I can't remember. These composers were the same ones I learned about as a child. 

As beautiful as it was, the faces stared back at me the same way they did when I sat in music class in the 1980's, when we were learning about these same guys. I wonder if any of the diverse people at our school questioned this board. After all, only about 10% of the people were European/North American.  

I asked the teacher if I could use the bulletin board outside the music room to post more famous musicians. He enthusiastically said yes. 

I found about 10 (easily) famous composers. From India, China, Africa. Men, women…and I even put Taylor Swift up there.

"Why?" A teacher asked me upon seeing the board.

Who will a kid connect with, an old white dead guy or Taylor Swift? Sorry, but it's true. But, more importantly, Is she any less talented? Is she a composer? Who's the judge, by the way? I was adding to the diversity of who a composer is by knowing the audience.

The music teacher seemed to disagree. "She hasn't proven her worth, and so she hasn't earned the same accolades," he said to me.

So the music teacher asked me to take down the board. He told me that the old guys have stood the test of time. They deserved to be talked about. They should be applauded and celebrated. This was about 6 years ago. Maybe 7. I took the board down.

Organizational communication: What conclusions are drawn when information is exclusive to one group?

Hey music teacher, Can we add Taylor Swift to your board with compers/musicians now, in the year 2023? When designing a quality program, working backward is a great strategy. If you want to communicate inclusively inside your programs, ask the bigger questions. 

In the case of the composers and who is/is not valued, here is a question we began asking: What are the criteria for remembering/celebrating an artist? And we worked backward, step by step. We got input from all our stakeholders. We listened carefully to our diverse population.  

Get a Personalized Reading Program

Inclusive, interactive online reading activities help deeply in communicating respect towards everyone in your community. Interaction between teachers and students in any program is needed for a mutual understanding and bringing learning progress forward.

Let me know how it goes on your end! For a more personalized reading course, let’s talk anytime of the day.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1.) What is an interactive reading activity?

Interactive reading activities are programs that actively keep students engaged in the program’s reading progress. Interactive activities require students to participate through hands-on experiences and problem-solving tasks.

2.) What online activity matches for inclusive children?

Many online activities provide a perfect reading environment for children with challenges and limits. Numerous available platforms offer custom content that adjusts difficulty levels and knowledge curriculums, including English reading practice and Math tutorial programs.

3.) How do you keep inclusive students active in interactive reading?

To keep students active within online programs, you should choose programs that offer a range of activities tailored to various reading styles. It includes the program’s visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or tactile designs.