Sample Diversity Statement
Do you have a personal experience you can reference? This could be a good essay anchor. See highlighted portion below.
I remember feeling acknowledged and supported during my K-12 education; my teachers thought of me as an essential contributor to the knowledge-building process that occurred in the classroom. I did not exist on the periphery of history, or my own educational experience—instead, I (along with the rest of my peers) was an important part of it. I know now that this was a somewhat unique experience. I went to a mostly Black elementary and middle school with an all-BIPOC faculty and administration. I underscore this because the school’s pedagogical commitment to the student body they served was evident, and I know many Black peers and friends who experienced various traumas in school spaces where they felt unseen and unsupported. My early educational experience ultimately inspired me to develop and implement pedagogies that center the experiences of students, particularly those with marginalized identities.
How does your personal experience inform your ability to work with diverse student populations? See section below.
Because I understand how helpful and affirming pedagogies rooted in respect, care, and recognition can be, again, especially as it pertains to students with marginalized identities, developing these teaching strategies are a central part of my identity as an instructor and scholar.
Can you describe a time where you put your abilities/experience to use? Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel particularly significant—if you can discuss your strengths working with diverse groups in the scenario you choose, it will likely work. See highlighted portion below.
From 2013 to 2015, I taught African American Literature at Lehman College, which serves many Latinx and Black students. They also serve many older students and students with children. I have also most recently taught College English at Medgar Evers College, which has similar student demographics. Working with such a diverse student population in these spaces inspired me to develop more responsive student pedagogies that readily address student needs. For example, considering the workload that many of my students had to shoulder outside of school (childcare, work, family care, etc.), I implemented staggered assignment deadlines in my course so that students had more time to turn an assignment in. After implementing this approach, I found I received more total assignments than I had in the past.
Are there practices you’ve implemented that support/account for the experiences of a diverse student population? If so, discuss them. If not, discuss what practices you *will* implement with a diverse student body—be specific! See highlighted portion below.
At CUNY Graduate Center’s Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), where I currently work as a Fellow, I implement workshops that often focus on student-centered learning strategies. These strategies necessarily consider student positionality and generally center punishment-averse teaching approaches, as punitive pedagogical strategies (like penalizing lateness and absence) tend to disproportionally impact BIPOC students and working students. A workshop I recently co-facilitated at the TLC, called “Scaling Back: Building Flexibility in Small Steps” asked instructors to develop teaching strategies that considered the impact that COVID has on our teaching and learning capacities. For one activity in the workshop, I asked participants to imagine their assignments using these three attributes:
1. Modalities (Does your assignment offer multiple ways to imagine the work?)
2. Time / Dates (When / how can an assignment be turned in? Hard vs. soft deadlines?)
3. Make-up / Alternate work (Is there space for alternative assignments?)
Conclude by reaffirming your investment in supporting diverse student populations and touching on your opening anecdote/claim (as you would in a typical essay). See highlighted portion below.
Imagining an assignment in multiple ways can address the needs of student with varying needs, interests, and backgrounds. Offering different times for completion can help students with several outside responsibilities, and finally, thinking through ways to develop alternative assignments (though we can acknowledge here that something like this requires more labor on the part of the instructor, so prep time should be considered here) can help students who may have differential access to technology or experience an event that impacts their ability to complete certain assignments. I believe pedagogies that support students are also pedagogies of diversity, because teaching strategies that focus on student needs and experiences are necessarily varied. My own educational experience of being affirmed and supported has shaped my teaching approach and inspired me to continue to develop teaching strategies that center my personal commitment to diversity.