Philosophy of Student Diversity As an inspired secondary education/special education teacher, one of the ideas that appealed to me most was working with students of different ages and abilities learning. I realize even more now that, with the changing demographics in US schools, we are becoming a very diverse population. Within my classroom the differences between students can consist of academic level, cultural background, personality, religious beliefs, and the list goes on. Therefore, in today's classroom as a teacher it is important that I embrace, model attitudes towards my students and make positive use of diversity. When educators value diversity, we recognize and respect the fact that people are different and that these differences are generally a good thing. For example, when trying to solve a problem, it is better to put together a diverse team with many skills and many different ways of approaching the problem than to put together a team that has all its strengths concentrated in one area. Whether a student feels uncomfortable, unsafe or not, I want all of my students to have self-confidence, have self-respect and treat each other with respect. My students will learn how to be sensitive and caring individuals and in order to do this they need to be exposed to other cultures and differences. If children are not taught to be kind, thoughtful, and considerate towards different individuals, then it is impossible for them to know how to act or react to these differences. Involving my students in “getting to know you” activities on the first day of class is a good way to break the ice and will allow students to tell a little about themselves and share it with their peers. In addition to having respectful relationships with their peers, I will incorporate multicultural education into my education