Wow, what a tough question, Kathryn!

I would say in the classroom, it is important to get to the crux of the
issues without bringing in personality conflicts.  However, it also helps to
understand the dynamics of power and authority to get the full context of
the students' situation.

 "Don't name names.....just explain the situation," is what I have told
students.  It's sometimes difficult to get students to comply with this
basic rule for discussion, but I've managed to do it several times.

Take names out of the situation and the story becomes a metaphor for larger,
more global problems, which they generally are anyway.

Am I being vague?  Is this approach vague?  Perhaps, but it's one method for
addressing problems without creating more.

On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 5:21 AM, Kathryn Stevenson Land <
kland at student.gsu.edu> wrote:


> In the workplace, discussions of diversity can be highly charged. We each

> carry our experiences and traditions. There are times when it is easier to

> remain quiet or avoid such situations. Often, people speak to what they

> know. Seeing beyond the self, is not easy.

>

> As a teacher, I encourage my students to have an open dialog about the

> situation, rather than people involved. If we are to move forward, we must

> be able to detach (at least to an extent) to effectively do so.

>

> Any thoughts?

> Kathryn

>

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-- 
Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
www.LuxuriousChoices.net <http://www.luxuriouschoices.net/>
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