After contemplating how to get past my uneasiness of approaching family diversity in my future classroom, I decided to start with one small solution. I considered ways in which children can represent their idea of “family” without using the traditional family tree. With Hofmann’s definition of family in mind, I came up with the idea of “Community of Caring”. Visually, it can be created in many different ways, using actual images, drawings, symbols, etc. However, before the children create their own Communities of Care, it is important to discuss family diversity prior. Here are a few questions that can be asked to form discussions amongst the students in order for them to learn about and appreciate different family structures:
Who are the people in your life that mean the most?
How do these people care for you? How do you care for them?
What does “family” mean to you? Who can be a part of a family?
These questions are open for interpretation for each student, allowing for many different and diverse answers. They provide opportunity for discussion of different types of family structures and all those who can be a part of a family, including pets, friends, those who have died, and so on. After discussing these questions, and perhaps creating webs or charts to help answer them, allow the students to write down those who they consider to be their family. Throughout this process, it is important to reach out to each student to make sure they are comfortable with the task and if they need any support. After they have completed their list, allow them to make a visual representation of their family. Once all the students’ representations are finished, display them in the classroom so they can recognize and appreciate their classmates’ families and family structures.
Here is a copy of my own personal Community of Caring.
Reflections of a Redhead 
I like how you decided to choose something small to begin with. A lot of the readings from The New Teacher Book talk about how something small can make such a big difference without causing crazy amounts of stress for the teacher. Also I love how you titled your blog and linked it with the red tabby cat.
Great idea Lisa. That’s something I was stumped on because growing up, we did several family webs. So when we were told they aren’t a very good idea, I was a bit confused on how to represent the people closest to you. I also like this idea because perhaps the people closest to you have nothing to do with having the same genetics.
Lisa – I love how you have taking the idea from the story and created an activity that you could do in your own classroom to tackle this issue. What a cool way to investigate the diversity in classrooms. Now think about the bumps that you experienced while reading this. What were some moments of discomfort that you experienced? What discomfort might your students experience when learning about diversity in families?
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