The Importance of Diversity in Health Education
Joshua D. Sigler
Emporia State University
HL559XB Methods of Teaching Health

Diversity is a term that can be described in many different ways. One can ask themselves “What does it mean to me?” Diversity is a commitment to recognizing the different characteristics of what makes human beings unique in a world that promotes individual and collective achievements. Examples of these characteristics are: age; culture, disability (mental, learning, physical), economic background, education, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic background, language(s) spoken; marital/partnered status, physical appearance, political affiliation, race, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation. Everywhere you turn there will be a different form of diversity from state to state, city to city, town to town, school to school, house to house. Diversity will always be surrounding us. I live in a small town in Ohio called Hanoverton. The majority of the Hanoverton community is a white. Very seldom does a family of a different culture or ethnic background take up residency in this community. The community has a very hard time accepting people of a different race due to their limited experiences with individuals who are diverse. Hanoverton is a blue collar, farming community that has been instilled by the influences of the generations that preceded the current community individuals. You will often hear slang words, derogatory comments, or even see signs that are discriminating against people of a different race. Within the past 20 years, the school district has had a small population of African American students attend United Local. These students and their families were and continue to be accepted within the community, because their families have resided within the district since it was developed. Race and ethnicity are not the only issues that arise within this community, socioeconomic status is another. As I stated previously Hanoverton is a predominately farming community that relies heavily on crop production and livestock as an annual income. The United Local School District is considered a level 2, which has a small student population, low poverty, and low to moderate median income. The status of this community does not deter it from anything. The people are some of the friendliest, outgoing folks one could ever meet. The same can be said about the students who attend school here. These kids instill the same hard working skills as their parents. Whether it is getting up at 5 A.M. to do chores, striving to be the best in academics, or putting in extra practice time to put their athletic teams on top, these kids attempt to be the best no matter the obstacles. The community that I teach in is very similar, but oh so different when it comes to diversity. I teach in the Beaver Local School District. This district is predominately white, and parts are also made up of farm community but also wealthy individuals, however they do have small mix of other race and ethnic background. As compared to the community I live in, my teaching community is much more open to change and acceptance. The socioeconomic status at Beaver Local is very diverse. My school is considered a Level 1: Rural/agricultural – high poverty, low median income. The district itself has over 75% of the students eligible to receive free or reduced lunches. This statistic does not really do justice for how diverse this district really is. Beaver Local is broken up into all 3 levels of socio-economic status (High, Middle, and Low). We have many families within our district that live in elite homes located in elite neighborhoods. We have families that live in nice homes, in nice neighborhoods or out in the country by themselves. Lastly, we have families that live in make shift homes with other families that may or may not have running water and dirt floors. Beaver Local School District has three