This Week's Topic: Teaching about Diversity at Home and at School

Moms Talk is a weekly column where Echo Park parents take on tough family and parenting issues--and everyone gets a chance to join in. Look for this column every Friday.

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This Week’s Topic: Diversity 

Echo Park is known for its diversity -- of race, age, interest and occupation. How important is it to you to instill tolerance in your children? How have you done so? What role should schools play in teaching children about diversity and tolerance?

Anne Stein, has one daughter, Xiu Ling, 12, who was born in China.

Tolerance is a must in our house. How do we approach it?

My husband and I have friendships across cultures, genders, and economics. Our daughter goes to public school where her friendships are with kids who are Chinese, Armenian, Korean, Mexican, Bulgarian and, sometimes, white.

Many kids in middle school segregate into ethnic groups, and white kids tend to get the best teachers. It would be helpful if the school could encourage an understanding of family histories and a fairer treatment of kids who are not white.

 Kim Pesenti has a 4 & 1/2 year old son.

I have a difficulty with the word “tolerance” because I think when we are asked to practice tolerance we are released from the responsibility to demonstrate sincere respect for people who are different than we are. I want to substitute the word compassion for tolerance and hope to instill that in my son. When we practice compassion we also have to have an awareness of the other person and connect with the other person in ways that tolerance does not require.

My husband and I are very involved in a neighborhood organization called Echo Parenting and Education--formerly, . The line there is “raising children with care, raising children to care.”  We participate in the classes, go to the parenting support groups and I’m currently enrolled in the Parent Educator Certification program.

As we model modeling respect and empathy to him—which is sometimes very difficult to do--we are confident that our son is learning genuine compassion and respect for others.

I want my son to value difference and to have an awareness of who he is in the world. He’s not in elementary school yet,  but he will be in the fall. He will attend the neighborhood school.

I think attending public school in a community like Echo Park is an ideal way for a child to understand and appreciate the real values of diversity and social justice, especially because those ethnic, cultural and economic differences exist here in our own neighborhood.

Bonus Topic: Favorite Family-Friendly Business

Anne: The Fix is  an easy walk.  So kids like it as a destination, and it's nicely outdoors. It has a friendly atmosphere, and one tends to run into all the Elysian Park dog-walking crowd and other locals.

Kim: We like The Park Restaurant on Sunset. We've been going since they started $5 burger nights about 2 years ago. The food is great, the staff is friendly and we often see friends or people we know from the neighborhood.