Towards an Inclusive Classroom A young Canadian student in my Introduction to Business Statistics course, often sat quietly at the back of the class. She always attempted the in-class work which I assigned, but would never ask for help even if she needed it. She was obviously shy, but I felt there might have been other reasons why she appeared somewhat withdrawn, perhaps into her own safety zone which she had carved for herself. No sooner the class was over, she would hurriedly make her way out the door. She failed the first midterm, making some 35% on the exam, close to the lowest mark in the class. There was something in the manner in which she did her test that made me feel it was not her best effort. I decided to reach out to her, by asking her to meet with me. After what was, I hope, an inspiring talk, I proceeded to use her name on class assignments. I created a company which she owned and managed, and the company did very well. The company was situated right in her home town of Dartmouth. I hoped that she would get the message that she was important, and that she could do important things, just like the manager of the ABC or XYZ company in New York or Toronto. The young lady went on to improve her mark on the second midterm, obtaining a 65%, slightly below the average mark for the class. Her assignment marks were also improving. I was to receive my greatest thrill on the final exam, when this shy lady student obtained 98% on the final exam, yes, the highest mark in all the six sections of statistics. Needless to say, I felt very proud of her. This young lady, Melissa Colley, is African Nova Scotian. She is the product of a public school system which many believe is exclusionary, and which marginalizes African Nova Scotians, thereby creating a ghetto of high school drop outs. Melissa responded to the idea that she was part of the class, part of the assignment, and part of the exam. Perhaps for once, she truly felt included in the education she is attempting to receive here at Saint Mary's. As I look around my classroom, I see African faces, Asian faces, East Asian faces, First Nations faces, and European faces. I am forced to recognize the existence of this vibrant plurality, and to use it in a positive way to reach all of my students. To claim the familiar refrain "I don't see color" is to admit denial of the plurality in our classrooms. The monolithic classroom is no longer in existence, and hence the monolithic curriculum has to go the way of the dinosaur. I have learnt from Melissa Colley, Elfinesh Zwede, Feng Yun Ma, Oluyemisi Oredugba, Sam Jones too, and many more, that being and feeling a part of the educational process is extremely important. I would like to throw out the challenge to my faculty colleagues to broaden our perspectives, dare to expose our selves to other cultures through their writings, films, and art, move away from Euro-centrism, pluralize our curricula, and let us bring "tradition into the future " - here at Saint Mary's.
