Jim Schultheiss,
St. Johns, MI.
I have always felt that I needed to be very careful and thoughtful on issues related to prejudice. Growing up in as a white, heterosexual male in a community largely lacking diversity, I learned I needed to listen very carefully to the thoughts and experiences of others and not impose my own assumptions or uninformed thoughts. I simply cannot place myself in their shoes and presume to know what that feels like, or how I would react faced with a prejudice I simply have not experienced.
I recently took a job teaching in a very ethnically diverse setting. As I work through recent events with my students, I continue to be reminded that I need to not rush to judgment, but really listen if I can even begin to presume to understand even a little bit.
