A Celebration of Individuality: SPEAK Presents Lori Duron's "Raising My Rainbow" February 6

During last month's Admission’s Equity and Inclusion evening, I had the good fortune of hearing a panel of current students and alumni, teachers, and administrators talk about their Cathedral experience and the specific efforts and steps taken to make CSB an equitable and inclusive place. Our very own Joanne Cohen spoke about her experience arriving at Cathedral nine years ago. Joanne went on to speak of a comment Ellen Degeneres had during her Q&A portion of a recent comedy special.

 

As the story goes, during one Ellen show, a second-grade teacher asked Ellen what advice she would give to teachers to help promote kindness and celebrate differences in the classroom.

 

Ellen said, "I think it should start early, and, obviously, start at home with parents. I think [that] in school there should be a kindness and compassion class. We should teach kids that we're all different and we have to respect that, not just respect it, we should appreciate it. We are all supposed to be different. Help kids understand that's what we're supposed to do in the world and help celebrate our individuality."

 

As a mom of two teenage girls and a son who really wants to be just like his friends, this really resonated with me. First, I feel so grateful that at CSB we do have a kindness and compassion class with Ms. Cohen's Friendship Group. We are so lucky that our boys get this opportunity for learning starting in kindergarten. 

 

We are all supposed to be different. We should celebrate our individuality. As a parent, I need this reminder, and I need to make sure my children understand and appreciate how celebrating individual differences in our community, makes our community better. Next month's SPEAK lecture is this kind of celebration—a celebration of individuality. 

 

I hope you will join me in attending the SPEAK event on February 6 at 7 p.m. at CAIS/FAIS gym. The speaker, Lori Duron, is a parent who initially struggled to come to terms with her son's gender creativity and author of Raising My Rainbow. As parents at a boys school in San Francisco, it is especially important that we understand the gender spectrum and the ways we can work (and teach our children) to be allies. I think learning to celebrate our child's individuality from a parent who has initially struggled to do so is a great way to support and enrich our school community.

I hope to see you there!