My Day at Fountain Valley High School

Congratulations, Students, Teachers, and Leaders in Education! You’ve finished this topsy-turvy school year well! Yes, finishing is finishing WELL amidst all the changes and pandemic challenges. Thank you especially to the teachers and school leaders that led the way and kept the students as your priority!

Congratulations to all the high school and college graduates! Your school years were marred by the pandemic, but your resilience and commitment to learning will serve you well through the years! A true accomplishment of perseverance and community! Well Done!

I was invited to Fountain Valley High School's Day of Dialogue, a day focussed on conversations about diversity and inclusion on the campus. I was invited to speak to 6 classes on The Kindness of Color and how collaboration can bring positive change for all. I expected that I would be talking to US history classes, but instead found myself in 2 Earth Science classes, 2 Math classes, 1 Life Skills class, and 1 Spanish class.

One of the first things I noticed was how diverse the staff and faculty were. Fountain Valley High is a large school with about 3,000 students in suburban Orange County. It has a very diverse population of White, Black, Latino, and Asian students and teachers. When I went to high school just 4 miles away, the teachers and staff were all white, and there were just a handful of Japanese, Mexican, and Black students in the whole school! I think all the non-white students at my high school could have all fit in one small classroom, but not so at FVHS.

It was a great day of sharing and conversations! Here are a few I will never forget as I continue to learn from my readers and students!

Belonging Matters!

One of my student hosts , V, told me her story. This is her first year at Fountain Valley High. Born in Vietnam, she and her family moved to the East Coast where she went to school for 7 years. Being the only Asian student in school was hard - others questioned the pronunciation of her name, the foods she ate, the culture she observed in a way that made her feel unwelcome. They weren’t curious to learn, their questions came from a desire to make her the “other.” When her family moved to Southern California, she was thrilled to come to FVHS with its diverse group of students and teachers. She feels she belongs in this community where differences are acknowledged, respected, and integrated as opposed to being odd and “other.” It felt like a heaven-sent opportunity to spend the day with her, sharing how kindness and collaboration among us all really makes a difference.

Cross Culture Support Matters!

Another one of my student hosts, B, was excited to tell me that he and his family had visited the Japanese American National Museum for the first time the weekend before and how much they enjoyed it! He was exceptionally interested in religion and faith, and loved the current exhibit called “Sutra and Bible” which tells the story and impact of faith and religion for the 120,000 Japanese Americans forced into 10 incarceration camps during WWII. His family loved the museum so much, they joined as members! So you might assume they were of Japanese descent, but he was quick to tell me that he was born in the US, but his family were of Vietnamese descent, having come to the US only a few decades ago. Seeing the much longer history of Japanese Americans was an inspiration to him, despite the different history and cultures. He saw that Asians are part of the American story and he hopes that one day, there will be a museum to display the Vietnamese American story, too!

History Matters!

In the first class of the day, I was almost done with my presentation, when a student, “C” raised his hand and asked if there would be time for comments. I could tell he was really excited to share something, and was pretty curious what that might be. “C” eloquently began, “We need to know and understand this history because it's really important for our generation to understand how the generations before us lived, suffered, and sacrificed so that we could be here in this school.” And he went on to say how different races paved the way for a more multicultural community of acceptance and that he wants to be part of the continual improvement of mutual respect and collaboration. I was blown away by his words and his ardent appeal to the rest of the class to work together and collaborate (And it didn’t matter that he had green hair during class, and changed into a blue wig as he left for his next class. I love this student for sharing his voice and creative self!)!

Hugs Matter!

At the end of one class, the students were leaving and I stood talking to the teacher. A young man patiently was waiting for either the teacher or I, so I said, “thanks for listening to my sharing, do you have a question?” “No, I just want to give you a HUG.” “I’d love a Hug.” And with that, I got a precious hug from this student before he ran off to his next class. I didn’t get to ask him what he liked most of the story, or what touched his heart, but the hug said it all. Something touched him, encouraged him, and he wanted to hug and encourage me back. A hug says it all.

Many thanks to the FVHS students and teachers for your warm welcome. I loved my day at FVHS!

With Hugs,

Janice

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