My seven-year-old nephew, (about to be eight), is in the second grade. As often as I can I ask him, “What was the favorite part of your day at school today?” Sometimes he tells me it was playing with his friends at recess. Sometimes it’s painting in art class. This past week, however, when I asked him what his favorite part of the day was, he said, “Meeting Joseph and Amber.”
“Why did you get to meet them?” I asked.
“They came to my class to talk to us about why they were in wheelchairs,” he said, matter-of-factly.
I asked him what he learned. He told me Joseph had been in an accident when he was a teenager, and Amber was born with a muscle disease.
“So you got to ask them questions?” I asked.
“Yeah, they were really nice and they are just like everybody else, except they are in a wheelchair,”
he said.
My nephew is an open-minded kid, and it warms my heart that his school continues to support his
curiosity and knowledge with diversity and inclusion.
My follow-up question for him is always, “And what was your least favorite thing at school today?” His
answer is almost always, “Nothing! It was a great day!”
I aspire to be more like him.
Lisa Petty, Editor
Equal Opportunity Employment Journal