Diversity at Waring

The Waring School mission rests on the fundamental assumption that learning by its very nature cannot happen in isolation but means becoming part of a community. The expansion of opportunity for learning, in turn, implies the expansion of the community itself to include a wide diversity of experience. Such diversity is essential because it enriches our learning environment and increases our exposure to modes of thinking, living, and expression that we might otherwise never encounter. We should therefore be seeking ways to nurture and increase cultural, socioeconomic, and ethnic diversity within our community. Our identity as a community and as an institution should reflect the balanced diversity of talents, perspectives, resources, and interests represented in the school. Such a learning context will be rich in opportunities to master the arts of communication and understanding increasingly necessary in a world now separated more by socioeconomic and cultural differences than by space and time.

To encourage diversity at Waring it is necessary to make choices about the students we ask to join us, about programmatic content and perspectives, and about the aspects of diversity we will encourage. There are many types of diversity that we want to represent within the community. Personal histories, academic areas of strength, and learning styles represent just three areas where we benefit from contrast. Some believe that there are many facets to human intelligence ranging from kinesthetic to logical reasoning to musical intelligences. These different intelligences allow students to excel in different curriculum areas and in various modes of evaluation. We want to see in our students such a variety of intelligences because such variety brings richness to our classes, requires us to broaden our teaching methods, and helps us to address a wider range of opinions and perspectives.

We also benefit from differences of personal backgrounds in areas such as ethnicity, schooling history, socioeconomic situation, and religion. These differences afford opportunities to teach understanding and respect, and present valuable contexts for learning to overcome discrimination. We also believe that in order to create functioning, vibrant communities there are some crucial requirements that all Waring students must meet during their time at Waring:

• that they show a commitment to the learning process, demonstrate progress in their own work, and succeed within the academically vigorous program we offer,
• that they are willing to participate in all areas of the program and make the time commitment necessary to participate fully,
• that they demonstrate a desire to become more independent and more responsible for their own education as they progress through Waring,
• that they help maintain a strong, supportive community, and
• that they enrich the diversity of Waring.

While we recognize the significant diversity that already exists at Waring, it is also our intention to promote more diversity among the faculty and student body. We should never assume that we will find definitive quantities and qualities of diversity that satisfy our needs, but should instead anticipate on-going discussion about the balance of differences at Waring.