This school year has unfolded during a time when conversations about diversity, immigration, and education seem to be everywhere, leaving a quiet uncertainty about belonging. Many parents and educators are wondering how to continue creating spaces where every child feels seen, safe and like they truly belong. At my children’s elementary school, an answer began […]
Jalpa Vaidya Patel, LCSW
Jalpa Vaidya Patel, LCSW, PPSC is a school social worker and adjunct professor who is passionate about cultural curiosity and belonging. She is the author of the forthcoming children's picture book, Wizzy the Worldly Tree (Fall 2026.) Follow her work on Instagram @wizzysways.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Building Belonging: Where Cultural Curiosity Begins
“Why cultural curiosity? Why diversity education?” A dear friend who didn’t grow up in American schools often asks me this question. I answer by drawing from my own journey– as an immigrant child, a school social worker, and now a professor–and from what educators see every day: our schools are beautifully diverse microcosms of the […]