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In the draft counseling curriculum it states under the heading "Acquire Interpersonal Skills, that students will:

• "Learn about acceptance, tolerance, and respect for individual and group differences, e.g. students with special needs; students who learn differently; gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender students; students with different cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.," and

• "Recognize and respect differences in various family configurations, i.e. adoptive, step families, same-gender, single-parent, etc."

A school counselor reminded us in Sunday's paper that, "a lot of teasing among school children stems from their differences." I am just wondering why the focus of the curriculum points out specific differences, when these differences are the cause of most problems in our schools? When we begin group classifications, we only accentuate our differences. Why is it so important to force acceptance, tolerance and recognition of a group or issue instead of focusing on individuals? When we begin promoting and protecting one group or issue over another, we will always leave a group or issue of equal importance out. Then we begin doing exactly what we are trying to discourage - discrimination.

• "Learn how to show respect for all individuals, i.e. treat others how you would like to be treated," and

• "Demonstrate how to show respect for all individuals through kind words and actions.

These are skills that will help our children throughout the rest of their lives. Once we begin focusing on our similarities and teaching respect and kindness to our children during these elementary years, we will then begin to see less teasing, discrimination and harassment in our schools and communities.

Our differences are what make us unique and interesting individuals. Our similarities are what strengthen and unite us together as friends, as a community and as the greatest country in the world.

• Chris King is a Juneau resident and mother of three.