克里斯托弗的故事:通过多样性来学习和教学

For Christopher Pinkstaff, education is a central part of how he sees the world. 他说:“当你教的时候，你就学会了。. “当我帮助别人的时候，我是在学习，并巩固我的知识."

当Pinkstaff, 28, 我毕业于加州大学, 欧文, one of his first jobs was working for an afterschool program as a mentor and tutor. 今天，他继续在业余时间志愿做家教.

He brings that 焦点 on education to his work as a personal financial advisor for J.P. 摩根U.S. 欧文的财富管理. 当他遇到一个新客户, he makes a point of learning all about them—everything from their values to their hopes and dreams—before educating them on the best way to achieve their goals.

But that 焦点 on education and personal communication didn't come naturally to Pinkstaff; long before he began teaching others, 他必须学会如何自学. The story of how that happened—and the challenges that he had to face in the process—speaks volumes about Pinkstaff's determination, 以及他对生活各个方面的奉献精神.

不同的视角

As a child, Pinkstaff was 焦点ed on efficiency, often prioritizing it over communication. 例如, when a teacher told him that he had to color a picture before he could go play, 他拿起黑色蜡笔，在画上乱涂乱画. He was proud that he had discovered a secret strategy for maximum efficiency, 但当他把画交上来时, his teacher admonished him for failing to color within the lines—a part of the task that she hadn't clearly communicated.

That was when Pinkstaff learned that his perspective differed from others'—and that some people might interpret his perspective negatively. From then on, his life became about listening, paying attention, and adapting.

当Pinkstaff went to college, he learned that his unique perspective had a name. He was working one-on-one with a professor when his continuous need to adapt to social situations took a toll, 他的精力崩溃了. 教授建议他去做孤独症检查, 测试显示他患有自闭症谱系疾病.

早在他收到诊断结果之前, Pinkstaff had set about finding ways to effectively navigate the neurotypical world. 对他来说，第一步是更好地了解自己. 正如平克斯塔夫所见, 逻辑的引擎驱动着他的思想, and he has often struggled to grasp seemingly-illogical social conventions that many people take for granted.

随着他逐渐了解自己的观点, Pinkstaff began to develop conscious strategies 和计划ning methods to help him operate and interact with others.

“Neurodivergence is only divergent when you compare it to people and standards that are not like you,他说.

Pinkstaff was proud of the work he had done to adapt to the neurotypical world, 但是有了诊断, 他发现可以得到支持, 可以帮助他充分发挥自己的潜力. It gave him hard evidence that he was different from many people in a way that no one could see.

表面的多样性

而平克斯塔夫的神经多样性一直被隐藏在视野之外, 他生活经历的另一个方面要明显得多:他是黑人. 有时, the intersection of these two forms of diversity added to his confusion in social situations.

“It was really hard because I couldn't tell if people were having issues due to my diversity of expression or diversity of appearance,他解释道.

The fact that Pinkstaff has two influential elements of diversity—one visible, 一个不为人知的人，并没有阻止他追求自己的目标.

“Neurodivergence is a mandatory part of life that I have to adapt to; on top of that, 我必须意识到潜在的偏见,平克斯塔夫说. “我是一个非裔美国人, 我也认同这一点, 但同时, 我不是由黑人来定义的. 我是一个人，黑色是一个特征."

选择披露

平克斯塔夫的诊断让他意识到他可以利用的资源, 他仍然不确定是否应该向雇主透露自己的神经多样性. After all, admitting his diagnosis could mean he'd have to deal with further prejudices. 除了, 他做事的原则就是, 尽管存在潜在的缺点, 他会更加努力地学习，以赶上同龄人，并超越他们. 他觉得这个重担应该由他一个人来承担.

在J.P. 摩根, 然而, Pinkstaff felt he had found an environment that would embrace and support his neurodiversity. 他的一生, 他找到了钻进为他建造的坚硬容器的方法, 但如果他在J.P. 摩根，他意识到，这个容器会围绕着他自我塑造. While he would still utilize the strategies he'd developed over a lifetime of adaptation, 他将不再背负着融入社会的重担.

Ultimately, he decided, disclosing his neurodiversity was the logical choice.

“Things need a logical reason, so disclosing became a logical necessity,他解释道. “我相信这样开始会建立更好的关系, 更好的理解, 更好的沟通, 问题更少."

将同理心和教育带到办公室

Pinkstaff's experience with navigating his neurodiversity has expanded his capacity for empathy and communication with his clients, 同事, 以及他周围的世界. 为他, the feedback loop of educating others while being educated by them has given him the opportunity to learn, 成长, 更好地交流他的知识. “我是一名教育工作者，”他说. “这意味着我教育、支持...和学习."

今天, 他正在培养与他人交往的激情, 是否通过辅导, 财务规划, 或者坐下来友好地聊天. For Pinkstaff, every encounter with another person is a chance to learn and 成长. 相反, every span of time between appointments or meetings provides the solitude he needs to process, 反映, 焦点, 和计划.

Pinkstaff hopes to continue sharing his financial knowledge and 成长ing in the financial industry, 最终晋升到管理自己的团队或经营自己的公司. He also hasn't discounted the possibility of one day bringing his experience into the classroom, where he would like to teach future generations new and diverse ways of thinking about the world—while helping each student find the strategies that work for them. 在那之前, 他将继续与他的客户和团队分享他的想法, because—as Pinkstaff puts it—“Diverse thoughts and approaches generate diverse power."