Middle school teachers struggle to find ways to respond to bullying, teasing, name-calling and exclusionary practices among students. We tread lightly sometimes, afraid of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time thus making conditions worse for a bullied student. Being heavy-handed almost never works. Students also know how to say the right thing to adults and then act in a completely contrary way towards peers. That's what I want us to remember following the presidential election. There's been so much talk of the Big Divide, of two worlds within one country, of two opposing visions, sets of values and versions of our nation. We speak entirely different languages and literally, it seems, experience "the truth" as entirely different and, alas, incompatible truths. I recently served as a reader of scholarship applications. The process included a complex algorithm for inclusion and took several criteria into account, like GPA, test scores, native languages, income level, assets, essays, parental education level and ethnicity. While providing this service, I came face-to-face with a misconception about race and ethnicity: Appearance predicts what language people speak. As part of Mix it Up at Lunch Day, Arrowwood Elementary School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado provided students with a series of ice-breakers to spice up the conversation and help create new friendships. The Douglas County School District's video of the event shows what Mix It Up is all about!