Identity, Beliefs, and Attitudes

I guess when it comes to my circle of friends I can say that it is homogeneous. I did have two really close friends in high school that were adopted from South America. One was from El Salvador and the other was from Chile, but they were raised by the average white family. I didn't learn anything about their culture from them. Anyway, I'm not sure why or how this happened, but I do not have close friends from other racial groups. As a teacher, I enjoy learning about the diverse cultures in my school. I love learning about their customs and traditions. As an adult, I find other racial groups very intriguing. I think I feel this way because they are often so different from who I am. I have found that my students from Nepal and India have such a strong attachment to their culture and religion, and I have such little attachment to my religion and culture. As a teacher though, I often find myself being very careful in the things I do and/or say because I am afraid of offending anyone. I do make a point of teaching my students about racism through discussions about Martin Luther King and the Holocaust, but sometimes I get a little nervous. Why do I feel that way??