This article explores the perceptions of experiences and insights of four Alberta teachers on the understanding of diversity in the classrooms. The teachers in this multiple case study argue that the popular understanding of diversity, especially in schools, is often supported by American contextualized narrative of polarized racial views focusing on assumptions of contrasting 'whiteness' visible in race, culture and socio-economic status associated to ones' skin colour, for instance it recognizes dark-skinned students as diverse as opposed to teachers who are perceived simply as a large group of 'white, middle-class ladies'. Such conceptualization of diversity is problematic as its social-constructed understanding implies that teachers of European descent share a common 'Euro-centered' history, culture, and ethnicity, while Europe is in fact an ethnically, historically and culturally diverse continent. These assumptions have serious implications on teaching and learning as it directly reflects on teacher preparation programs, professional development practices and educational policies. The selective approach to diversity based on race and culture does a disservice to education's purpose as it over-focuses on visible aspects of differences among students while it disregards the universal needs of a community of learners in schools. This paper advocates for a human-centered understanding of diversity in schools, which seeks to understand diversity beyond the socially constructed borders surrounding race, culture and gender, often used to define teachers as simply 'white' in the context of diversity in Canada.