- A time when you witnessed an adult (or yourself) reprimand or silence a child after he or she pointed out someone they saw as different (e.g., "That lady talks funny," " That man only has one leg!" "Why is that man so pretty!"). Include what the child said and what the adult did or said in response. (Note: If you cannot think of a specific time ask a friend or family member.)
I was walking through the store one day, it was before I had children, and this little girl points at a man that has a prosthetic leg and says "Whats wrong with his leg?". The mother turned really red and rushed the child off, scolding her as they went about how it is not nice to point or say things like that to other people. I was shocked that the mom handled it that way. The mother made it seem like their was something really wrong with that man.The message communicated to the little girl was that their was something "wrong" with people who are different than her. "Stereotyping and bias influence children's self-concept and attitudes towards others" (Pelo, 2008, pg.7). How we act and react to the people around us can influence a child's beliefs and attitudes with other people. We need to make sure we are send children the right message and not perpetuate bias/stereotypes and discomforts.
As an anti-bias educator I would have handled that situation totally differently and have so with my own children. Children are so curious about the world around them and we need to feed that curiosity. I would have first told the child that it really is not nice to point and that there was nothing "wrong" with his leg. Each of us are born different and some difference you can see and some you cannot. That man has a difference that we can see. Just like I need help to hear so I wear hearing aids, that gentleman had something happen to his leg and now he has a prosthetic (fake leg) to help him walk. We need to teach children about how each and every person is different and that different is not wrong or bad. "It is not the differences in themselves that cause that problem, but how people respond to differences" (Pelo, 2008, Pg. 9). We need to teach acceptance and understanding.
Brandie
Resources
Pelo, A. (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Basic Book
Brandie,
ReplyDeleteI like your post and the way in which you would have handled the situation. When children ask a question, they are simply seeking information. They do not know that it may be socialy unacceptable or in bad tast to point and talk about another person's differences as they are simply, making an observation. I agree that we should teach children not to point at others, as that is a sign of disrespect. However, it is safe to acknowledge the child's observation and discuss those differences in an appropriate manner. "To understand the differences they see around them, children need language and accurate information" (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2012, p. 33). It is our job as parents and teachers to provide children with the appropriate language to help them make sense of their world, without developing biases towards things they do not understand.
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2012). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.:NAEYC
Brandie,
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that people are not able to discuss disabilities or any other differences that people may have, with their children. Doing so seems to give children a negative idea about biases. ". . . frequently adults have no idea when they are perpetuating stereotyped information and bias in their language and behaviors" (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2012). I am glad to hear that you would have handled the situation differently.
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Mary
I think the reason that that mother and so many others respond to these situations in such an manner is they are stuck in the core of Harro's Cycle of Socialization (Harro, 2010, Fg 6.1). At the core is "Ignorance, insecurity, confusion, and fear (Harro, 2010, Fg 6.1). They have been socialized to believe that different is bad and to point out or discuss different is very very bad.
ReplyDeleteHarro, B (2010). The cycle of socialization. In M. Adams, W. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X Zuniga (Eds). Readings for diversity and social justice (figure 6.1 on page 46, 2nd ed.) New, NY: Routledge.
Sorry- Posted by- Elisabeth Darley
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