One time I overheard a conversation between a mother and her
daughter in a grocery story. The mother and daughter had just passed by a boy
who walked with a leg brace. The girl asked her mother “why does he walk funny?”
The mother told her “Shhh! You are being rude”. The little girl looked as if
she had done something horribly wrong. One message the mother was sending to
the girl was that it was wrong to ask questions about something she was curious
about. The mother was also sending the message that there was something wrong
with the boy, because she did not address the child's question. Often times we can send negative messages by not addressing the situation.
An anti-bias educator/parent could have handled this
situation in many ways where it would support the child’s understanding. One
way is to recognize that the child is just curious. An anti-bias educator would
respond to the child’s question with something like “that is just the way he
was born. He walks different, because his legs are a little different than
yours. He has to wear a brace to help him walk.” An anti-bias educator would
research with the child/children about the boy’s condition and/or others who
walk with a brace (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I also feel an anti-bias educator would use
puppets to help children engage in discussion. Children are curious and just
want to understand things better. We need to respond to questions/comments
children may have in order to help them gain understanding in a positive way.
We want them to understand that everyone is different in their own way, but we
all have ways we are alike. We want children to learn to appreciate each other
for these similarities and differences.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Start Seeing
Diversity [DVD]. Physical Ability and Characteristics. MD: Author.
Marcie,
ReplyDeleteAs teachers, not only what we say, but also what we do is fundamental when working with the anti-bias approach. Once again, the self-reflection is important part in our profession, thus we must reflect on or analyze not only the books that children use, but also the attitudes we demonstrate when facing with diversity.
Marcie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Catalina; we must consider all aspects of anti-bias education. I have caught myself many times addressing comments other teachers have made that I consider to be stereotypical.
I agree with you; when we ignore comments or questions, we are sending the message that something is wrong. Instead, we should begin to help "spark children's empathy about the hurst that stereotypes can cause" (Pelo, 2008, p. 47).
Thank you for your post!
References
Pelo, A. (Ed.) (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Marcie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and your experience. I have noticed that most anti-bias comments are made by the mother. It is always the mother in the community, if the father is present, it is still the mother that trains her child what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in public. It is exciting to see more disabled children in the public. Although, I never sheltered my son, a lot of times I felt like leaving him home with his father when I went shopping because the “social biases” and “social stigmas” were overwhelming. Sometimes the mothers or parents just push their child or children away and avoid dealing with telling them about abilities of the disabled child.
I enjoyed reading your post. I had a similar incident in Wal-Mart one time. I think it is important to address the children's questions instead of avoiding them. Avoiding the child's questions sends the message that it is not ok to be curious. Children are going to be curious and that's ok that is how they learn.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to address the children's questions and comments in a positive and respectful manner. Also, when ignored, children tend to go to others for the answers to their questions. We want to ensure they recieve positive imput. "Although children may not understand the full meaning of their biased commnents, these can become the basis for more developed prejudice, if adults do not respond to them" (Pelo, 2008, p 44).
ReplyDeleteReference
Pelo, A. (Ed.). (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.