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.)
My granddaughter made a comment about a lady that was overweight.
She said “Grandma, look at the lady, isn’t she so fat? I said
to her, you should not talk about people. She may have a medical problem and it
causes her to be overweight. She might not be able to lose weight.
What messages might
have been communicated to this child by the adult's response
My granddaughter believes that I will not tell her anything wrong.
If she calls someone fat, she will not
do it around me. I try to instill good values to all my children.
An example of how an anti-bias educator might have responded
to support the child's (or classroom's ) understanding
As an educator it is
our responsibility to teach our children not to judge people and when they say
something negative we need to correct them in a positive way by turning what
they say into something good.
The classroom is their second place for learning. Children
learn things they say at home or in the environments they visit most outside their home and from other children.
Go to UTube and watch this video. You gotta see it!
"Kids say the darnest things" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8aprCNnecU "I don't like you mommy"
My children learned early on that it is not appropriate to talk about people. My mother has cerebral palsy and they do not like when people talk about her so they know how it feels and they do not like it. My mother has helped me to teach them that if they have a question about someone that it may be better to ask them about it rather than talk about them. My mother has no problem if someone ask her about her disability. Of course there is always a polite way although uncomfortable to ask someone but children must also understand that not all people are going to want to talk about their differences. Many would rather be asked though. My daughter asked me if she could ask a man at the pharmacy why he did not have any legs. The gentleman overheard and smiled and nodded "yes" at me. He was a veteran who lost them in an explosion. My daughter caught him and me off guard by hugging him and saying thank you (my husband and dad are vets but are not visibly disabled). I want to say I say him shed a tear but cannot be certain. Every moment is teachable!
ReplyDeleteMy mom is handicap. She cought Polio when she was a toddler. My children were raised by her and as she did things (differently) she would explain to them why she had to do stuff differently from other people. My children grew up respecting people with disabilities. Now that I have grandchildren and this is a whole new era, I will have to educate them about my mom. They are too young to understand right now but I have noticed my grandson who is five look at my mom with qouestion in his eyes.Im sure he will learn a lot in school that will also help him to identify and understand information about people with disabilities. Thanks
DeleteAlthough not every teachable moment has such a beautiful result as that shared by April - I do think that even young children have the capacity to reflect upon and learn from skillfully facilitated opportunities. It is only when children internalize a value of respect and appreciation of differences that they can truly develop anti-bias capabilities. That is why it is so important to provide them with ample opportunities to engage with different people in positive environments.
ReplyDeleteI could not agreer with you more Gregory. When I learned that my mom had a disability i was somewhat suprised. She has always been able to function like ther next person, just having to do things a little different than you amd I. Her disability does not allow her to do some things that require usign the strength of her arms. She has Polio and have been handicap most of her life. She use to drive a car, now she can't, she road a bike as a child with assistance, she cannot life things over her head, and if she trips and falls she can't catch herself. She has to be careful of the things she does.There are a nukber of other things my mom can't do as a result of her disability and as she gets older she is losing her strength all together and it's a little scary. We will one day have to do everything for her. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
DeleteI agree, I think it is extremely important to expose children and teach them to respect all differences we find in human beings. Silencing children gives children the message that people who are different should be ignored and not appreciated.
ReplyDelete