This week, we
have been asked to reflect on an instance in which an adult reprimanded or
silenced a child who made a comment about someone who was different. This was
extremely difficult for me because most of the incidents that I have witnessed
have involved the adult correcting children's misinterpretations or
misinformation and explaining the correct information in terms the child can
understand. However, I recall one instance when I was working in a center as a
preschool teacher and a child asked "Why does Clay have two mommies?"
My assistant teacher, whom the child had asked, responded that Clay had two
mommies because they had decided to adopt him from Russia together but that
most children had a mom and a dad. This incident portrayed to the child that
the only acceptable family was one that had a mother and a father at home, and
that all other types of families have something wrong with them. This also
sends a negative message to other children who may have overheard her response,
because we had several children in the class with divorced parents, children
who lived with a parent and stepparent, children who lived with grandparents, and
children who lived with single parents in addition to children with traditional
two parent families.
An anti bias educator might have responded to this child
(and his classmates) understanding of the many different family structures by
explaining that families are the people we live with and the people who take
care of us (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010) and that some people even think of
their pets as members of their family. Explaining that there are many different
people that can be part of our family, and asking the children to name the
important people in their lives (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010). Showing
children the many different people who are important to them to show the many
different kinds of families is another way to help children understand that
families are different but that it's okay. Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010, p.
114) cement this when they say that "The fundamental anti-bias concept
that "We are all the same; we are all different" supports children in
feeling pride in their own family and being open to other children's
families."
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., &
Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.
Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC).
Hi Celeste,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the example about Clay and your assistant teacher in this week’s blog post. It is so true that this example would have painted a portrait to Clay that a child having two mommies is not normal. Furthermore, her statement about how most families have a mom and dad discriminates against so many types of families that do are not adhere to nuclear family standards.
“Children grow up in families that closely match the dominant culture ideal are more likely to feel societal support for their family’s way of life; children growing up in families whose ways of life differ from the dominant culture are more likely to feel devalued and excluded” (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p.58).
References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.