Throughout my journey as
an early childhood professional, I have experiences –isms, from children,
families, colleagues, and specialists invited in my classroom from within the
community.
Sexism occurred with both
my male colleagues, as well as male children I work with. The male colleagues,
assume that they have to unscrew things from the wall, unload heavy bags of
sand, because they do not want me to “break a nail”, or not allowing me to
interact in a lesson, that involves constructing of some sort. My young males
to have the mindset that, women/girls, cannot lift heavy items, boys can only
build, and girls should wear dresses. “ A stereotype is any depiction of a
person or group of people that makes them appear less than fully human, unique,
or individual, or that reinforces misinformation” (Derman-Sparks &
Edward 2010, p. 46).
Racism resulted
as being the only woman of color, working in a very rural area, with
individuals who have not had the experience of working with a “person like me”.
I would have individuals asking about where I lived, when I told them they
would ask if that was a dangerous area to live in. I was asked what types of
food I ate, why my hair was so different, and how far I had gotten in respect
to my education level.
I find it very
enriching, when young children ask such questions, because I know they are
asking out of curiosity, and it makes for great discussion and teachable
moments. “More than mere curiosity, sometimes children’s questions, comments,
or behaviors indicate an underlying stereotyped idea, discomfort, or rejection
about human differences” (Derman-Sparks
& Edward 2010, p. 32).
Reference:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC
Hi Cynthia, as you said, children ask some question just out of curiosity about their own and others' physical and cultural characteristics (Dermans-Sparks & Edwards, 2010) and because they try to "make sense of all that they see and hear" (Dermans-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p.15). However, when children develop their pre-prejudice due to negative messages, misinformation, and stereotypes about various aspects of human diversity that they learn from others, what actions would you take to avoid that happening or to help children unlearn their bias?
ReplyDeleteReference:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Xiaowan