The specific ism that I experience in my daily
life is that my family is of mixed culture meaning my husband is black and I am
white and our children are three children are biracial. Although, this normally does not come into
play in the classroom, I recently added some of my family pictures and got some
interesting silent reactions from a few of my parents. However, those silent moments did not last
for long as some of my children pointed out that my husband was black
loudly. For the most part I do not
experience direct isms from the children.
Instead, they see me as Ms. Michele there teacher and that I love and
take care of them. However, I have had
one parent make some off the wall remarks which her child has express in conversation
about my family stating that her house is bigger and that my kids cannot afford
the same big swing set she has because her mom knows where I live and it’s in a
poor neighborhood. When the child
expresses moments of those indiscretions and stereotypes I take a deep breath
and then discuss different houses people live in and look at books with all the
children and discuss how different families can live in the same or different houses
as others. I discuss classism on the
children’s level at President Obama and African American living in the big
White House. The consequences I use in
stereotypes and prejudices for my families and parents is by turning their
misinformation into correct information and making it a teachable moment to
take home. Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010),
states that being silent is a prejudice when you don’t discuss isms or bias in
the classroom. The best empowerment you
can give a child is to teach their parent that their bias is an ism. I can say as a teacher I have learned more
from my children than I was ever taught in the classroom about life and
perspective. So instead of trying talk
that child out of her belief. I gave her
some new information along with books and pictures and waited her out her
perception of classism and biracial families.
Proud to say she still loves and draws pictures of my house next to hers
which we hang in the classroom.
Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards,
J. (2012). Anti-bias education for young
children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Michele,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are doing a great job of implementing the techniques we have been learning.
Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) also suggested spending time with the family to determine what factors "precipitated that family member's prejudiced stance...Each of us needs other people to help us sort through our experiences and identify contradictory attitudes and areas we want to change in ourselves" (p. 41). I feel more comfortable doing anti-bias work with children, I will really have to work on being able to work directly with parents. Have you tried working directly with parents? Thanks for sharing, Michele.
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. (2010) Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington D.C.: NAEYC
Hello Michele,
ReplyDeleteI love the Obama comment! The only good way to fight stereotypes and prejudice is with information. I like to use open-ended questions and have people use their critical thinking skills. People have ideals that they learned from their families and even when children have not started off with incorrect information there is almost always someone there to give it to them. We have got to do our job just as you said with love and information. Children state the obvious and then they take it home and the one’s that they live with can make a big deal of it or not, those that do harm their children because it cause them to question the way that they think and if they have put their trust in the wrong person. We have got to make sure that children learn to trust in what they think and feel good about theirselves. Children know a good person and it may take time, but parents can see it also.