I run a small in home daycare. Like most programs the clients are representative of the surrounding community, in this case that's white, middle class families. When I hired a black substitute the children were very interested. One child in particular loved to compare things and told me that "her skin was pink but Miss K's skin was brown." I responded, "Yup" and then got her interested in an activity to change the subject. The child did not mention skin color again but always liked to touch the other woman's arms when she was at the program.
By ignoring the child's curiosity, I may have "taught" her that skin color is taboo or that it is something to be embarrassed about.
An anti-bias teacher would probably had confirmed the differences in skin color and then asked what other things were different, hair, eye color, height, etc. Then similarities could be explored.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. Children are naturally inquisitive, curious and asking questions about what they see. As adults we tend to get embarrassed and respond inappropriately implying to the child there is something ‘wrong’ with the difference. As a result, children are left lacking information they need to learn how to act comfortably and caringly and to ask questions respectfully. This course has helped me realize that my goal as an anti-bias educator must be to help children move beyond simplistically seeing people based on characteristics.