Walking in the grocery store you see many different people from different cultural groups. When I was shopping a few years ago there was a young boy who looked to be about four, that commented on a woman doing her shopping in the cart with the motorized seat attached. He asked his mother “why does she get to use that?” and his mother more or less responded to his question with telling him not to stare at her. She may have spoken to him about her more when they were further away from me, but I heard no response to his answer except to stop staring.
The child may have learned that it is not polite to stare, according to his mother’s teaching. His mother may have also communicated that since he was not allowed to look at this person in the motorized shopping cart that there was something wrong with her. This child may also now believe that they should not ask questions because their question was not answered and they were just told to stop looking at something.
An anti-bias educator would have responded differently to support the child’s understanding about the woman in the motorized shopping cart. An anti-bias educator might have explained why people use the motorized shopping carts in stores. The educator may have given many different reasons that people may use that and also that there is nothing wrong with someone using a motorized shopping cart. An anti-bias educator might also extend the learning about diversity to talk about other types of tools that people may use when they might need help getting around (e.g. wheelchair, walker, crutches, cane). An anti-bias educator can extend this conversation in so many different ways to help children with understanding and acceptance of all others.
Robin,
ReplyDeleteYou raise a great point...often when children are silenced they may think it is not alright to ask questions. Asking questions is how children learn! I think it is so important to let children know that even though it is not polite to point or publicly raise awareness of someone's differences, it is alright to try to gain understanding of why things are the way they are regarding diversity. Great post, Robin!
I like your entry and how you focused on how children subtlely can pick up on ableism. Too often we as adults silence children and tell them commands such as dont look, be queit, look the other way; but we don't explain why and how these questions are valid and explain that people have unique differences amongst each other
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