As teachers, parents and the community we must be able to understand that we are all different and that is a good things. Diversity provides a lesson for each of us to be okay with and open to those things that set us apart race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical and mental ability, language and understanding and accepting of people for who they are. We must be able to accept that the world is not a " one size fit all type of world". We are different in one way or another that's what make the world a melting pot of different kinds of people that we must get to know, love and respect.
As adults we should not allow children to be call names other than their own. We are advocates for children and should help others realize we were born with names and homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo is not allowed to be said to a child or an adult. Although children are not born with prejudice but at an very young age children are able to mimic things that they experience, see and hear in their home.
Schools should be the barrier of knowledge for children to be able to read about situations in their home such as different types of families. First, schools should realize not all homes are same. Schools should be able to help students read about their family and how to deal with certain situations in the home. I am agreement with schools providing book that depict the different families in the community whether its two dads or two mothers. Schools should want to provide those books that explore, celebrate and inform us about human diversity including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, single parent families, interracial families, same sex parents, aging, and death. The classroom environment should be a support system for children away from home.
ReplyDeleteArthurine,
I am in agreement with your post about names. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to talk to children about this. Usually, this is in regards to someone calling someone a “baby”, or “poopy head” I kindly remind them that we only use our names in school. I have an exercise I do at the beginning of the year. I go around a circle and ask children what they would like to be called. For example, Nathan may prefer Nate or Alexandra may prefer Alex. I allow the children to us whatever name the are comfortable with. Many times parents to will say we call them this or that. Whenever I have children, start using names other than those specified we sit and do this again. My hope is that children will learn to be respectful of who someone is and honor their wishes on what to address them as. I agree children may hear names at home that are not conducive to what we are teaching. In fact, most of the time that is where this unkind words most likely came from. You are right when you say as a school system we must teach respect especially when it is not being taught at home.
Arthurine,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments saying “as adults we should not let children be called names other than their own”. You referred to the inappropriateness of children calling each other names or put downs. I agree that this is a problem, but a greater problem is the model adults give, teasing children and adults, calling them names and not seeing the harm they are causing. In my school I hear teachers tell children they are “acting like”- jerks, farts, toots, meanies, sissies, babies, goobers, little girls etc. Somehow they believe that they are not calling a child a name, when they precede it with the words “you are acting like”. The teachers who will say these things are often the teachers who put down children and their families in private based on stereotypes. The worst thing about these teachers is that they have no idea that they are perpetuating an environment of bias and stereotype. Instead they feel like they are responding the how children and families have “changed for the worse.” Hopefully these types of educators are becoming the minority and that teachers who care about equity, social justice and ecological teaching will lead by example as this is crucial in our current classrooms (Pelo, 2008).
Lis
Arthurine,
ReplyDeleteSchools should definitely realize that all homes are not the same. That should be obvious because of all the diversity in our classrooms. By all means, books depicting various family styles should be read in the classrooms and also discussed. The more the children learn about the differences and the earlier they start learning will help them to not follow the biases that they observe in society.
Mary