We have learned in the course that children often notice differences in each other and often, to the dismay of adults around them, have no problem verbally identifying these differences. We can see the evident often in the classroom setting. One incident happened this week. It was during the small group activity time, in the 3 to 4-years-old preschool classroom. The game began with that the children brought in their toys
from home, and shown in a large group. Each child would introduce what the toy (s)he brought such as the name of the toy and what the toy does. Afterward, if the child wants to play other children's toys, his/her toy needs to be placed on the table to let other children play. All the
toys that children would like to share would place on one table, the sharing
talbe, for small group activity. The group size would be 5-6 children at a time. We named it “showing and sharing” game. During the small group activity,
five children sat
on the sharing table. There were three girls and two boys. The girl (G1) from Indian background
brought a unicorn. She
placed on the table. When the sharing time started, the boy (B1) took the unicorn. She started crying. I went to her and asked what happened. She said the B1 took her toy. I asked B1 gave back the toy to her. Meanwhile, I explained again to her the rule of the game. I suggested her to put her toy back to her cabinet if she does not want other friends to play her toy and she has to leave the table to let other friends come the table. She thought a little while. Then she went back to the table and gave back her unicorn to the boy. Another girl (G2) was watching us and listening our talking. While
the boy was taking the unicorn back, she said, "Boy can
not play it." The boy immediately put the unicorn down. The other boy (B2) who sat beside the boy looked at the girl and did not take the unicorn also. The third girl (G3) picked the unicorn. I asked G2, at the table in the front of the
five children, "why
the boy can not play the unicorn?" she said, "I do not know." Then I asked the boy, "Why do you stop playing the unicorn?" He did not say a word and looked at me. I again asked all, "why boy can not play the unicorn?"
"Did anyone said that
boy can not play unicorn?"
all looked at me
with no word but a puzzled look. During all the sharing time, I did not see any boy played the unicorn anymore. They
did not say any word and acted the way they agreed with the girl's word.
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| The unicorn |
As anti-bias early
childhood educators,
we need to seek how the idea comes out of the children mind, what they really
meant. “Boy can not play unicorn” reflects bias. We
do not say those words in the class. We need to teach children why we do not say those words. First, we might make a lesson plan deal with the word “boy can not play the unicorn." We
might give a talking
about unicorn. Read books
about unicorn. Ask questions
about who can play the unicorn? Then have children do activities related unicorn such as making own a unicorn out
of play dough and color
the unicorn. Do observation
on what would happen.
Seek the reason the girl suggested “boy can not play the unicorn” and boys listened. If it relates the color or something else, we might need to plan another lesson plan deal with the color/something else issue.
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| The Emperor's new clothes- a tale set in China |
The other incident happened this week in the same classroom. It was during large group circle time when I read the book “The emperor’s new clothes” – a tale set in China. When I read the page that told the strangers arrived. I asked the children, “what the stranger is?” A girl responded, “A stranger is a bad man.” I pointed the two strangers on the picture and asked, “These are the strangers, are they bad men?” nobody responded. Then I explained, “The stranger is the people nobody knows who she or he is, where they come from..” Then I continued the book. “a stranger is a bad man” reflects the prejudges.
In this case, I just explained the word. Does anyone have an idea to promote the children learn about stranger?