The message the man communicated to his child was, its not okay to be different. It is something to be embarrassed about and definitely not spoken about. My own daughter asked why the man had no legs, and we discussed the possible reasons. We also talked about how life would be different for him without legs. Our conversation lasted about three minutes, and ended with my daughter shrugging her shoulder and saying, "Huh, he must really have fun wheeling around in his rolly chair!" The boy and my daughter both were curious and trying to make sense of the world around them (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). However, my daughter got the message that its okay to ask questions and be different, while the boy received the message that it is shameful to be curious, and not okay or safe to be different.
In my classroom I would have allowed for the boy to ask the question of the man. I would have listened to the exchange and allowed for more questions. After listening I would have figured our what the boy really wanted to know about the man in the wheel chair. For example, my daughter was more interested in knowing about the rolly chair. I would have then talked about what the boy learned and talked about how he approached the man and what he learned form asking the question. I think this would be appropriate for anti-bias education.
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Amber,
ReplyDeleteI like your strategies for creating an anti-bias classroom environment. Children are naturally curious which helps them start learning and experimenting. I believe teachers should recognize individual differences in children and encourage them to keep exploring in order to comprehend their environment the best they can. And when answering children's questions, we need to listen to them carefully and answer them respectfully,
Hi,
ReplyDeleteChildren are known for been curious. I think the dad should have let the child finish asking the question and let him hear the answer also. I feel that the dad was ashamed of what his son has done which to me it is normal for children to ask questions.
I love the way that you handles that question with your daughter. Most of the time the conversation that you had is the one that would occur. I feel bad for the boy and the double amputee. The man in the wheel chair was clearly comfortable with talking about what happened with the little boy. It is to bad that his father was to closed minded to see that the man did not mind and that it is a good thing for his son to be curious.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber,
ReplyDeleteYour child asked a question that she was unsure about and you handle it in a very appropriate manner. We as educators and parents must always step up to the plate to make sure our children understand the importance of being different from the norm. Everyone appeared to be comfortable in talking about the situation, which made it easy on everyone.