Whilst walking in the plazas, one day, there was a no leg and
hand amputee man being pushed in a wheelchair by another man. They were both asking persons shopping for
financial assistance. As I watched from
a distance, a young girl and her mother slowly approached where the amputee
was. The little girl (possibly no more
than 5 years old) said out loud “Mommy, he has no hands and legs”. She said it in all innocence and with a look
of wonder on her face.
The mother on the
other hand, had a look on her face of utter embarrassment and looked like she
wanted the ground to open up and swallow her at that moment. She
pulled the little girl by the hand and quickly walked away.
The girl’s reaction was just the innate curiosity of a child
who has seen something new and different.
Her statement was not made with any malice, bias or hate, just an
accurate statement of the facts.
However, the mother’s reaction could cause the child to think that the
amputee was someone to be feared. This
may lead to the little girl worrying that someone with a limb missing is to be avoided at all costs. In the future, the
girl may reject another child with a disability because of her mother’s
reaction.
An anti-bias educator could respond in the following ways:
- Give accurate information about
the amputee’s condition. The fact
that he could have lost his limbs in an accident or through illness.
- Outline that the amputee with
assistance can still move around and have a life.
- Demonstrate that the amputee’s
disability is not catching and also not scary. In fact, a conversation could be had
with the amputee to learn more about him.
- Use teachable moments to discuss
what the child saw, and how to respect persons with disabilities.
Reference:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington,
DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Hi Sheryl,
ReplyDeleteChildren are constantly being bombarded with biased messages from the world around them. It is next to impossible for children to escape them but as anti-bias educators we can be proactive in challenging bias we know children are likely to be exposed to rather than intervene when hurtful incidents happen. You listed out some good suggestions of what an anti-bias educator could do. In addition I think as this week’s media (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) suggests an anti-bias educator could also encourage children to experiment with diverse ways of doing the same things. Getting this child to do things without using her legs or hands would help build foundation for respecting diverse perspectives such as the amputee’s perspectives.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Start Seeing Diversity: Race/Ethnicity. [Multimedia]. Diversity, development, and learning. Baltimore, MD: Author.
When working or being around young children we just never know what they might say and the questions they may ask. Asking questions is a way they learn but as parents and educators we need to be prepared to respond to these children. Children do not understand these situations unless they are explained to them. You made some good suggestions in your post. I enjoyed reading your blog you made some good points. Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post, the anti-bias ideas and the pictures you used were both very well thought out. It is important to keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with discussing what children observe. Even if the adult is not comfortable talking about the observation in depth, it is important that we acknowledge what the child sees without teaching him/her to feel or dislike it.
ReplyDeleteHello Sheryl
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story. I remember an incident happening to me like that when I was younger. I saw some one who looked different to me and I couldn't believe it so I just stared at him. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with him. My mother use to tell me stop staring and talking about people because you never know what happened to them, which might have led them to looking like that. I also like your anti-educator responses. Thanks for sharing!