The timing of this blog posting is perfect. Just this week, I was conducting an observation of an after-school director. Although not positioned in a regular class, Mr. Jared took over for a counselor in order to be observed. This after-school program is housed in a community center where children are bused in from various schools. Today, Mr. Jared worked with second grade students.
Even before I was escorted into the classroom, it was quite obvious that the majority of the students in the community center were African American. By the time I entered the classroom, it was more than evident that I was the only white person in the entire building; I felt somewhat isolated. I definitely was ‘different.’
I walked
into the classroom eager to observe Mr. Jared in action. I have worked with him previously in an intro
class, and I knew he would do an amazing job with his students. Mr. Jared approached me, shook my hand, and
introduced me to the class. There were
approximately 16 children, and they readily said “hello.” Then, one of the girls (Jennifer) raised her
hand and without hesitation, she stated “Mr. Jared, how come you didn’t invite
a black person to watch you? There
aren’t any white people in the center.”
Visually Mr. Jared was in shock.
While I shared his shock, I immediately become interested in observing
how he would handle this remark. It was
a perfect setting to compliment my learning.
I was
disappointed, to say the least. Mr.
Jared told Jennifer that wasn’t a nice comment and apologized to me for
Jennifer’s question. At this moment, I
felt more shock than after Jennifer’s question.
First of all, her question was totally legitimate and deserved an
answer; she meant no harm by her first.
And secondly, Jennifer was not sorry for her question. “Although children may not understand the
full meaning of their biased comments, these can become the basis for more
developed prejudice if adults do not respond to them” (Derman-Sparks &
Ramsey, 2008, p. 44). Since I was a
guest in someone else’s territory, I held back.
However, Mr. Jared’s lack of explanation was extremely important.
I wanted to
help Mr. Jared explain about differences.
I wanted to answer Jennifer in a way that would give her question
value. I bit my lip and began writing. During the interview portion of our
observation, I was no longer able to keep quiet, and I shared some ideas with
Mr. Jared. I immediately suggested the
use of puppets, and I believe, from my observation, that the puppets would
involve all of the children (I actually used persona dolls in my own classroom
all of the time). In the media segment
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010), N. Spangler suggested that by using persona
dolls (or puppets), there is a power of taking this tender topic and having it
one person removed. The doll (or puppet)
actually becomes the children’s friend, and children will readily engage with
the doll’s challenges. As N. Spangler
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2010) suggests, it’s not condemning them; it’s an
extremely powerful tool that would work for Mr. Jared.
Initially,
he was defensive (which is not fitting for his outgoing personality!), but I
would not let him continue to apologize.
He needed to hear me out, and then, the choices to make were his. It was an interesting discussion, and I do
not know if he totally understood. But,
he did promise to think about my ideas; that’s a starting point.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). Learning from
another’s life story: Anti-bias in ECE settings. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6357/CH/mm/audio_player/index_week6.html
Derman-Sparks, L. & Ramsey, P.
(2008). What if all the kids are white? In A. Pelo (Ed.), Rethinking early
childhood education (pp. 43-47). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Lois,
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! I cannot imagine how you were feeling when he reprimanded Jennifer. Her question deserved a legitimate answer.
I can remember when my husband first came into my classroom at the beginning of the year. (He is African American) Many of my students could only stare at him because they had never seen him, but they rarely seen a black man. After he left, we had an amazing conversation about differences of everyone!
I am truly saddened that this situation was not handled better; however, I am so glad you were able to offer suggestions! Good for you!!
Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteI could feel how uncomfortable that was when you walked into a community without any diversity. I felt really uncomfortable on the first day of working in my current school, as most children are from either America or Europe, and 60% of teachers are from English speaking countries. I am the minority in our school. I could tell children view me differently as well. However, I do see in the early years classrooms there are many different puppets or dolls of different races, dresses, skin colors, and abilities. Children play with those puppets in their pretend play, and I do think that is a good idea for children to figure out the differences and similarities. I have noticed that children who are exposed to the diversity early in their lives tend to be more open to diversities than the children who grow up in a community without any diversity. Those children who are comfortable with diversities, they are more flexible at choosing the puppets as well. They do care if the puppets represent their own features, while some children will only choose the ones which represent their features. Teachers and parents both have the responsibilities to explain to children and to introduce diversity and differences to them. I would like to say the earlier, the better. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteYou indeed had a great experience. Mr. Jarad should have answer the question better than he did. He should have explained to Jennifer that maybe he brought you to observe the group of children and introduce them to different races. He could have explained to her that being white makes you no different than being black. And he should have told her that we do not make racial comments like that because it may hurt the person feelings. We are all human beings and should be respected at all times.
Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, this was very interesting timing! I think it makes it an even more valuable experience for you, as you are able to apply your knowledge amd share it with colleagues.
It is unfortunate that he was not able to answer appropriately. He probably feared saying the wrong thing. I conduct observations in my role and I know that my being there sometimes intimidates perfectly strong tutors, and causes them to have difficulty explaining a concept or dealing with something out of the ordinary.
It would have been wonderful if he had taken the opportunity to explain that your race did not impact your job, or his interest in you being in his classroom. I found myself eager to see how this wonderful teacher had dealt with the situation, but was disappointed.
Lois
ReplyDeleteI would have been bitting my lips as well, because children ask very important question in this day and time. You have to be careful how you answer them, and especially if you dont answer them at all. Mr. Jarad should have answer in a respectful way, and not by telling Jennifer that wasn't a nice comment. That answer will make her think that she has said something wrong.
Great post Lois.