My
son is six years old at age four he began to show a fear towards individuals
with physical disabilities. My oldest
child would often tease him by pointing out these individuals. He would react
by becoming very scared and hiding behind me while screaming and hollering. On
day I remember us eating at a local eatery and my daughter spotted a man in a
wheelchair. She tells my son to” look that man he’s looking at you. He’s fixing
to come and get you.” I explained to her she should not make fun of others
because everyone is unique in their own way. We should not judge or look down
on others because they are different from you. I asked her if she had a
disability would she want people to react to her that way. Her answer was no, I didn’t think about it
like that.
The
message received by my daughter is that it is not nice to talk or make fun of
others. It does not matter what’s going on with them their size, sexual
orientation, gender or abilities. Everyone has feelings and we should be
sensitive to others.
An
anti- bias educator might respond by saying we should encourage children
to create a positive change, become sensitive to the feelings of others. We
should teach children to respect and an appreciation for differences by
providing opportunities for interaction with people of diverse groups, make
sure your children understand that prejudice and discrimination are unfair.
Also we should help children recognize instances of stereotyping, prejudice and
discrimination (ADL, 2001)
References
Anti-Defamation League. (2001). What to tell your child
about prejudice and discrimination.
Sparks,
L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias
education for young children and ourselves. NAEYC: Washington, DC
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