Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class

Growing up, it was normal for adults to hush or even avoid certain questions asked by their children or other children because they were uncomfortable to answer them and also because they felt it would embarrass the person in question. Prior to starting this program, I had come across several publications that talked about the need to tell children the truth in a manner that was appropriate to their age and level of understanding while putting into consideration the feelings of those involved.

As a Nigerian living in France, it is impossible that I would not be a minority in any particular setting despite the fact that that there is a large population of Africans living in France. My daughter has a very good friend in school who is a white French girl and she has asked me why she does not have the same skin complexion, eye colour and hair texture as her friend. My response to her is that she has more melanin in her skin and eyes that causes it to be darker than her friend's and also that she is unique which is why she can never look like any one else, and not even me her mother. More recently, we saw an old woman using a walking stick and who was really bent over crossing the street, my daughter said "why is that madam walking that way?" I answered by telling her that the woman is old and needs the walking stick to maintain her balance. I further explained that sometimes when people hurt their legs, they may also need walking sticks or other mobility aides to move around.

I think my message to my daughter helped her understand that we should celebrate and like the way we are and also that it is okay to ask questions when we do not understand something going on around us rather than have a bias towards someone or something.

An anti-bias educator in such a scenario could support a child's understanding by showing them pictures of people who have different physical characteristics, ask them questions so that the teacher can understand where the child is coming from and know how best to address the question. Furthermore, the use of books that tell related stories could be a tool to address any bias (Laureate Education, n.d.)

Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Physical ability and characteristics [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu