Influences on Children
This week we have been looking at how children develop their personal identity and how their ideas and views on gender and race are affected by the people and places that surround them. Many children spend more hours in childcare than they do in their own homes. I think early childhood centers should include literature, pictures, dramatic play materials and so much more that help children learn, relate, and feel comfortable with the various family dynamics.
There are now an estimated one million children being raised by gay or lesbian parents and most books are now being written to inform on these topics (Gilmore & Bell, 2006). Even if there are no gay or lesbian families at your center or school, it is still very important for children to know how to respect and understand these different life and family styles. Avoiding conversations and not providing children with information that can help them evolve and have a better understanding for gay and/or lesbian families can be a form of sexism. We must help our children be equal and understanding of all family structures. If there are students with gay or lesbian family structures at your school or center, seeing their own family portrayed through literature can increase their confidence as well as their motivation (Gilmore & Bell, 2006).
In my classroom last year I had a student that I considered a “tomboy”. I felt comfortable calling her that because she considered herself like that and had communicated to me that it was okay for me to refer to her that way. I never said it to insult her or degrade her in any way. After this week’s resources I have realized that even if the student did not mind being referred to as a “tomboy”, it is not something that is okay. Ann Pelo discusses gender identity in the book Rethinking Early Childhood Education and brings up a very good point. She shares a story where a colleague points out that just because a girl is athletic and embraces full-body play over princess play, it doesn’t make her any less of a girl and shouldn’t be subjected to such names as “tomboy”. Sharing these ideas and experiences with all students can help them have a broader mind about gender identity and how they consider themselves to be. Knowing that they don’t need to fit perfectly into one stereotype of gender can be comforting and empowering. I have definitely started seeing gender identity in a totally different way. Hopefully with these new skills I will be able to help my students have a more defined and strong gender identity.
References:
Gilmore, D. P., & Bell, K. (2006). We Are Family: Using Diverse Family Structure Literature with Children. Reading Horizons, 46(4).
Pelo, A. (Ed.). (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Teaching Cafeteritos 