Some of the ways
you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young
children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood
centers, and schools
When looking
through my collection of children’s books, I realized that I have only seen
books that involved heterosexism. I love going to book stores and looking
through all the children’s books and seeing if there is anything that sticks
out that would be a great addition to my collection. Not once, have I come
across a book that involves LGBT. Does anyone know of some books that touch on
this subject for children?
Your response to
those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of
books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families
The main response
that I would have is that we live in a world that is diverse, and we need to
make sure that everyone knows that they are valued. By having books that depict
gay or lesbian individuals gives children the chance to express their feeling.
I don’t know whether it is because I grew up knowing about gay and lesbian
couples or if it is because I believe that everyone deserves the chance to be
happy, but I think that children need to see this. As we learned from Tina this
week, if children do not know that it is okay to feel the way that they do,
then they will feel like an outcast or unsure of their feelings. By showing
children that a family can consists of many different scenarios you are helping
a child better understand their feelings.
How you would
respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who
is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring
for, educating, and/or interacting with their child
The first thing I
would do is ask the parent or family member why they feel the way that they do.
If there are stereotypes that they are afraid of, I would give them the facts
and try to dispel what they have been told. I would also remind the parent or family
member that all staff members are professional and are passionate about their
job. Being homosexual or transgender does not affect the way that a person does
their job and their personal life has nothing to do with the professional life.
I know that the one rule that my previous employment had, was that no family
could be on the premises when the staff member was working or there were
children in the building. This was for the safety of the children and other
staff members.
Wonderful post, Charlotte. I think that there are many topics that are not covered in children's books. For example, there are not many books about differences in abilities or they generalize and depict the individual in a wheelchair. When I was teaching, I looked for posters depicting diversity. The label for packet including a child in a wheelchair was labeled Special Education. The fact is all families are different and all people are different. I have found some specialty books at college bookstores or online. I will ask my sister-in-law as she is a children's librarian. Great post.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely thrilled that you are able to see that a person's personal life doesn't have anything to do with their professional life. I believe that if people had this mindset, the world would be so much better.
Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. I loved the ways you worded your responses to parents who may be concerned. A lot of times peoples dislike and biases come from fear so your approach to dispel those fears is an awesome idea! I can not wait to read more of your posts in this class!
Hailey
I agree with you that because our society is diverse we need to have books that are diverse. I think if it is introduced casually, then when children come across people who have a different family makeup than their own that they will be more accepting.
ReplyDeleteI love your approach Charlotte. Reminding the family of credentials and how each staff member is qualified regardless of their personal life style. People sometimes are fearful of what they dont understand not necessarily because they just dislike certain people. I enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteHeather