“Bias related to
sexual orientation, also called homophobia” (Laureate Education, n.d.). Heterosexism
in my own words is the strong beliefs people have that heterosexuality should pervade
in our society. I decided to observe a children’s TV. show and view children in
an early childhood setting for any stereotypes or biases related to sexual
orientation or gender roles. While watching the Sophia the First, I noticed
that the girl characters wore lots of pink and were very well mannered. Spoke
sofetly and seemingly nurturing and caring characters. I noticed the boy characters
were more dominate and wore darker colors. In the early childhood setting, I
noticed the boys seemed to only play with trucks, cars, and blocks. The girls
tended to be interested in dress-up and taking care of baby dolls. However,
there were some boys that did enjoy pretend play, but I did not seem them
interact so much with the dolls. It seems as if societal views on girl’s vs
boys have had some influence on our young children.
The “need to
validate all the kinds of families children are coming from” (Laureate Education,
n.d.) is the main reason early childhood educators should include classroom
materials that depict same-sex partnered families. I think we should remember,
as children we don’t get to choose the family we’re born into, so we could at
least acknowledge that these types of families do exist. It helps the child not
to feel bad or singled out because of the family that they were born into. For
parents that have strong feelings against homosexual or transgendered individuals
caring for their children. I would share the importance respecting differences
in others. Also to remember that we would not want to be singled out because of
choices we made in life, but maybe consider the child take part in the
classroom. If there are still any discomforts I would respect the parents’
choice and just place the child in another room.
I have heard the
term “tom boy” said to a little girl that likes to dress in pants, tennis
shoes, and shirts vs dresses and skirts. She preferred rough play and doing
more building in the block area. I think it may have caused the little girl to
start thinking she was different in some way, although she continued dressing
and playing the way she preferred.
References:
Video: Laureate
Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Sexual
orientation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Hi Tierra
ReplyDeleteLike you I believe that societal views on girls verses boys have definitely had some influence on our young children. Reading your post reminded me of something I witnessed a few months ago. I was conducting an observation at a preschool around pick up time. A dad who came to pick up his son was very furious that he was playing with a doll. He asked the teacher whether she was teaching his son to be a 'sissy'. His statement immediately got a reaction from another boy (almost 5 years) who was also playing with the dolls. As early childhood educators the onus is on us to eliminate these biases and pre-prejudice which our children inherit.
Tierra, your post was very interesting. I had never seen seen the show Sofia the First. After watching a few chapters, I saw many positive things about diversity and equity, but as you said, there are still many stereotypes. It is clear the producers tried to present a TV shows that speaks for the needs of more diverse children, but this is not an easy task.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated your comment about children not choosing their families as being a reason why they should see themselves reflected in the EC environment. I hadn't thought of it like that.
I thought about your response to the situation where a parent would complain about his/her child being around a homosexual EC professional, and I disagree with you to some extent. I like that you ask the parents to give this person the opportunity to prove him/herself. Yet, if they have a bias against homosexuals, this would not really work without any therapy or workshop. The parents will still feel their child isn't safe at school. Now, giving them the option to maintain this person away from the child if they still feel uncomfortable will send the wrong message for everyone. I may be a little too radical, but if the parents don't respect that all the people working at the EC center are professionals regardless of their sexual orientation, and still want to keep their child away, I would advise them to go somewhere else because that program is not for them. We cannot under any circumstance allow discrimination under our roofs at school. I know it is too much to ask to agree with everyone, but at least all our families should respect diversity for their own good and their child's.
Thank you for your post!!!
Thanks for commenting. You all shared some ideas that were thought provoking.
ReplyDelete