Linda's ECE World

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                                             Promoting Anti-Bias in Early Learning . 


This is a topic that is hard for me to envision.  I have done an extensive 'ism" search of my own life and don't find any.  I do make some faux pas in my language however.  Because I am of a certain age I will use the term Oriental instead of Asian, my daughter has corrected me on that one and I strive to re-frame my nomenclature for ethnic constructs.  Just as some people grew up using the word retarded for people with developmental disabilities. Since I was aware how damaging this was I chose early on in my life never to use that term in any way to refer to anyone. But terms like Oriental and Negro came to a halt later as awareness in the 1960's and 1970's grew.  I find it interesting how we as a nation make a differentiation between people who are famous and just regular folks.  We didn't refer to Jimmy Hendrix as Jimmy Hendrix the Black left handed guitar player.   We refer to him as the most famous left handed guitar player who changed the course of music in rock and roll. We don't refer George Taki as the gay Japanese American man who played Mr. Sulu on Star Trek. We refer to him as the actor who played Mr Sulu on Star Trek.  We don't refer to Mya Angelou to the Black Female Poet Laureate of the United States.  We refer to her as May Angelou; Poet Laureate.  There are plenty of people who play a wicked good guitar riff, many people who are fine actors and actresses and many many wonderful poets in their own right.  Why does it take a person to become famous to be seen in a more generic way in the public square?  

Of course those seen in a not so good light in the 1960's were not referred to so benignly.  Angela Davis and Eldridge Clever were termed "black" for their affiliations with the Students For A Democratic Society and the Black Panther movement. 

Respecting ethnic and cultural differences and yet unifying us through our sameness is a fine balance.  To a the Africa American community Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may be seen not as Black but as a hero to be looked up to.  But to the white community he is noted as a Black Civil Rights advocate.  How do we synthesize the two worlds?  

One way to do this is to begin early on in the educational setting of a young child.  One way I would like to do this is to help the child discover all the things that are same with him or her in the culture of the classroom. Children who have many of the same qualities.  We have hair, legs, arms, skin, teeth, eyes and hands.  We all have a voice and a back bone.  But then the differences show up.  The skin tones vary, the eye shape or color is different.  Hair is of a different color or texture. Some back bones are very strait some are bent and curve.  I want to help a child look beyond the out side differences and sameness.   

We can then move on to differing abilities. Some children can walk on two legs, some children must use a walker or a wheel chair to help them.  Some children can talk and some have little ability to put words and sentences together but can talk using an assisted device. Some children use a picture exchange system to get their needs and desires understood.  
Other children can run, others can not. Some  can climb, others can not. Some  play the piano by ear others can not.  There is a wide variety in abilities.  How we support those abilities and strengths is also very important in the early learning classroom.   

Then there is the cultural aspect of the child's identity. Some children are left to their own devices at home, some work right along side mom or dad or grandma while at home.   Some sit on the floor to eat some eat at a table.  Some use spicy things in their cooking others like a bland diet.  When I grew up the American meal was typically meat and potatoes.  Some children sleep in a hammock, some on the floor others use a bed on four legs.  Some have a family bed or sleep with several siblings.  Some children come from a multilingual house hold. Some only speak one language at home and that language may not be the predominate language of the dominate culture.  A child's home may be multi - generational, bi-racial or multi faith. 

What a lot of social constructs for a teacher to address on a daily basis!!!

One of the ways I have contemplated addressing these and promoting anti-bias education among early learners is to use the Persona Dolls.  I would have two sets.  A small set to use in the shelf in work on cultural studies.  Perhaps they would represent the kinds of cultures we have in the classroom from year to year.  And then a larger set to use during community time and in the making up of plays and stories about things pertaining to bias that arise in the course of the year.  

Why is anti-bias education important to the early learner?  As a Montessori teacher I have seen the default of being in a niche market in the early learning years.  Most Montessori schools are private and cater to more affluent families.  Children of Anglo, Indian and Asian decent are seen most in the population of a Montessori school.  (This is my own observation and I don't have any statistics to give on this) I do know there are several Head Start Montessori schools and inner city Montessori schools who serve a quite different population. I feel the use of the persona dolls is quite benign and won't give anyone the idea that there has to be an "us and them" social construct.  I feel the dolls can help children develop empathy and build identity in the course of their growing up years.   The dolls can be used to solve social problems in the classroom and to help them understand that in the long run we are more alike than different. It will also help a young child to understand that being different is OK.  Accepting differences among their peers can help a child be more confident in making friends. When adults are on board with this the likelihood of bias developing in the classroom decreases.  My aim as an early childhood educator is to help young children to build a social identity that includes all kinds of people.  This is one way we can promote peacefulness among people who have social identities that differ from one another.  Dr. Montessori saw the child as the hope for the future.  Through anti-bias education perhaps we can help see her vision become reality.