"Race and Respect Among Young Children"
By Rita Tenorio
By Rita Tenorio
While reading the article, "Race and Respect Among Young Children," I imagined the scenarios that Tenorio described happening in my school setting. I questioned how I would respond to young student's racial "put-downs" and how the issue could be avoided all together. Honestly, I didn't have answers readily available, which I found disturbing. In the article, a young white male calls a young black female "Brownski." The author explains that the boy expected to get a reaction and he "counted on the power of his light skin to win the argument. He hadn't counted on Angela speaking out." Even in kindergarten, this boy was aware of the culture of power. He knew that being a white male awarded him power within his classroom similar to the dominant ideology described by Grinner in the S.C.W.A.M.P model.
Bob Peterson and Rita Tenorio.
Two of the original founders of Rethinking Schools at the 25th anniversary celebration
Two of the original founders of Rethinking Schools at the 25th anniversary celebration
Tenorio states, "In my 20 years of teaching I have learned that, contrary to what adults often believe, young children are not 'colorblind.' Instead, they have an unstated but nonetheless sophisticated understanding of issues of race and power." It is evident that colorblindness perpetuates racist behaviors in children. "Researchers have found that between the ages of 2 and 5, children not only become aware of racial differences, but begin to make judgements based on that awareness"(Tenorio.) If we don't teach children that it is acceptable, or better yet encouraged to recognize and appreciate differences between themselves and their peers, then they will likely continue point out and focus on differences in a negative manner. I began to think about the TEACH OUT project and wonder if there was something that I could do to help children end colorblindness. How can we teach color insight to our youth? For additional details on my project, see my previous blog post: Teach Out Final Project - Theory in Practice: COLOR INSIGHT for Children.
After reading about Tenorio's journey as a teacher and finding the information so relevant, I went back to look at when it was written. I was appalled to see that the article was written in 1994. Have we not made any progress in teaching our youth equity and social justice in the last 29 years?
Hi Danielle, I really liked the article you picked, and that you connected it to the project that you want to do. It is so interesting how social and culture dynamics come into play so early on with children. I can attest that growing up I knew the implication of color/race and how I fit depending on the situation.
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle, I liked the article that you picked. Isn't it amazing that you were able to come up with a project topic based on the article. You example of how a child used the term "Brownski" so effortlessly and also expected a reaction. Words are power and with words we have the power to hurt others. Such hurt can be profound and follow a person through like. A simple term can inflict permanent damage. Thank you for your post!
ReplyDeleteDanielle, the article you picked seems very interesting and engaging. i really enjoyed how you interacted with this article and made connections to you own life.
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle-
ReplyDeleteYou're article is really interesting. It is a bit mind blowing that a child that young already sensed that he could say such things without much thought about the outcomes of that decision. I enjoyed reading your post and how you connected it back to your own life and teach out project.