The Sexualization of Early Childhood

           

This is a really alarming and depressing subject. The media constantly bombards children with the message that girls have to be sexy to gain acceptance. According to Levin and Kilbourne, children are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sexiness from the media (2009).  In my opinion, this is because the media is still controlled primarily by men. As more women attain positions of power in the media world, I really hope this skewed and extremely damaging value system will change.

On the other hand, some parents really buy into the sexualization of their young daughters. The television show Toddlers and Tiaras delves into the world of child ‘beauty’ pageants. These young children are dressed provocatively, and made up to look like tiny little tramps. I just can not imagine those impressionable little girls emerging from this lifestyle with healthy self esteem and high moral standards.

As Early Childhood professionals, we always focus on giving children a healthy start to life. We want them to be proud of who they are and accepting of others - regardless of what they look like. This is in direct contrast to many of the messages they get from the media. Hopefully, we can give the children in our care such positive self identity that they’ll be much less vulnerable to those messages.

Levin, D. E.& Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1–8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

One ‘–ism’ that I see a little of at my preschool is classism. This is because my area has a lot of displaced fishermen who are trying to raise families in the face of more and more over regulation of their trade. On the other hand, we also have a lot of wealthy families who are here because of the beautiful coastline. Sometimes these factions don’t blend well and there is a bit of classism.

 For this assignment, I will use the example of a mother who works full time as a preschool teacher and struggles to keep up with the rest of life, too. She doesn’t make enough money to cover anything but the basics, and is constantly performing a balancing act to stay afloat. She worries about raising her children in a rougher part of town. She has to shop for her children at the thrift shop, and she worries they will be embarrassed and ashamed if or when they realize they are in the free lunch / free sports program at school.

As a preschool teacher, her students would probably feel some negative effects of her poverty, depression, and constant stress. Struggling to get basic needs met for herself and her family would make it very difficult to devote the time and attention necessary to meet her student’s needs. In addition, it would be hard to support parents who seemed to have a much better life than her. For instance, she would feel some real anger and resentment towards mothers who didn’t have to work - but still couldn’t manage to pick up their children on time. This would interfere with her ability to develop a good working relationship with the families. Also, the resentment might carry over into her relationship with the children. She might feel they are spoiled or being raised to feel entitled – or even that they look down on her because she's not as wealthy as their parents are. In some cases, higher-income families may reflect social attitudes about income and professionalism and may not treat staff with respect or recognize their educational background or their high level of skills (Derman – Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 110).

I think it would be next to impossible for this preschool teacher to overcome these negative feelings and stay focused on providing the best educational experience possible for the children in her care.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). “Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves.” Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC).

Observing Communication

                                                          

The interaction I observed was between a Pre-kindergarten teacher and her student. The little girl was about to start a kindergarten readiness assessment, part of which was a test involving letter and number recognition.

The teacher positioned herself in a low chair at the table so that she was at eye level with the student. She carefully explained the test instructions, making sure the student understood what the test would consist of. She referred to the child by name, and touched her on the arm when she wanted her to pay specific instruction to something on the test. She maintained eye contact, and spoke in a calm, quiet voice. I feel that her communication style helped the student feel as if the teacher had confidence in her ability to do well on the test. This would be a good self-esteem booster for the child, and would allow her to concentrate on the test itself.

In my opinion, the teacher did a good job of communicating with the student. The resources for this week were about affirming and effective communication between teachers and students. I really couldn’t think of anything else the teacher might have done to meet that goal.

Whenever possible, I position myself at eye level with my students so that we can each focus on what the other is saying. I try not to rush them when they are explaining something or telling a story. That part is hard for me, and I have noticed it is hard for many teachers to let children take their time when they have something to say. We are all working on that at my preschool. If we rush children, finish their sentences, or talk over them, we aren’t allowing them a fair chance to really express themselves.

Creating Affirming Environments

                                                           

I believe that clear communication between me and the families in my program is extremely important. Just as large child centers do, I would provide each parent with a handbook that describes the program philosophy and policies, parent expectations,  calendar, and hours of operation. During the family’s initial visit, I would ask them about home routines, culture, and invite them to describe how they teach their child about their identity (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). This would be followed up with ongoing discussions at drop off and pick up times, email communication, etc. I want families to trust that we care about the child and family and that they belong (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

My child care program would be located in a spacious, colorful room divided into interest areas. The walls would be hung with many assorted examples of the children’s artwork, graphs, and charts. It would be filled with bright, primary colors and a variety of materials for the children to manipulate, explore, and play with. In all areas of the room, different cultures, family styles, and people with disabilities would be represented through pictures on the wall, books, dolls, puzzles, and/or costumes. We would have a collage of family photos, with parents asked to bring in additional photos throughout the year.

I really liked Adriana' Castillo’s description of an emotional/sensory area that included dolls, sensory/emotion games, and an area to play house (Laureate, 2011).  I also liked Adriana’s method of greeting parent(s) and child each morning. Moving into the nap room and relaxing with the child in a rocking chair during a stressful drop would comfort the child and give him/her one on one attention (Laureate, 2011). The parents would leave knowing their child was going to be well cared for.

Reference:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Laureate Education Inc., (2011). “Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community.”

Week 8 already! Wow!

During this course, I have learned so much about bias and how we must look into ourselves first before beginning to try to change the way others think, feel, and believe. One goal that I have for the early childhood field that is related to issues of diversity and equality is a growing awareness in ECE programs of the need for diversity training for employees. There can be little change until that happens, in my opinion.

One hope that I have is that, with ample training, more and more centers will become diversity-friendly. I feel most teachers WANT to do the right thing for their students. It is simply a lack of education and training that holds them back. I really hope this will begin to change soon.

I have greatly enjoyed learning from all of my colleagues. Your experiences, whether different or similar to my own, are a wonderful source of education and inspiration. Thank you!

Week 7 creative expression of diversity

Deep
Inside
Value                                         
Everyone

Regardless of

Sexual orientation

Intellect

Tint of skin

Years of age

We don't say those words in class!

Recently, I was in Dunkin’ Donuts behind a mother and her 3 -4 year old son. The boy was very friendly and talkative - told me his name, his mother’s name, his dog’s name. He even asked if I had children, where they were, etc.

The door opened and a man in a wheelchair rolled up to the next counter. The little boy’s eyes grew round as he inspected the newcomer. Suddenly, he loudly announced “Mommy! That guy has no legs!’’

 “Shhhh!” she said. “Mommy, I mean it” he shouted again. “NO LEGS!!!”

His mother was clearly mortified. She bent down and sternly made eye contact with him. “Stop saying that right this second or we are walking out that door with no Munchkins” she hissed.

The boy looked very confused but wanted a donut badly enough to keep quiet. He watched every move the man made. As soon as his mother got the Munchkins and they walked out the door, I could hear him quizzing her about the man, the wheelchair, and the missing legs. She rushed him to the car, barely answering his questions.

Speaking from the perspective of an anti-bias educator, I would have realized that the child was just curious. I would have used it as an opportunity to help him understand that there are differences in people, and that it is ok. I would have said something like “Yes, he has no legs and that is why he has a wheelchair to help him get around. It takes him places just like your legs do”.

Insisting that children be silent about people who are different from them can lead them to fear diversity and develop bias at an early age.