Week 3
This week I took time to reflect on the Start Seeing Diversity video section on “Gender” and “Sexual Orientation” along with reviewing television shows and commercials, games, children’s books in my home, toy stores, and observing children in my classroom. I also took time to listen to the optional resource found in this week’s Learning Resource, “Two families grapple with sons’ gender identity: Psychologists take radically different approaches in therapy.” This interested me because this is my first year as an early childhood teacher that one of my students is working through her own gender identity. My student was born a male but identifies as a female. Her transition has made me address such things as what to call her (he, she, they), how to handle questions from other students, and how to acknowledge parents’ comments and questions. Luckily the parent team of my transgender student and I have a wonderful relationship. This has helped with all the small and large-scale issues. I have learned a lot and have grown is so many ways from this experience coupled with this Masters’ program. This course has come in my life at the perfect time.
Some of the ways I noticed homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children include books, television shows, and through observing children play. I sat down with my own six-year-old kindergarten son and looked at the books on his bookshelf. I found books representing different races and heterosexual relationships. I did not find anything representing homosexuality. I decided to look at shows that are geared toward pre-teen and teens on television. Like the books, I found shows that represented different races and heterosexual relationships. I do know that there are many shows for adults that represent homosexuality but I did not see any children’s shows. I had the opportunity to observe students, one boy and three girls (there are only four students allowed in that area at a time J) in my classroom play in the house/kitchen dramatic play area. The first thing the students started doing was role assignment. There was one girl that was the leader. She told the boy he was the dad, she was the mom, and the other two girls were the babies. I found it interesting that right away a father and mother were assigned. I have also found that even if it is all girls playing, either one of the girls is assigned to be the dad or there isn’t a relationship set. I have never witnessed a homosexual relationship. The ways that I have noticed homophobia and heterosexism really heightened my awareness that as an early childhood educator I need to provide my children with literature and discussions about gender. At the beginning of the school year I did make sure I had books of different family structures in my classroom to help all my students feel included. I also noticed our librarian researching books on gender for our library collection. I was so excited to see this. We had a great discussion on the importance of this.
My 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 is that a variety of books should be allowed. I believe that gay or lesbian couples have the same rights as all couples. Having a variety of books for children to see allows all children to feel acceptance and teaches others about tolerance. I would also make it clear to individuals that the books chosen to be in the center need to be age-appropriate, quality literature, displaying diversity, and showing all types of family make-up. Todays society has many kinds of individuals who deserve this.
