By Miss SandraAt my final week in the LifeWays training the subject of racism in a child care setting came up during a morning discussion period and I immediately began to think of the setting in my room -- the "whiteness" of it and how it might be more inclusive with a change in our belongings. I also began to examine how I deal with racism with the young child.
My older friend Clayton (who has since headed off to first grade) has experienced several times during his time at LifeWays children stating that he could not play with them because of his skin color. The first time I heard a young friend state this I reminded her that Clayton was her friend, which resolved the situation and they quickly ran off to play together. This past summer however an older friend repeatedly stated that Clayton could not play due to his skin color. After being admonished several times the older child began to refuse to play with Clayton while away from the teachers (he was trying to be sneaky). When confronted about his behavior he would try to explain it away. And at times he would get quite angry when I would ask him to remove himself from play and come join me by my chair.
Children do notice differences -- the color of a person's skin, their body type, if you are a boy or girl. That is part of normal development. But I've also seen what happens to Clayton when he experiences this refusal by children to play with him because of the color of his skin --there is a brief moment of confusion on his part that is apparent in his facial expression, followed by a wash of sadness, then a moment of trying to rejoin the play and lastly a resignation. This happens briefly -- under a minute, but it does happen and as an adult witnessing it can be painful. So, what can I do to help? I don't have all the answers but I do know I'll side with Clayton every time. I can't imagine what it is like to be "dinked" on a regular basis -- how it shapes your sense of self --how it impedes the journey towards being a free human being. We all come to LifeWays and Waldorf education for a variety of reasons, but as a caregiver it is my work to help the children in my care develop in a way that allows them to be an upright human --ready to face the challenges that come their way. So for now I'll examine "whiteness" of my room and work on having the toys and books reflect the community we live in and I'll continue to strive in thought and deed to be an upright human worthy of imitation by the children in my care.
A note from Jaimmie Stugard: