To be honest, I am like some of the staff members in the course media "Start Seeing Diversity - Sexual Orientation" who said discussing gender identity and presenting books and pictures of gay families with their class made them feel uncomfortable because that lifestyle went against their beliefs (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I also agreed with the staff members who said there was no need to discuss these things because none of the families in their preschool consisted of gay parents. However, I had to reconsider my thoughts when the teacher in the presentation said she realized it was her responsibility to support a positive identity development for the children in her care regardless of what her own beliefs were. In other words, preserving the child's identity development outweighed personal beliefs on the topic. I, also, thought the staff had a valid point when they decided that even though none of the children in their care came from families with gay parents, it was still their responsibility to prepare children to act respectfully if and when they encounter such families. However, I would probably approach it by not specifically talking about gay parents, but in general say that not everyone has the same kind of family but we must show respect to everyone because it is not our job to judge others.
I was reflecting on observations made of children in my preschool room and how they interact in different centers with various toys and learning materials. I can say that boys and girls visit the block area and workbench as well as the home living area. They all try on different work hats and boys and girls experiment with the scarves available in the dress up area. I have noticed that boys and girls take care of the "babies" when they are playing house. Most have younger siblings and are familiar with caring for babies. I have tried to choose books that show males and females in different community helper roles and the children seem to be aware that jobs can be performed by either gender if they are trained for the job.
After listening to the broadcast of the two families dealing with their son's gender identity (Spiegel, 2008) I was reminded of a little boy we had at our preschool many years ago. He preferred playing in the kitchen, dress up (wanting to wear an apron) and brought his barbie dolls for show and tell. When he had his birthday party the mom sent out barbie invitations and the party was a barbie theme. At the time, I heard comments from parents that they were uncomfortable with that and thought it was strange. His teacher told me she kept encouaging him to play with the blocks and cars and trucks, but he didn't want to. I supported her in that and I realize I was more in the mindset of Dr. Zucker from the audiocast who wanted the parents to take away the dolls and encourage play with things like blocks and cars; whereas this little boy's mom seemed to be following the philosophy of the West Coast therapist who favored letting the boy act according to what made him feel comfortable and happy. I have lost touch with that family, but have often wondered how things went for him as he matured. Was he rejected by both genders as he got older as Dr. Zucker asserted or did he embrace the femine qualities and become comfortable with his own identity and let the rest of the world deal with their own feelings as the West Coast therapist suggested. It is a challenging situation where one answer may not be able to be applied to all cases. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the broadcast, I would encourage you to do so.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer, 2011). "Start Seeing Diversity: Gender" [Course media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer, 2011). "Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual Orientation" [Course media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons'gender identity: Pshychologist take radical approaches in therapy. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2008/05/07/90247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences
Hi Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI think that talking about any form of diversity could be challenging because you have to look beyond your on way of thinking and be capable of accepting other peoples way of life. I have met and hung out with people that were lesbian and gay; however, I never met anyone that I am aware of that was a transgender. The broadcast about the two little boys that thought they were little girls trapped in a boys body was very enlightening. The challenges that they had to face along with their families. I have worked with girls and boys that enjoyed doing what was considered to society as the role of the opposity gender, but all of them accepted the gender that they were born with.
Luci
Reference:
Spiegel, A. (2008). Two families grapple with sons'gender identity: Pshychologist take radical approaches in therapy. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2008/05/07/90247842/two-families-grapple-with-sons-gender-preferences
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that it should matter what toys or centers a child wants to play with. Children learn while they are playing imitating what they observe in the world around them. I do not feel that children should be discouraged from playing with any toy because it is a "girl" or "boy" toy.
Crystal
Hi Suzanne, Very wonderful insight into the topic. The readings do resonate with me and the homophobia story is like reading about myself. As an educator I am open to supporting children’s socio-emotional development. As a woman of faith, I have to pray to God to reveal to me that it is okay for a man to be in love with another man or a woman infatuated with another woman. I see a society with moral decadence and just like Dr. Zucker pointed out if a child who was black wanted so badly to become white, are we going to bleach him into a white person? I feel like someone with obsolete ideas and I struggle with these issues of same sex and transgender a lot. It is mind boggling and I know change is hard to come by easily maybe thirty years from now it would become the norm and the issue would be laid to rest. Thanks though for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you brought up the boy scenario and wanting to dress and play stereotypical female roles. I once was a teacher assistant in a classroom in which the lead teacher absolutely refused to let the boys dress-up in girl's clothes and even called one of the boys fruitty because he displayed a sensitive side. Granted she had been teaching for over 25 years but her curriculum had become more of a personal bias than that of multiculturalism. Great post, very insightful!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne,
ReplyDeleteI agree that I would be uncomfortable teaching children about homosexuality. However, I have learned that homosexuality is a part of the world. As an educator, I must teach children about diversity and different people. Therefore, I would teach homosexuality through books and movies that were age appropriate.
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog and thought you were very thorough and had exceptional use of references. I too am uncomfortable with presenting those types of materials due to the major conflict in beliefs that I may have but also that of other families. It is a situation that is difficult to judge because of the very personal nature of the subject. Thanks for your blog!
Suzanne
ReplyDeleteI believe that it depends on whether or not a center or classroom consist of families who are the same sex exist in their program. If the parents are an active participant within the program and classroom then i believe books and stories should be available in case children become interested or curious about why one child may say they have two moms or two dads.