Effects of Racism on Children and Families



Children and families who are subjected to racism suffer many effects, emotional, behavioral  and developmentally.

1- stress and health issues
2 -Social withdrawal
3 - Depression
4- Internalized oppression and feelings of inferiority


In the child in my class who was Arabic,  his family beliefs were different from the ones of the dominant culture in my class.  He looked and dressed different.  The children were not sure what to make of him and stayed to themselves.  They didn't not interact with this boy much.   Askash became withdrawn and I can see he was becoming self conscious.  His mother became concerned because even at home he was unhappy.  My assistant and I decided that we needed to rectify the situation.  We started to have the children take turns doing All about me posters.  This included what they like and do not like  pictures of their favorite characters, books, and family.  Once the children started to see that they had common interests  they began to play together and include Askash in their play.   It was good to see the stress dissipate no only for him but for his mother.  Once he felt he was part of the class he began to open up and flourish.

Comments

  1. Jennifer JohnsonJune 10, 2018 at 2:50 PM

    Stephanie,
    Great example of an ism that happens a lot in the classroom. I love how you and your assistant decided to take a positive action to rectify the situation happening in your classroom. I think doing an All About Me poster is a wonderful idea to help children get to know one another. I think children instantly see someone who is different from them and do not have the proper anti-bias education to know that being diverse is a wonderful thing. I love that the little boy and his mother began to feel more comfortable and a part of the class. That type of situation probably happens more than we would like to admit. It is important to remember to "talk with the family of the child on the receiving end of biased behavior a sit is to talk with the rejecting child's family. Explain what you have done to support their child's self-esteem" (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p. 36).
    Great job. Thanks for haring your thoughts with us.
    Jennifer

    Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.:NAEYC.

    ReplyDelete

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