One teacher’s approach to preventing gender bullying in a classroom
Alie arrived at our 1st-grade classroom wearing a sweatshirt with a hood. I asked her to take off her hood, and she refused. I thought she was just being difficult and ignored it. After breakfast we got in line for art, and I noticed that she still had not removed her hood. When we arrived at the art room, I said: “Allie, I’m not playing. It’s time for art. The rule is no hoods or hats in school.”
She looked up with tears in her eyes and I realized there was something wrong. Her classmates went into the art room and we moved to the art storage area so her classmates wouldn’t hear our conversation. I softened my tone and asked her if she’d like to tell me what was wrong.
“My ponytail,” she cried.
“Can I see?” I asked.
She nodded and pulled down her hood. Allie’s braids had come undone overnight and there hadn’t been time to redo them in the morning, so they had to be put back in a ponytail. It was high up on the back of her head like those of many girls in our class, but I could see that to Allie it just felt wrong. With Allie’s permission, I took the elastic out and re-braided her hair so it could hang down.
“How’s that?” I asked.
She smiled. “Good,” she said and skipped off to join her friends in art.
‘Why Do You Look Like a Boy?’
This is great. I hope that there are more teachers doing this– teaching children at a young age that it’s OK to be who you are in your heart, whether that’s a boy, a girl, or something in between. That you can love who you love. That you can be a girl in all the stereotypical ways and still like to play with Hot Wheels, or a boy who likes to play with dolls.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a place where I could cut all my hair off in fifth grade, tell people to call me “Joe,” and have it be OK. I mean, I was one of the weird kids, but I was one of the weird kids anyway. I know it’s not like that for everyone, and so seeing things like this make me happy. Teaching our children understanding, tolerance, and love isn’t “indoctrinating” them into anything, it’s not part of some “liberal agenda” intended to tear apart the fabric of our society. If anything, it’s weaving that fabric even tighter. It’s saying “you are not alone,” it’s saying “you are loved and can love in return,” and it’s helping everyone, children and grown ups, to work together to make the world a better, brighter place.
Also, William’s Doll is awesome and you should buy a copy for yourself and everyone you know.
(via konfusionwithak)
- December 20 2011 | 37101 Notes - Comments - Read More →
