We Don't Say Those Words in Class

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"<p>

I have witnessed many young children being reprimanded for pointing out a person’s disability, race, speech or type of clothing being worn. The incident that I witnessed was just recently and when I heard the child I wondered how the person it was directed at would react. The recent incident was when I was at the local grocery store and a child of about 6 or 7 years old was shopping with their mother. While in the checkout line the child blurted out to the store cashier “what happened to your face!” The mother instantly shushed the child and tried to change the subject. The store cashier however was amazing because they answered the child without issue. He took the time to explain to the child that he was burnt when he was a young teenager. He also explained that he had to grow new skin and that is why it’s different. When he was done the child’s curiosity seemed satisfied and even the mother’s embarrassment seemed to be eased.<p>

The message that was communicated was that we should not point out another’s disability in this manner. We should be cognizant of others feeling and not stare or blurt out questions in this way, this could have really hurt the cashiers feeling and made them feel like the center of attention and they are just doing their job. We would not want someone to stare or talk about us in this way.<p>

The way an anti-bias educator could handle the situation might be to sit down with the child after the incident and explain to them that what they did in the store was improper and hurtful to the cashier and it made other in the store uncomfortable. I would need to read books, and obtain pictures to help all children understand that differences are good and we should not ask questions out loud, questions should be asked in private so we don’t offend or hurt anyone. I would also need to review with the children any traits that the person might have and find a way to incorporate learning about burn victims and other types of physical disabilities they may come across. Through understanding how each person is a stepping stone to our society I can help the children by teaching to each topic that comes up in the classroom.<p>