Can you believe the 2021-2022 school year is coming to an end? Durham PreK teachers, teacher assistants, and directors have been working hard all year to increase classroom quality for children in Durham County!
Durham PreK is a local investment by Durham County Government in high-quality early childhood experiences for all children in Durham. Classroom quality is dependent on a number of factors, and two of the ways Durham PreK prioritizes is are having a highly-qualified workforce and strengthening teacher-child interactions.
Durham PreK lead teachers are required to have or be working toward an NC Birth-through-Kindergarten (B-K) License, and Durham PreK directors are required to become certified Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS©) Observers to support their teachers. This year, many lead teachers worked toward their B-K Licenses and many directors achieved their CLASS© certification. You can find the full list of celebrations below!
In addition to all of these accomplishments, many assistant teachers also worked with their Technical Assistance Specialists to begin higher degree programs, too! We are so proud of their hard work in and outside of the classroom.
We want to extend a special "thank you" to the Technical Assistance Team for supporting Durham PreK teachers, teacher assistants, and directors every day! They work year round to make sure Durham PreK staff have the resources and support they need to succeed.
They shared the following accomplishments your children's teachers have achieved this school year. We hope you'll join us in celebrating them!
Teachers who Enrolled in an Early Childhood Education Degree Program
One of Durham PreK's priorities is to have highly-qualified staff who are best prepared to teach your children during their pre-K year. To reach that goal, Technical Assistance Specialists support the higher learning plans of each teacher in need of an additional degree or certification, or those who want to further their education at a higher level. Many teachers and teacher assistants started their degree or certification programs this year.
Congratulations to each of you!
- Tierra Garret, a teacher assistant from Brown's Early Learning School, enrolled at Durham Technical Community College with a scholarship from T.E.A.C.H.
- Felicia Strater, a teacher assistant from Childcare Network, Inc. #57, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at Gardner Webb University.
- Vianey Campos , a teacher assistant from Another Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center, enrolled at Wake Technical Community College. She will begin her practicum in the fall!
- Rena Salguero, a lead teacher from Yates Baptist Child Development Center, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at East Carolina University. She completed her student teaching with Wake County Public Schools!
- Tiandra Johnson, a lead teacher from Childcare Network, Inc. #166, enrolled in the Residency Licensure program at the University of Mount Olive.
- Adrienne Davis, a lead teacher from Childcare Network, Inc. #166, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at North Carolina A&T.
- Sharelle Torian, a lead teacher from Triangle Day Care Center, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at Catawba College.
- Debbie Timmons, a lead teacher from Randy's 5 Star Academy is enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at the University of Mount Olive.
- Angie Nichols, a lead teacher from Primary Colors Early Learning Center, has been accepted at the UNC Greensboro Birth-through-Kindergarten program for the fall semester!
Directors who Achieved CLASS Observer Re-certification
Durham PreK Directors must attend a CLASS© Observer training and pass their certification assessment as one of the program requirements. CLASS© is an "observational instrument developed [...] to assess classroom quality in PK-12 classrooms." It assesses teacher-child interactions through classroom organization, social-emotional learning, and instructional support. Durham PreK uses CLASS© observations to help determine classroom quality during the RFA process, so when directors are certified observers, they are able to utilize their training to support their teachers.
Congratulations to each of you!
- Dalphia Murphy from Randy's 5 Star Academy
- LaDrenna Jackson from Leathers Meachem Head Start
- Amy Boyette from Children's Campus at Southpoint
- Brenda Carter from Oxford Manor Head Start
- Ada Terry from Childcare Network, Inc. #57
- June Shillito from Yates Baptist Child Development Center
- Kara Turner from Primary Colors Early Learning Center
Community of Practice Highlights
Durham PreK teachers participate in a Community of Practice where they share experiences, learn from each other, and collaborate on new ideas. Each month, one of the teachers presents on an topic in early childhood education they're passionate about or on a lesson they did with their students.
January
In January, Ms. Morgan from Creative Schools at Davis Park was the "Featured Teacher," and the theme was Vocabulary, Literacy, and Play. She shared the ways in which she incorporates these in her classroom's center time with her colleagues.
March
Ms. Gina Allen from White Rock Child Development Center was the "Featured Teacher" for the March Community or Practice! The theme of that month's meeting was "creativity," so Ms. Gina shared the different strategies she used to promote creativity, curiosity, and imaginative play in her classroom!
This presentation inspired Ms. Sharelle and Ms. Beverly at Triangle Day Care Center to incorporate some of Ms. Gina's ideas into their classroom! They used cardboard boxes, stickers, cupcake liners, paper plates, crayons, and markers to express their creativity and make their own cars. Then the whole class used their cars to drive around the classroom!
April
In April, Ms. Kimberly Toth from Primary Colors Early Learning Center was the "Featured Teacher." The theme in April was Physical Development, so Ms. Kimberly presented her strategies on promoting fine and gross motor skills in her classroom!
While teachers in Durham PreK classrooms teach in a variety of different settings (in Head Start classrooms, at community-based programs, or in DPS elementary schools), the Community of Practice meetings give them an opportunity to work together, and as the name suggests, build a community.
Personal Highlights, Celebrations, and Accomplishments
One special aspect of technical assistance is the relationships that are built between teachers, teacher assistants, and directors and their Technical Assistance Specialist. This relationship is the foundation for a supportive learning environment, and it includes sharing personal wins with each other! Below are some of the many personal highlight that your teachers have celebrated this year.
- Mrs. Kiana from White Rock Child Development got married on April 9th. "Best wishes and congratulations on your marriage!" - from Technical Assistance Specialist, Kamika Henderson
- Ms. Angie from Primary Colors Early Learning Center celebrated the birth of her baby girl in April! Congratulations, Ms. Angie!
Can you believe the 2021-2022 school year is coming to an end? Your students have worked hard all year, and so have our Durham PreK teachers and directors! Our Technical Assistance Team shared the following accomplishments your children's teachers have achieved this school year! Check them out below!
Teachers who Enrolled in an Early Childhood Education Degree Program
One of Durham PreK's priorities is to have highly-qualified staff who are best prepared to teach your children during their pre-K year. To reach that goal, Technical Assistance Specialists support the higher learning plans of each teacher in need of an additional degree or certification, or those who want to further their education at a higher level. Many teachers and teacher assistants started their degree or certification programs this year.
Congratulations to each of you!
- Tierra Garret, a teacher assistant from Brown's Early Learning School, enrolled at Durham Technical Community College with a scholarship from T.E.A.C.H.
- Felicia Strater, a teacher assistant from Childcare Network, Inc. #57, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at Gardner Webb University.
- Vianey Campos , a teacher assistant from Another Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center, enrolled at Wake Technical Community College. She will begin her practicum in the fall!
- Rena Salguero, a lead teacher from Yates Baptist Child Development Center, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at East Carolina University. She completed her student teaching with Wake County Public Schools!
- Tiandra Johnson, a lead teacher from Childcare Network, Inc. #166, enrolled in the Residency Licensure program at the University of Mount Olive.
- Adrienne Davis, a lead teacher from Childcare Network, Inc. #166, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at North Carolina A&T.
- Sharelle Torian, a lead teacher from Triangle Day Care Center, enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at Catawba College.
- Debbie Timmons, a lead teacher from Randy's 5 Star Academy is enrolled in the Birth-through-Kindergarten program at the University of Mount Olive.
- Angie Nichols, a lead teacher from Primary Colors Early Learning Center, has been accepted at the UNC Greensboro Birth-through-Kindergarten program for the fall semester!
Directors who Achieved CLASS Observer Re-certification
Durham PreK Directors must attend a Classroom Assessment Scoring System© (CLASS©) Observer training and pass their certification assessment as one of the program requirements. CLASS© is an "observational instrument developed [...] to assess classroom quality in PK-12 classrooms." It assesses teacher-child interactions through classroom organization, social-emotional learning, and instructional support. Durham PreK uses CLASS© observations to help determine classroom quality during the RFA process, so when directors are certified observers, they are able to utilize their training to support their teachers.
Congratulations to each of you!
- Dalphia Murphy from Randy's 5 Star Academy
- LaDrenna Jackson from Leathers Meachem Head Start
- Amy Boyette from Children's Campus at Southpoint
- Brenda Carter from Oxford Manor Head Start
- Ada Terry from Childcare Network, Inc. #57
- June Shillito from Yates Baptist Child Development Center
- Kara Turner from Primary Colors Early Learning Center
Community of Practice Highlights
Durham PreK teachers participate in a Community of Practice where they share experiences, learn from each other, and collaborate on new ideas. Each month, one of the teachers presents on an topic in early childhood education they're passionate about or on a lesson they did with their students.
January
In January, Ms. Morgan from Creative Schools at Davis Park was the "Featured Teacher," and the theme was Vocabulary, Literacy, and Play. She shared the ways in which she incorporates these in her classroom's center time with her colleagues.
March
Ms. Gina Allen from White Rock Child Development Center was the "Featured Teacher" for the March Community or Practice! The theme of that month's meeting was "creativity," so Ms. Gina shared the different strategies she used to promote creativity, curiosity, and imaginative play in her classroom!
This presentation inspired Ms. Sharelle and Ms. Beverly at Triangle Day Care Center to incorporate some of Ms. Gina's ideas into their classroom! They used cardboard boxes, stickers, cupcake liners, paper plates, crayons, and markers to express their creativity and make their own cars. Then the whole class used their cars to drive around the classroom!
April
In April, Ms. Kimberly Toth from Primary Colors Early Learning Center was the "Featured Teacher." The theme in April was Physical Development, so Ms. Kimberly presented her strategies on promoting fine and gross motor skills in her classroom!
While teachers in Durham PreK classrooms teach in a variety of different settings (in Head Start classrooms, at community-based programs, or in DPS elementary schools), the Community of Practice meetings give them an opportunity to work together, and as the name suggests, build a community.
Personal Highlights, Celebrations, and Accomplishments
One special aspect of technical assistance is the relationships that are built between teachers, teacher assistants, and directors and their Technical Assistance Specialist. This relationship is the foundation for a supportive learning environment, and it includes sharing personal wins with each other! Below are some of the many personal highlight that your teachers have celebrated this year.
- Mrs. Kiana from White Rock Child Development got married on April 9th. "Best wishes and congratulations on your marriage!" - from Technical Assistance Specialist, Kamika Henderson
- Ms. Angie from Primary Colors Early Learning Center celebrated the birth of her baby girl in April! Congratulations, Ms. Angie!
Can you believe we are already approaching the New Year? Durham PreK classrooms have been working hard this year to learn, develop social skills, and prepare for kindergarten! Teachers and directors have also been dedicated to their professional development goals to support their high quality practices. Let’s check out some highlights from a few of our Durham PreK centers!
At White Rock Child Development Center, Mrs. Gina and Ms. Kiana engaged students in a STEM lesson about foundational physics and mathematics ideas! Students made predictions about which ball would roll the fastest down the hallway, then they tested their hypothesis by rolling balls of different sizes and weights to see what really determined their speed! This introduced children to the scientific process of asking questions, making predictions, and testing for results. This kind of inquiry- and play-based learning is something Durham PreK values in each classroom. Click here to read more about learning in Durham PreK.
The students at White Rock Child Development Center and students at Randy’s Five Star Academy both learned about pumpkins to celebrate the fall. At White Rock, the children visited a pumpkin patch together and each picked out a pumpkin to decorate for the fall festival contest. At Randy’s Five Star Academy, students learned about the life cycle of pumpkins and turned their dramatic play station into a pretend pumpkin stand. Dramatic play is a classroom station that encourages imagination, creativity, and problem-solving around ideas or places children love – like the pumpkin patch!
In addition to our hard working teachers and students, we want to shout out a few of our dedicated directors! Directors Amy Boyette (Children’s Campus at Southpoint) and LaToya McCrimmons (Durham Public Schools) passed their Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Observer training! CLASS is a classroom evaluation system Durham PreK uses to assess classroom quality and to inform professional development plans between teachers and their coaches (technical assistance specialists).
The last two years have been difficult for us all, including teachers, classroom assistants, directors, students, and families, but we are proud of the effort each and every one of them has put into providing quality care to all Durham PreK children and families.
We hope you have a happy holiday season!
Durham PreK is committed to high-quality early education, and one way we support that is through weekly technical assistance and coaching with Durham PreK teachers and directors. Each month, we highlight some of the incredible work our teachers and students are doing. Check out the highlights from March and April below!
Classroom Highlights
Another Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center
In December of 2020 Durham PreK completed CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System®) in all of our Durham PreK classrooms. Rosalind scored well in the Emotional Support domain, which looks at children’s social and emotional functioning in the classroom, and Classroom Organization, which includes a broad array of classroom processes related to the organization and management of students’ behavior, time, and attention in the classroom.
"TA support is such a positive tool allowing the teachers to access weekly support as they work on strengthening their instruction and interactions with children."
Rosalind and Nita, her Technical Assistant, identified the Instructional Support domain as an area of growth. They created a professional development plan with goals centered on ways to shift her focus on the content of learning activities to the implementation of those activities and how to measure their effectiveness for supporting cognitive and language development. Since working together, Rosalind has successfully incorporated what she's learned from Nita!
Nita said, "I witnessed the following: Rosalind using strategies and questions to help children obtain a deeper understanding of concepts through the use of problem solving, exploration, and applying knowledge to their real life experiences."
Nita says they will continue to work on this domain for the remainder of the year.
Childcare Network, Inc. #166
Lead Teacher Tiandra Johnson is currently participating in our Making the Most of Classroom Interactions (MMCI) cohort. MMCI is a 12-session comprehensive training using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®). In their weekly TA meetings, Nita and Tiandra discuss the prior session’s dimensions and brainstorm ways to make to incorporate what she learned into her classroom.
Connecting TA to the 12-week program allows the opportunity to reinforce what is learned and to support implementation in the classroom.
Tiandra has grown exponentially in the area of classroom interactions. Tiandra has submitted videos for Nita's feedback, and has taken the strategies and suggestions Nita has offered to heart and included them in her lessons.
Great improvement has occurred for the following dimensions:
- Regard for Student Perspectives - which looks at how the teacher intentionally and consistently places emphasis on children’s interest motivations, and points of view.
- Instructional Learning Formats - which looks at how the teacher makes the most of children’s interest, engagement and ability to learn from lessons and activities.
Triangle Day Care Center
Ms. Abigail and Ms. Britteny have been working towards promoting students' higher-order thinking skills and cognition. They have implemented several activities that align with the CLASS dimension Concept Development - indicator Analysis and Reasoning!
One activity was a sound experiment that used different size glasses and explored with their students what sound empty glasses made versus glasses with water added. The students were also able to make predictions on what would happen when colors are mixed together.
As a STEM project, while talking about buildings, their class read The Three Little Pigs, and each student was able to use marshmallows and toothpicks to build a house. When they were done building, the wolf (a hairdryer) tried to blow each house down. If the "wolf" blew it down, students used their creative thinking skills and came up with a way to make their house sturdier.
Ms. Sharelle and Ms. Beverly have provided opportunities for students to take on different responsibilities in their classroom. Each student can pick a different classroom job, such as line leader, calendar helper, light helper and a new job called "mask manager". These opportunities align with CLASS dimension: Regard for Student Perspectives - indicator Support for Autonomy and Leadership.
During the month of March Ms. Shamika and Ms. D'Asia's class focused on the use of advanced language while introducing the topic natural disasters to students. During group time discussions, new vocabulary introduced to students were earthquakes, volcanoes, tornado, damage and danger. Visuals and videos were used to clarify the new vocabulary terms. These examples of new vocabulary being introduced to students is aligned with CLASS dimension Language Modeling - indicator Advance Language.
What a wonderful glimpse into the classrooms at Triangle Day Care!
Teacher Testimonials
"I’m so grateful. Everything is really great and is very helpful to me. Any feedback I can get, I learn a lot from it to make me a better teacher.” - Kimberly Toth, teacher at Primary Colors Early Learning Center
“I like CLASS as an assessment better than ECERS. It focuses on teachers, their interactions, and what they are doing with children. It gets the children talking [and] having conversations, and expressing themselves will go a lot further when they go off to kindergarten. ECERS component looks at the way you talk to the children and the interactions. CLASS takes it to another level and broadens that. PAS is a useful tool that can help directors with leadership skills and other areas like effective staff evaluations, staff observation and policies in place." - Karyn Wilkerson
Happy Birthday!
Kiana McMillan - March 17th
Cassandra Wise - March 19th
Brenda Jones - March 23rd
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Brenda Stephenson from White Rock CDC! Brenda S. was the $50 Kaplan raffle winner at the 2021 ASK Conference. Brenda shared that she is planning purchase an item for her classroom.
Cassandra Wise received a certificate from Durham Tech for completing the Teaching Adult Learners 6-week course.
Ms. Murphy at Randy's Five Star Academy, Inc. has implemented a new system for recognizing staff for their years of service. She treated all staff to dinner and each staff that was recognized had the opportunity to spin the wheel for a chance to win a prize. Some prizes were free pedicure, manicure, or lunch provided by the director.
Thank you to all of our wonderful Durham PreK Directors, Teachers and Teacher Assistants, and to the Durham PreK Technical Assistants for sharing these highlights with us.
Do you want to add a shoutout for a teacher? Comment below and let us know!
Rompiendo los estereotipos con los niños en edad preescolar
Este mes, hablamos con la Sra. Belle Bayron del Children 's Campus en Southpoint sobre cómo abordar los estereotipos con los niños en edad preescolar. Los niños comienzan a aprender acerca de los estereotipos durante sus primeros años e incluso comienzan a reconocerlos cuando ingresan a pre kínder. Es posible que tenga algunas ideas de los estereotipos comunes que los niños comienzan a notar, como la creencia de que solo los niños pueden jugar con herramientas y que jugar a disfrazarse es para las niñas. Sin embargo, los miembros de la familia como usted pueden alterar los sistemas de creencias basados en estereotipos como adultos de confianza en la vida de su hijo. Este artículo incluye información de la Sra. Bayron sobre cómo abordar los estereotipos en el salón de clase y la información adicional proporcionada por Durham PreK.
¿Cuáles son algunos ejemplos de estereotipos que los niños comienzan a aprender a una edad temprana?
Muchos estereotipos comunes se centran en diferentes identidades raciales o étnicas o de género y pueden afectar el desarrollo, el rendimiento académico e incluso las opciones profesionales de los niños cuando son adultos. La Sra. Bayron enumeró algunos ejemplos que ha escuchado en su salón de clases, y más adelante en la entrevista, hablamos sobre las formas en que ha hablado con los niños sobre esos estereotipos.
- "Los niños usan sombreros de construcción".
- "Las muñecas son para niñas y los autos son solo para niños".
- “¿Por qué tienes el pelo corto? Las niñas deben tener el pelo largo".
¿Cómo convierten los profesores estas conversaciones en momentos de enseñanza?
La Sra. Bayron dijo: "Cuando escucho a mis estudiantes hablar y actuar basándose en estereotipos, siempre hago un comentario para unirse a su conversación, [porque] quiero escuchar sus pensamientos e ideas".
A menudo, los niños no saben que lo que están diciendo es un estereotipo porque estas ideas se las enseñan otros adultos de confianza, anuncios de televisión, libros y más. Escuchar la conversación para ver qué los motivó a decir o actuar en consecuencia puede ayudar a guiar la conversación hacia la inclusión.
La Sra. Bayron se ha encontrado con muchas preguntas de niños que pueden no entender que lo que preguntan se basa en un estereotipo. Ella dijo: “Muchas veces me preguntaron por qué llevo una camisa azul con cuello, por qué tengo el pelo corto, por qué usó una mochila grande y gruesa, por qué zapatillas negras y mucho más. […] Trabajando en pre kínder, debes tener una respuesta lista contigo todo el tiempo, y cuando [preguntan] siempre aprovecho esta oportunidad [como una] oportunidad para comenzar a hablar con ellos".
La Sra. Bayron nos dijo que la conversación con la niña sobre por qué lleva una camisa azul si es una niña, podría sonar así:
Instructora: “Me alegra que me preguntes por qué llevo una camisa azul con cuello. El azul es uno de mis colores favoritos y tengo algunas camisetas que se ven así".
Estudiante: “A mí también me gusta el azul, pero el azul es para los niños. Mi mamá dice que puedo usar una camisa azul y mi hermana puede usar rosa".
"Lo que importa es que estés feliz".
Instructora: “Tu mami dice que puedes vestirte de azul y tu hermana puede vestirse de rosa. Respeto la opinión de tu mamá, ¡pero creo que las chicas pueden vestirse de azul como tú! Todos estos colores son hermosos para todos y para que todos los disfruten. Todos podemos usar cualquier color de camisa, vestido, zapatos o mochila. Verde, amarillo, naranja, morado, blanco. No importa el color de la camiseta que uses, lo que importa es que eres feliz".
¿Qué deben hacer las familias si creen que su hijo está actuando basándose en estereotipos para ayudar a su hijo a ver que los estereotipos son injustos y dañinos?
La Sra. Bayron sugiere que la familia tenga una conversación amable con su hijo y deje que las palabras salgan de su corazón. Ella ofrece estos consejos:
- Pregúntele a su hijo de dónde provienen las ideas para darle la oportunidad de expresarse mientras escucha.
- Señale el comportamiento preocupante con un ejemplo específico.
- Habla con compasión y amor para crear un momento de enseñanza en lugar de un castigo.
- Guíe la conversación según la comprensión del niño y el contexto de la situación.
¡Otra estrategia es leer libros que refuten el estereotipo! Los padres pueden hacer esto regularmente con libros de todo tipo, pero también pueden leer un libro específico del estereotipo que están aprendiendo juntos. Los libros tienen morales y lecciones que hacen que los temas difíciles sean fáciles de entender con historias y dibujos identificables. Puede encontrar una lista de libros que combaten los estereotipos contra las identidades raciales y étnicas aquí y las sugerencias de la Sra. Bayron al final de este artículo.
No todas las situaciones serán iguales para todos los niños o todos los estereotipos, pero como padres, tutores o cuidadores, usted tiene el poder de compensar cualquier influencia de programas de televisión, juguetes, comerciales y otras interacciones sociales. Los niños aprenden mucho a través de la observación, especialmente a una edad temprana. Por lo tanto, dar ejemplo, ser honesto con sus propios prejuicios hacia los demás, trabajar activamente para reducirlos y mostrar paciencia a sí mismo y a su hijo promoverá creencias saludables sobre los demás.
¿Qué deben hacer las familias si creen que su hijo está actuando basándose en estereotipos para ayudar a su hijo a ver que los estereotipos son injustos y dañinos?
La Sra. Bayron sugiere que la familia tenga una conversación amable con su hijo y deje que las palabras salgan de su corazón. Ella ofrece estos consejos:
- Pregúntele a su hijo de dónde provienen las ideas para darle la oportunidad de expresarse mientras escucha.
- Señale el comportamiento preocupante con un ejemplo específico.
- Habla con compasión y amor para crear un momento de enseñanza en lugar de un castigo.
- Guíe la conversación según la comprensión del niño y el contexto de la situación.
¡Otra estrategia es leer libros que refuten el estereotipo! Los padres pueden hacer esto regularmente con libros de todo tipo, pero también pueden leer un libro específico del estereotipo que están aprendiendo juntos. Los libros tienen morales y lecciones que hacen que los temas difíciles sean fáciles de entender con historias y dibujos identificables. Puede encontrar una lista de libros que combaten los estereotipos contra las identidades raciales y étnicas aquí y las sugerencias de la Sra. Bayron al final de este artículo.
No todas las situaciones serán iguales para todos los niños o todos los estereotipos, pero como padres, tutores o cuidadores, usted tiene el poder de compensar cualquier influencia de programas de televisión, juguetes, comerciales y otras interacciones sociales. Los niños aprenden mucho a través de la observación, especialmente a una edad temprana. Por lo tanto, dar ejemplo, ser honesto con sus propios prejuicios hacia los demás, trabajar activamente para reducirlos y mostrar paciencia a sí mismo y a su hijo promoverá creencias saludables sobre los demás.
Si un padre o tutor nota que su hijo está perdiendo interés en sus actividades favoritas debido al juicio de sus amigos basado en estereotipos, ¿qué deben hacer?
“Creo que nadie puede acercarse más al corazón del niño [que] sus padres. La comunicación y la conversación son siempre la clave”, dijo la Sra. Bayron. Cuando un padre nota que su hijo pierde interés en sus actividades favoritas, o hace comentarios como, "Mi amigo dice que los niños no hacen eso", a menudo son desgarradores, pero hay formas de sanar esos sentimientos y desarrollar la confianza del niño para superar. estereotipos!
La Sra. Bayron anima a los padres a tranquilizar a sus hijos diciéndoles que hagan lo que los haga felices y no lo que los demás piensen que deberían estar haciendo. Ella dice: “No dejes de hacer algo que amas y te inspire escuchando los estereotipos de las personas. No puedes poner tu felicidad en sus manos. Tú eres responsable de tu propia felicidad, no de ellos".
Hablar con el maestro de su hijo también es una opción, especialmente si los incidentes ocurren en la escuela. Pregúntele si el maestro ha notado los mismos comportamientos, o incluso hágale saber sus preocupaciones para que también las ponga en su radar. Es posible que tengan consejos para que los padres lo prueben en casa, y pueden conversar con el niño en el salón de clase sobre no permitir que el juicio de los demás les impida hacer lo que los hace felices.
¿Cómo pueden los padres defender los estereotipos en casa?
Además de lo que la Sra. Bayron ya ha mencionado, sugiere permitir que los niños elijan sus intereses libremente, ya sea que eso signifique elegir el deporte que quieren jugar, las actividades que les gusta hacer o los juguetes que disfrutan. “Dales la oportunidad de decidir por sí mismos con orientación. Déjelos explorar y aprender el mundo real. Apoya a tus hijos y hazles sentir que siempre estás ahí".
Una vez más, los niños aprenden mucho simplemente mediante la observación. Así que una de las mejores formas de crear un entorno de aprendizaje en el hogar imparcial es ser un ejemplo vivo de alguien que evita pensar o actuar basándose en estereotipos.
¿Tiene alguna sugerencia de libros para niños para aprender sobre los estereotipos?
La Sra. Bayron ha disfrutado de los siguientes libros:
- El niño que cultivó flores (The Boy Who Grew Flowers)
- La casa que construyó Lou (The House that Lou Built)
- Morris Micklewhite y el vestido de mandarina (Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress)
- Bailarina Nate (Ballerino Nate)
Esperamos que este artículo con información de la Sra. Belle Bayron sea un recurso útil para enseñarle a su hijo sobre los estereotipos en el hogar.
¡Si desea compartir su experiencia con nosotros en los comentarios, podemos incluir algunos en nuestras ediciones futuras o en línea!
Breaking Down Stereotypes with Pre-K Aged Children
This month, we talked to Ms. Belle Bayron from Children’s Campus at Southpoint about addressing stereotypes with pre-K aged children. Children begin to learn about stereotypes during their earliest years, and even begin to recognize them by the time they enter pre-K. You may have some ideas of common stereotypes children start to notice, such as the belief that only boys can play with tools and playing dress up is for girls. However, family members like you can disrupt belief systems based on stereotypes as a trusted adult in your child’s life. In this interview, we ask Ms. Bayron about stereotypes children learn and how families can talk about them at home.
What are some examples of stereotypes children begin to learn at a young age?
Many common stereotypes center on different racial or ethnic identities or gender and can affect children’s development, academic performance, and even career choices as adults. Ms. Bayron listed some examples she has heard in her classroom, and further in the interview, we talk about ways she has talked to children about those stereotypes.
- “Boys wear construction hats.”
- “Dolls are for girls and cars are only for boys.”
- “Why is your hair short? Girls should have long hair.”
How do teachers turn these conversations into teaching moments?
“When I hear my students talking and acting based on stereotypes, I always make it a point that I’ll step in and will join their conversation, [because] I want to hear their thoughts and ideas.”
Often times, children do not know that what they’re saying is a stereotype because these ideas are taught to them by other trusted adults, T.V. commercials, books, and more. Listening to the conversation to see what prompted them to say or act on it can help guide the conversation toward inclusivity.
“Many times I was asked why I am wearing a blue shirt with a collar, why do I have short hair, why am I using a big and thick backpack, why black sneakers and a lot more! […] Working in pre-K you must have an answer ready with you all the time, and when they [ask] I always take this opportunity [as an] open window to start talking to them.”
Ms. Bayron says the conversation with the child about why she is wearing a blue shirt if she is a girl might sound like this:
Teacher: “I am glad you asked me why I am wearing a blue shirt with a collar. Blue is one of my favorite colors and I have a few shirts that look like this.”
Student: “I like blue, too, but blue is for boys. My mommy says I can wear a blue shirt and my sister can wear pink.”
Teacher: “Your mommy says you can wear blue and your sister can wear pink. I respect your mommy’s opinion, but I think girls can wear blue just like you! All of these colors are beautiful for everyone and are for everyone to enjoy. We all can wear any color of shirt, dress, shoes or backpack. Green, yellow, orange, purple, white. It doesn’t matter what color shirt you wear, what matters is that you're happy."
What should families do if they believe their child is acting based on stereotypes in order to help their child see that stereotypes are unfair and hurtful?
Ms. Bayron suggests the family have a gentle conversation with their child and letting the words come from their hearts. She offers these tips:
- Ask your child where the ideas came from to give them the opportunity to express themselves as you listen.
- Point out the concerning behavior with a specific example.
- Speak with compassion and love to create a teaching moment instead of a punishment.
- Guide the conversation based on the child’s understanding and the context of the situation.
Another strategy is to read books that disprove the stereotype! Parents can do this regularly with books of all kinds, but they can also read a book specific to the stereotype they’re learning about together. Books have morals and lessons that make difficult topics easy to understand with relatable stories and drawings. You can find a list of books that combat stereotypes against racial and ethnic identities here and Mrs. Bayron's suggestions at the end of this article.
Not every situation will be the same for every child or every stereotype, but as parents, guardians, or caregivers, you have the power to offset any influence from T.V. shows, toys, commercials, and other social interactions. Children learn so much through observation, especially at a young age. So setting an example, being honest with your own biases toward others, actively working on reducing them, and showing yourself and your child patience will all promote healthy beliefs about others.
If a parent or guardian notices their child is losing interest in their favorite activities due to judgement from friends based on stereotypes, what should they do?
“I believe no one can come closer to the heart of the child [than] their parents. Communication and conversation is always the key.” When a parent notices their child losing interest in their favorite activities, or making comments such as, “My friend says boys don’t do that,” are often heartbreaking, but there are ways to heal those feelings and build a child’s confidence to overcome stereotyping!
Ms. Bayron encourages parents to reassure their child by telling them to do what makes them happy and not what others think they should be doing. She says, “Don’t stop yourself from doing something that you love and inspire you by listening to stereotypes of people. You cannot put your happiness in their hands. You are responsible for your own happiness not them.”
Talking to their child’s teacher is also an option, especially if the incidents are happening at school. Ask if the teacher has noticed the same behaviors, or even just let the teacher know your concerns to put them on his or her radar, as well. They might have advice for parents to try at home, and can have conversations with the child in the classroom about not letting judgement from others keep them from doing what makes them happy.
How can parents advocate against stereotypes at home?
In addition to what Ms. Bayron has already mentioned, she suggests allowing children to choose their interests freely, whether that means choosing the sport they want to play, activities they like to do, or toys they enjoy. “Give them the opportunity to decide on their own with guidance. Let them explore and learn the real world. Support your children and make them feel that you are always there.”
Again, children learn so much simply through observation. So one of the best ways to create an unbiased home learning environment is to be a living example of someone that avoids thinking or acting based on stereotypes.
Do you have any children’s book suggestions for learning about stereotypes?
I have few that I enjoyed reading before:
- The Boy Who Grew Flowers
- The House that Lou Built
- Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
- Ballerino Nate
We hope this interview with Ms. Belle Bayron is a helpful resource in teaching your child about stereotypes at home. If you want to share your experience with us in the comments, we may include some in our future issues or online!