Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words In Class!"

Children notice differences in others. Not only do they notice these differences, but they are quick to point them out. 

One time when we were at Target, I silenced my daughter. We were shopping for some new clothes, and we saw a woman with a prosthetic leg. My daughter loudly said "Mommy, where is that lady's leg? Why does her leg look like that?" My reaction was to immediately silence her and tell her to be quiet. 

My daughter meant nothing mean by this, she was simply just being curious and asking a question. By me silencing her, I not only silenced her curiosity, I also missed an opportunity to talk to her about differences. I sent the message that we should not talk about differences. This could have been a teachable moment, but instead I was embarrassed and uncomfortable. I also did not want the woman to have attention called to her and feel embarrassed (though I don't know if she would be or not). 

I think an anti-bias educator might have responded to this to support the child's understanding or a classroom's understanding by showing pictures of other people who have prosthetic legs. An anti-bias educator could also explain what a prosthetic leg is and why people may have them.