Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action

作为一所低年级学校, we are committed to making Waynflete a place of belonging for all students, 家庭, 和工作人员. In our continuing work on anti-bias and anti-racist teaching, we know it takes intentional work to reach this goal. It requires us to uncover and challenge our own biases, and to include diverse voices in our curriculum.

We have the benefit of many resources in this work. We had some fantastic leaders in the field of educational equity work with us during our opening meetings this past August, and many teachers engaged in faculty-led work this past summer. We are continuing our own bet365官网ing this school year through professional development led by both outside experts and 较低的学校 faculty who bring knowledge and passion to our work. Our work is guided by a shared goal to raise children who are critical thinkers and problem solvers who will work to make their communities more just. We are bet365官网ing that it takes more than teaching children to be kind. Using what we know about child development as a guide, we need to help children understand their own and others’ identities, teach them about the value of 多样性, and help them create 正义 through action. 

We also think about how privilege shapes our understanding of a topic. 例如, someone who is financially stable may worry that bet365官网ing about 贫困 will be too upsetting for their child. But if a child in 贫困 is old enough to understand what it means to not have enough, a child who isn’t living in 贫困 is old enough to understand that the problem of 贫困 exists. To work toward a world that is just for all people means that we will sometimes feel uncomfortable. Wrestling with discomfort can help propel us into action.

We know that many parents are curious about what anti-bias and anti-racist teaching look like in practice at Waynflete. Here are some recent examples from our classrooms:

儿童早期

An EC student asked a teacher about a family photo hanging on display in the classroom: “Is that a girl or a boy?老师回答说: “Have you ever heard of someone who is both a girl and a boy?” The child said no, and the teacher told him that that’s what this person is. Looking at the picture, the student said, “She looks like a girl because of her hair and face.” The teacher affirmed that we do often see girls with long hair, but that even though they have long hair, 那也不能说明她们是女孩. 最后的, 老师分享了, “Because this person isn’t just a girl, 我不叫她们“她”,因为他们不只是一个男孩, 我不叫他们“他”.相反，我称他们为“他们”!’”  The teacher followed up with the parents of the student, sharing about the conversation so they could understand the context and be ready for any questions that might come up.

杰克不是杰克, by Erica Silverman, sets the stage for conversations about the gender spectrum. Listening to this heartwarming tale about change and acceptance, students shared their own stories. It was clear that they are acutely aware of gender stereotypes.

 

Kindergarten-Grade 1

Advisors embark on what they call the Identity Project, where students consider themselves and all of their unique characteristics. 受这本书启发的展览 只有一个你, by Linda Krantz, celebrates traits that can be changed versus things that “just are.” Children are developing a sense of their own identity and engage in dialogue about what they notice about themselves. This starts them on the path to developing their own healthy sense of self and having empathy for others.

等级2 - 3

彼得·雷诺兹的书  说点什么! sets the stage for students to grapple with the concepts of fairness, equality, and 正义. Being careful observers of the world around them, students shared examples of in正义 we have seen:

 

• People not able to get the medicine they need
• People not being able to love or marry the people they want to
• People not treated fairly because of the color of their skin 
• People not being able to get the medicine they need

Students then developed their own definition of social 正义 and examined connections between social 正义 and social action.

等级4 - 5

Hanging on the walls in a classroom is chart paper depicting the class brainstorms:  

什么是同一性?

• 你怎么看你自己?
• 你想成为什么样的人?
• 你不是谁
• 你是谁/你喜欢什么

什么是偏见?  

• 联想/思维习惯
• 经验/情感
• 假设:文化、长相、性别 
• 恐惧——熟悉的和未知的

These are the themes that launched the Immigration thematic study. 全班同学正在读小说 前台, an honest account of the ups and downs of immigrant life in America in the early 1990s through the eyes of ten-year-old Mia Tang, 谁为正义而战, 反对种族主义, 贫困, 和欺凌. 

老师们也在用这本书 The Power Book: What is it, Who has it, and Why? to prompt discussions around the age-old questions of who has the power and what do they do with it.

 

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通过bet365官网的故事, 还有别人的故事, we engage with one another and strive to listen, bet365官网, 和同情. Stay tuned as we share more about how the themes of identity, 多样性, 正义, and action are infused in our day to day lives and curriculum in the 较低的学校!