I remember a time, because it just happened a few months ago when my grandma passes away. One of my dad’s best friends came to the funeral and he is in a wheelchair. He was in a diving accident and became paralyzed from the waist down. Well my niece Brailynn (age 4) was standing by my dad as he was talking to Levi and Brailynn kept staring and staring at him. Finally she said out loud “why are you in there?” My dad hushed her and Levi just smiled. My dad’s friend has young grandchildren of his own and he is use to this question. I am sure I even asked it when I was young, because he has been wheelchair bound for a lot of years. As I continued to observe that little trio, Levi pulled Brailynn closer to him and told her in a child friendly way why he was in a wheelchair and how his legs didn’t work anymore. He even let her sit on his lap and he rolled her around a little bit. It was a simple answer and it worked for her. She didn’t need any more explanation.
I feel that what Brailynn got out of that conversation was that he hurt his “legs” and now he can’t walk anymore. She doesn’t understand what it means that he is paralyzed, but she does know that he wasn’t born that way. As I continued to watch her I overheard her tell her twin brother as she points again to Levi, that “he can’t walk, he hurt his legs” . I can possibly see that Brailynn might think that anyone who hurst their legs might end up in a wheelchair, but she remembers when my mom had hip surgery, and my mom’s leg hurt and Brailynn knew that she didn’t have to be in a wheelchair.
An Anti-bias teacher would have went further into the discussion, about how some people are born and they have to use a wheelchair early on, and how some people get in accidents and have to be in a wheelchair. “We also challenge bias about physical characteristics by providing images of lots of different body types” (Laureate Education, INC. n.d.). Asking questions and showing examples of different people is a great way to extend the discussion also. “Children can also broaden their knowledge by sorting pictures into different categories. This set of pictures shows people with disabilities in active roles in their homes” (Laureate Education, INC. n.d.). Those are just a few examples of how an Anti-bias teacher would have added to the situation.
Resources:
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Start seeing diversity: Physical ability and characteristics [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Your analysis of your nieces understanding was interesting, especially the part where you explore her possible misconceptions. The patience your fathers friend showed toward your niece was also admirable. The idea of extending the conversation by showing pictures and examples of people with disabilities in situations where they model strength and independence is a smart idea.
ReplyDeleteRachael,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! I think this was a great example. You were able to share the background and who silenced her/why, as well as her reaction, understanding, and possible misunderstanding. I think you did a nice job analyzing this scenario and I agree that an anti-bias educator would have the discussion and take it a step or two further. Had this happened in the classroom how do you think you would have handled it? Have you had such scenarios happen in the classroom before?
Ashley Richards
Rachael,
ReplyDeleteIt is so often that children just blurt out how they are feeling. I feel that they are just curious and want to know more about why a situation is the way that it is. I enjoyed reading yoru post. How did you feel having this situation happen?