Discrimination

Discrimination

Materials needed: 

Typical stations in the classroom, pictures of sneakers, flip-flops, red shirt, white shirt, blue shirt, dress, shorts, skirt, and blue jeans. On each of these pictures draw a large 'no' sign; a circle with a slash through it.

      

What to do:

For this activity, allow it to be an all day experience. Place these 'no' pictures throughout the classroom on different stations or on different items in the classroom. Explain to the children that if they are wearing that article of clothing they cannot play in that station or use that item. Note the children's reactions when they cannot use something today that they were allowed to use just yesterday. To elaborate on this make it a two day activity and change the stations that the children cannot use. Some of the children may intentionally not wear a certain article of clothing but find that this did not benefit them, that no matter what they couldn't use that item. Follow up with the children (if it is done for two days follow up at the end of each day). Allow the children to express what they feel and use this opportunity to discuss why discrimination is wrong.*

As an extension for slightly older children use physical attributes, hair color, eye color, height, or skin color.

Who is this for?:

This activity is appropriate for ages three to six. For three to four year old children they become better at noticing differences among people; they can identify and match people according to their physical characteristics, they are susceptible to believing stereotypes, and they can make false associations and overgeneralize. - This activity will allow them to see that stereotypes can affect people and that judging someone by their physical characteristic can be hurtful. For children five to six years old, they tend to understand cultural identity and enjoy exploring cultural heritage of classmates. At this age children can identify stereotypes and decipher between what is fair and unfair. With this age, the extension of the activity could work, using physical attributes instead of clothing can allow the children to really feel that something that they cannot control is being judged and it isn't fair. (York Pg. 21)

Goals:

For goal number one this activity allows children to recognize their own physical features and style of dress. For goal number two it allows children to accept others who are different from themselves, explore similarities and differences of others, understand that all people need respect, show empathy for others and experience human diversity in various ways. Goal number three, this activity allows children to recognize a stereotype, recognize prejudice, recognize that some people treat others differently because of differences, recognize that rejecting others can hurt them, and recognize that people within a group are not all alike. Goal number four, this activity allows children to cooperate with others, take personal responsibility in social situations, and work cooperatively with others. (York Pages 138-142)

*Recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness, beauty, value and 

contribution of each child. ~ 

*Increase children's ability to interact, talk and play with people who are 

different from them.

*Increase children's ability to interact, talk and play with people who are 

different from them.

(Ch. 7 Handout)

  

The Sneetches is about two types of creatures, separated by having or not having stars on their bellies. The Star-Belly Sneetches think they are the best, and look down upon Sneetches without stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches remain depressed and oppressed, prohibited from associating with their star-bellied counterparts, until Sylvester McMonkey McBean comes along with his Star-on and Star-off machines. He begins to give stars to the Plain-Belly Sneetches, and soon they are happy, for they look like their elite counterparts. The original Star-Belly Sneetches are angry at no longer being different and special, so they get Sylvester to remove all their stars. This continues back and forth until no one can remember which Sneetches were originally what, and an epiphany strikes them all at once: that it really doesn’t matter whether a Sneetch has a star belly or not - they are all really the same, and can coexist and be friends with one another.*

 

This story is really inspirational because it brings to light many differences among people in a fun and exciting way. Each page beings with "It's okay to..." and discusses a wide range of differences including, size, family type, ethnicity, disability, and body image. Overall, it promotes social acceptance among all people and gives children the chance to think about and recognize their unique differences.*

Conclusion:

This activity actually reminds me of the experiment done by Mrs. Jane Elliot did with her third grade class, brown eyes/blue eyes. This activity is condensed and made to where it is appropriate for preschool aged children but it has the same effect. Children feel that something they can't control (or something they enjoy, like their favorite blue dress) is something that isn't allowed in order for him/her to be accepted. I feel that this would be a good eye opener for a classroom where discrimination is an issue; it can really help children to see that they are not being fair with their fellow classmates based on something physical. I hope to use this activity someday with my own classroom.

Citations:

-Microsoft clip art: red shirt, flip flops, ‘no’ sign

-Google images: Sneetches, It’s Okay To Be Different.

-Activity Idea:

http://www.ehow.com/info_12075371_anti-biased-activities-preschoolers.html

-It’s okay to be different summary

http://2009bookclubblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-okay-to-be-different-by-todd-parr.html

-Sneetches Summary

http://www.umich.edu/~childlit/Sneetches/display1.htm

Thumbelina

Thumbelina- 1994
Directed by: Don Bluth

"A girl no bigger than her mother's thumb feels all alone in the world knowing she is the only person her size. Her wish for a companion at last comes true when the prince of the fairies arrives at her window sill. However, the niave Thumbelina's life goes downward from there when a toad kidnaps her. While she tries to find a way home, she begins to grow up and learns about hope with the help of the friends she always wanted."

The story is set in Paris, France, yet, the only character with a French accent is the very first one, Jacquimo, the swallow. All of the other characters have fairly diverse accents; Hispanic toads, a beetle with what seems like a 'Brooklyn' accent, an English mole, the rest however have 'regular American' accents. 

Only The Size Of A Thumb, She Receives The Name, Thumbelina!

This story starts with an elder woman longing for a child. She buys, from a fairy, a flower to keep her company. As the flower blossoms, a tiny girl awakens and calls her 'mother'. As the beginning plays out Thumbelina realizes that in order for her to be happy she must marry someone of her size and she is down-trodden as she believes she is the only person her size in the world. This can play into the stereo-type that people cannot marry outside of their race, or at the very least be happy marrying outside of their race. Now, I know from personal experience that children won't catch on to this stereo-type as I didn't when I was younger. However, as the movie plays out you can see that she is very uninterested in the other pursuers (not of her race much less her species!) of her heart.


As the movie plays out, Thumbelina meets the very enchanting Fairy Prince, Cornelius. At one point we flash to the King and Queen Fairy, who are disgruntled at their son for not acting like an appropriate Prince; it seems to me that they want him to grow up too fast, he is 16 but they are saying that he behaves inappropriately for a Prince. Another thing I noticed about the fairies, who are all 'good', is that they are all white; an attribute of the fairies is their helpfulness as they are 'season' fairies. I think that children won't outwardly notice that all the fairies are white and that they are 'pure' and 'good', but I feel that they will later relate that fairies can't be colored. 


After Thumbelina meets Cornelius she is kidnapped by an evil, fame hungry toad who wants Thumbelina to sing, make her rich, and to marry her eldest son. Now, I can't think of any negative stereotype to why the frogs would be Hispanic. I tried very hard to rationalize the stereotype that Mexicans are in America as a means of getting free money; well Mrs. Toad wants to use Thumbelina for her beauty, her enchanting voice, and as a means of making money. It is far-fetched theory but in a critics point of view, it can be possible. Mrs. Toad also plays into Thumbelina's walk to fame and is finding ways to make her better, for instance in the song, "On the road" she says that "perhaps we'll make her blonde!" this plays into the stereotype that blondes have more fame, that they are more beautiful, or that being blonde makes you more glamorous. Later on, somehow the toads leave Thumblelina and she is left to go home on her own. 

Thumbelina As A 'Beetle'

On her adventure home she is swooned by a haughty beetle named Mr. Beetle, who is immediately attracted to her beauty and her lovely voice. He takes her into his 'village' and has her put into a beetle costume. She is so gorgeous that she is widely accepted in the beetle culture. A colorful song called, "you're beautiful, baby" is sung by the beetles about Thumbelina as a beetle. The audience is wowed by her beauty and her voice. As soon as Thumbelina starts dancing her costume begins to tatter away leaving her with only fully body undergarments. As soon as she is seen by the audience as something other than a beetle she is considered ugly. All the audience is disgusted by her and even the beetles who changed her appearance no longer found her attractive. I think this entirely buys into preferring ones own race over another but also conformity of the beetles who were first attracted to her, then when others didn't like her, neither did they.

The Contenders for Thumbelina's Heart

After getting booted by the beetles, Thumbelina finds herself stranded with no way home. Falling asleep in a shoe, she wakes up inside the quaint home of Ms. Fieldmouse; a talkative little mouse who talks Thumbelina into marrying Mr. Mole, a blind and very rich mole who desires a wife. Something I have noticed with Thumbelina is her willingness to conform with each and every 'culture' she has been exposed to, I find this a somewhat admirable trait, she isn't afraid to try to things. The issue I have with her doing that is that she is extremely naive about it; she ultimately allows bad things to happen because it seems as though she has no control. In a sense she has no sense of herself. She is a 'chameleon' in her society and just blends into wherever she is currently at. Where this isn't bad, like I said earlier, it just isn't healthy to her finding out who she is. 

Thumbelina Becoming A Fairy

As the rest of the movie plays out Thumbelina and Cornelius are finally reunited and she finally discovers who she is as she grows wings. Her and Cornelius live as she has always longed, Happily Ever After. 








The above examples of stereotypes that I came up with are severely unique; I had the most difficult time finding what people had to say about Thumbelina and racism or stereotypes! I talked with my mom and my fiance and together we came up with this list. The examples we found are very subtle unless you are seriously looking for it you will not find blatant racism or stereotypes in this movie. I enjoyed this movie as a kid and I have let the girls that I nanny watch it and they enjoyed it. Do I feel that this will change/distort a kind of racism or stereotype in them? Nah, I think this is a good movie to just enjoy and laugh at, you have to admit, Thumbelina is not the smartest girl!
 


**Summary of movie quote: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111419/

Who Am I?

Hey there!
My name is Desiree Shay and if you can't tell by my name I am part French (Desiree) and very much Irish (Shay) I'm also a smidgen Cherokee Indian but you can't tell by looking at me because of my very fair skin and light blue eyes. I was born and raised in Grass Valley and the surrounding area. I lived in Virginia from summer 2004 until summer 2006, it was quite the experience! (As we go through the semester I will talk more in depth about that time.) I currently live in Lake Wildwood with my family.

As it comes to culture it's hard to pin point it to one 'style' but I was born and raised in a Baptist home. Very moralistic and Christ centered. I had an interesting upbringing in the sense that I have experienced every family style from nuclear family to a single parent home to a blended (in multiple fashions) family home.

Children are the most important thing for me. Not only to have my own but for me to be a teacher that will make an impact on students lives. I think creativity is the most important thing that a teacher can encourage. By encouraging creativity they, in turn, provide learning for children allowing them to use their own minds in their own way to learn a certain task or lesson.

Desiree is a bubbly person. I'm one of those 'shy at first then too much to handle once known' types of people. I am all about my friends and family and spending the most quality time with them as possible. Relationships are so important to me. I had a friend ask me once, "If your soul had a flavor, what would it taste like?" When I meet new people, that is now the second or third question I ask. But my answer? Gummy grapefruits. (One can find such amazing candies at Caroline's coffee in downtown Grass Valley, just in the case of curiosity.) Why gummy grapefruits? Well because these things are covered with this sweet/sour sugary stuff, I would like to think I am sweet on the outside. They come in pink and white which is also relevant to me, I am pale as a ghost naturally and pink as a rose in the summer!
I was born of Darren and Dawna Shay, I am the second oldest of five kids (I have one brother and sister from the same father, a brother from a different father, and now a step-brother.)  My father didn't care for taking care of the children that he so easily had; he was gone by the time I was four. My mom was a single mother for not too long when she married my first step-dad. A not so wonderful man and a not so long marriage, they divorced when I was nine. In that time however, my mom had met James. A man who has been my 'daddy' since I was ten years old. He had his own son who joined our family and made us the blended family we are today. So many things have gone on in my life since that time. I swear if there isn't some sort of drama situation in my family there is something wrong. Haha. Being a big family means more than a few issues but I seriously wouldn't trade the way I was raised for the world. No we never made a lot of money in my life, I can't think of a time when we didn't have welfare, Medi-cal and food stamps. We have always been low socio-economic status. But we were always able to get by and we know that it is our faith in God that has kept us all going. I regret nothing about my upbringing, would it have been cool to have more money and never struggle for things? Heck yes, but that would completely change the person that I am today. I like who I am and who I plan to be.

I myself do not have any children and I am not married... yet. Haha my boyfriend and I will be nearing that station as soon as we both feel we have our feet on the ground. I do have a nephew who has been through quite a lot in his four and a half years of life. He means the world to me and the chances I do get to see him I fill with letting him know how much he is loved. He is currently torn between two not so stable households and both his mom and dad (my brother) are more concerned with the power over him and not the time being spent with him. His new step-mom, Maranda, is wonderful and tries her hardest to show Jadaan, my nephew, tons of love.

I do work with children! I have for the past two and a half years. I work as a nanny for some family friends, my starting there was definitely a sad story. August 25, 2009 I began working with the Wests' helping watch their three little girls (Reanne now 8, Larah now 5, Dawnicah now 3) while their mom, Kathy, was going through treatments for stage four Melanoma. At first I was just a helper so she could spend one on one time with each child. As the cancer developed farther I become the full time caregiver while they went on three to four day trips to San Francisco for treatments. She lost her battle August 27, 2010 leaving the girls' dad to take care of them. Of course I continued to care for the girls and that is what I do now. The situation is a catch 22. It's so good to be with the girls caring for them and seeing them grow, and they are all the perfect age that I want to work with. The downside is, I am a 21 year old woman caring for three little girls who just really need a mommy. It has taken a tole on me and it's been the biggest learning experience in my life.

Having been exposed to a culture much different than that of little old Grass Valley, it has always been a topic of interest for me. Moving to Virginia shook my life. I was very ridiculed for being a small white girl in a mostly black community. I was bullied for being white. I didn't understand it at first. I saw no difference between them and me, nothing. My mom had to explain to me, a 14 year old, what racism was, I just had never been exposed to it. Classes that discuss the way people are or the culture we live in have always interested me. I can't wait to read more into this class!

I love to dance, I love music, I love singing, but that is something I do when nobody is around. I don't need to have others suffer. Haha. I don't sing well, I do sing often. Aside from that I adore being outdoors, even in the rain, snow, wind, I love it. One thing I love more than all that... Disneyland. I am a huge child at heart and I get to release my little kid personality when I am there. I am so excited to be able to go in a few weeks; its a time I love sharing with my mom and this year I get to take my boyfriend who has not been in many many years. That's something I love more that actually going, I love taking someone who will enjoy it as much as I do. As I said before, relationships are very important to me. They became more important after I had a huge reality check July of 2010; I lost my best friend, Beth, in a car accident. It was the first loss I had ever experienced and it was someone I thought of as a sister. I had many unnecessary regrets about the time I didn't spend with her and I neglected to dwell on the amazing times I did get to spend with her. It made my relationships so much more important. I make every effort to spend time with my friends; I currently have a friend who just finished chemo therapy, at 21! It has been the best thing being able to spend quality time with him and his fiance as they go through this. Anyway, as weird as it sounds I love cleaning, I actually spent the bulk of today cleaning my room! I plug in some headphones and scrub away.
Of all the things in the world that I am interested in the thing I am the most anxious for is becoming a mom. Ever since I was little I wanted to be a mommy and that desire has never left me.

I don't know what else to talk about! If you feel I missed something or I just didn't go into enough detail let me know! I want to get this right.

Laughs and Love,
Desiree :)

P.S. this is my first time blogging ever!