To learn ways of helping preschool children recognize and value differences , resolve confiicts ,express their feelings in words ,and accept reasonable limits
Teresa entered the All Faiths Preschool in the middle of the year; On her first day, she secemed to be setting in nicely with the group until snack time. Then, Angelica, an African American child, asked Teresa to sit beside her. “No, I can’t “ Teresa said politely . “Your skin is brown and I don’t want to get dirty. “At first , their teacher , Miss Right – It, was taken aback , but then she recognized that she had to intervene without being punitive . “You can sit beside Angelica ,”she told Teresa in an upbeat tone.” Angelica’s skin is a different color than yours, but it’s not dirty.Skin comes in of different colors. “ With this,Teresa was reassured and sat down beside Angelica.
Young children like Teresa are not “color blind” but noticing differences among people is very different from being biased against them.Miss Right –It guickly recog nized that Teresa didn’t want to insult Angelica . It was just that Teresa had never seen a child with dark skin and assumed that dark meant dirty.
During circle time that day, Miss Right-It introduced a game.Each childgiven a turn to hold hands with the person on his light and talk about one way he was like that person and one way he was different.” Do you know what this his game is called?”She asked the children.”It is called ‘ we Are Alike and We Are All Different.”