It is no surprise that the “typical” family is not so typical anymore. It is very important for teachers to be aware of this fact as to not offend or exclude anyone. By teaching children about the different types of families they will understand that not everyone lives the same way. Often children assume that the way they live is the way everyone else lives. By talking and reading about different types of families children become more aware that there are many different forms of families in the world. Another way to increase awareness about family differences is to have the children in the class share their family composition. Something the book suggested that I really liked was changing the phrase “Mom and Dad” to parents or guardians. We may not always think about how children may feel when we say things like your mom and dads will love all your artwork and they do not have a mom or a dad.
Something that may be beneficial for the children in a class would be to make a family board or something that would show the children’s family composition. It would be good for the children to have the opportunity to share their families with their classmates and be proud of their family.
Having discussions about gay or lesbian families may be upsetting to some families so talking to them about it first may be a good idea as to not offend anyone’s personal beliefs. However, it is important to talk about what gay or lesbian means if a child in the class has parents who may be gay. This may help that child to feel more accepted in the class and may help to lessen the confusion that other children may have when they see their classmates’ “non-traditional” family. The more children know the less they have to fear because of the unknown. This does not mean that you teach tell them all the information on what gay means but to give them an idea that couples are not all made out of opposite genders.
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Hi Kawai,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading you posting. Good strategies to deal with diversity families. Have you encountered any lesbian or gay families? Other than having family post board, how do you deal with these diversity families to get involve in the classroom with the other diversity families?
"Do you have a mom?" "Where is your dad?" These are just a couple of the questions that I sometimes hear from the children. All of the children in my classroom come from military families and the questions are entirely typical. The children are obviously very observant about who drops off or picks up the other children. It is especially typical since most of my children's fathers are attending school or training outside of Hawaii or are currently deployed. So, their family structure changes from a two-parent family to a single-parent, mostly by the mom, family. Sometimes I wonder: How do these changes in family structure affect children?
ReplyDeleteHi Kawai,
ReplyDeleteAt the end of your entry, you discuss how it is not necessary to teach "all the information on what gay means" - I wonder what information you are referring to - is there something beyond the texts idea of sharing how a gay couple consists of two people of the same sex sharing a loving relationship? When children and teachers discuss heterosexuality do the conversations move beyond a man and a woman sharing a loving relationship?
Your awareness of how the unknown can breed fear offers us something to reflect upon. How can visibility empower children and families to practice tolerance.and acceptance?
Jeanne
Hi Kawai,
ReplyDeleteI agree that children come from different life styles and situations. I also feel that educators should use the words parents or guardians instead of mom and dad. When do you think it's appropriate to talk to children about different gender types and what gay or lesbian is?
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about the more children know the less they fear. We do need to educate them about different families in a positive way. It is very important to create and encourage activities that involve with different kinds of families. Children need to learn that everyone is unique in their own way.
But how do we make activities so parents won't feel offended? What if some parents don't agree with sharing different kinds of families?