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FEATURE
A Pre-k Perspective DAPHNE KRAUSHARR AND MAYA GOLDWASSER | FEATURE SECTION EDITOR AND PAGE EDITOR
Photos of Enclusive Books and Puzzles from a Clayton Family Center Classroom.
PHOTOS BY KATIE GRAHAM AND EMILY ANDES
W
hen you think back to the kinds of books you read in preschool, you probably remember stories about little girls who were princesses and fairies, or boys who were strong knights and superheroes. Unless your family searched incredibly hard to put diverse books into your hands, most of these characters were probably also white. This is a challenge that early childhood educators across the country are combatting in their classrooms on a daily basis. Over the course of the past few years the School District of Clayton’s Family Center has participated in this process of diversifying ma-
terials, curriculum, books and play. In the Clayton High School Family Center classroom, right down the hall, they echo the complex conversations about these topics happening amongst
“Just like we don’t tell people what to wear, we don’t tell people who they have to be, or how to speak.” - Katie Graham and Emily Andes high school students. Katie Graham and Emily Andes, two family center teachers, have enlisted the help of Katie Storm’s CHS English class to audit their personal class library. While scanning the shelves, students searched for literature that includes protagonists of all races, genders, and cultures. They discovered that a majority of the library had books filled with characters that all looked alike.
Graham and Andes said, “we are recognizing that we can and will do better.” This change is also evident in the use of classroom materials. These Pre-K teachers decided to not add a gender to items during play. For example, “when we hear or see children referring to items in a stereotypical gendered way or saying things like, ‘those are boy colors’, ‘those are girl colors’, we turn it into a teachable moment or a time to see multiple perspectives.” Living in a society that consistently perpetuates gender roles, it’s important to recognize how those stereotypes enter the classroom and the effect they have on students. Children start understanding and reiterating the things they are taught from a young age. So, demystifying these rigid ideas is a crucial part of the early childhood curriculum. The Family Center allows the freedom for children to be who they are and explore their interests through play in the classroom. Graham and Andes explain, “Just like we don’t tell people what to wear, we don’t tell people who they have to be, or how to speak.” These simply put lessons embody an anti-biased approach to understanding others. The goal is to help students form an appreciation of people’s differences and a more diverse perspective overall. Hopefully, opening the eyes of the youngest generation will prompt students to engage in deeper conversations in their futures at Clayton and beyond.
