4 minute read
Schools + Preschools
SAMENA PRESCHOOL
WHERE SWIMMING
IS PART OF THE CURRICULUM
SWIMMING | PLAY-BASED | ART S.T.E.M. | MUCH MORE!
WWW.SAMENA.COM PHONE : (425) 746-1160 - INFO@SAMENA.COM
ParentMap_12-6-21_NWAIS.pdf 1 12/6/21 2:57 PM @SAMENACLUB /SAMENASWIMCLUB
31-Acre
Learning Lab
360
Preschool through 8th-grade students engaged in STEAM e d
$1M
Financial Aid Awards
67%
Faculty with advanced degrees
50
Villa Viking teams
100
Students in theater arts
27%
Students of color
55
Student extended learning trips
800
Hours of professional development
In the landmark “doll test,” Black children were presented with dolls with different skin colors. “Fifty-nine percent indicated that the brown doll ‘looks bad.’” The experiment was used during the Brown v. Board of Education hearing to demonstrate the impact of segregation on Black children. Photo: Gordon Parks, “Untitled, Harlem, New York,” 1947; courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation
continued from page 11 But what will this accomplish? Pretending that this country is or has ever been colorblind dismisses the experiences of Black, Indigenous and other children of color and centers white kids’ feelings over truth. While developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed teaching is important for all kids, kids’ “feelings” about historical events and verifiable facts should not excuse them from learning about them.
Children are not colorblind. Even infants recognize racial differences. Furthermore, studies suggest that children develop racial prejudices early in life. By the time kids are toddlers, they’ve already learned to act out in racialized ways. In a 2003 study of more than 200 preschoolers, developmental psychologist Phyllis Katz discovered that when 3-year-olds were shown photos of children of different races and asked to choose whom they might like to be friends with, onethird of the Black kids chose only photos of other Black kids. Eighty-six percent of the white kids in the study only chose photos of other white kids.
Black orphaned children were often unjustly arrested and forced into labor during the convict leasing era (1865–1940). Twenty-five percent of all Black leased laborers died during their sentence. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, LC-D428-850
Children pay attention to the world they live in and make assumptions about why things are the way they are.
When we minimize the impact of slavery, Jim Crow and the school-to-prison pipeline, we teach kids that the current disparities that exist among Black and white folks are just the unfortunate consequences of an individual’s or community’s poor decision making. They may (and do) wrongly conclude that there are no systemic reasons for the racial disparities that exist in everything from education to wealth, infant mortality and criminal justice outcomes. They may (and do) wrongly blame those most oppressed by past and present racist policies, institutions and practices, and in doing so perpetuate more racist policies, institutions and practices.
They see race and they learn racism unless we choose to teach them something different.
We don’t teach history because it’s fun — or even entertaining. We don’t teach it to bolster kids’ self-esteem or to perpetuate any myth of their individual or their country’s exceptionalism. We teach history because “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” If we want to raise critical thinkers, engaged citizens and moral people, we have to teach the truth about our history to all students. And the truth is: Genocide, human trafficking and enslavement are a part of our nation’s history. Learning about them — and the hate and opportunism that inspired them — is essential to making progress as a nation. ■ Jeffery Robinson is founder and CEO of The Who We Are Project (thewhoweareproject. org), and co-writer and producer of “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” a documentary film based on his groundbreaking presentation on anti-Black racism in America (see p. 40). He is a former deputy legal director of the ACLU and an expert on racial justice. He has tried more than 200 criminal cases to verdict and more than a dozen civil cases representing plaintiffs suing corporate and government entities.
cooperative preschool
Play based early education for kids aged 0-5
Visit our booth at the ParentMap Preschool Preview - January 8 Open House in February Fall enrollment begins March 1 www.capitolhillcoop.org LOCAL RESOURCES / SCHOOLS, PRESCHOOLS, NWAIS
The Sammamish Montessori School
In Redmond
Call 425-883-3271 for a tour.
Child-centered, joyful atmosphere with strong academic focus Preschool, kindergarten, and STEAM Enrichment Family owned and operated since 1977
