Anti-Bias Activity

Baby Pictures

My activity is the baby pictures activity; it's a fun activity to get all the children involved together. This activity meets many anti-bias goals and falls under many themes as well. "We know that children work best when they are actively exploring material, experiencing the world with their whole bodies and all their senses, and interacting with a variety of people." (York pg.188) This activity will get all the children working together, recognizing and celebrating every one's physical features.

This activity is age appropriate for young and older children can participate as well. "Appropriate multicultural activities for young children focus on things children are interested in and the concepts they are struggling to understand." (York pg.188) This activity will help all the children feel special and unique. "Young children are not ready to learn facts about different cultures, and they are easily confused by events that happened long ago or that occur in faraway places" (York pg.187) I want to make sure children have an activity that uses elements the children understand "because using the elements of a culture with which children have no actual experience can strengthen stereotypes rather than breaking them down" (York pg.187)

The baby picture activity falls under many themes. One theme it falls under is our class, it lets the whole class work together and taking a closer look at one another. Alike and different is another theme the baby pictures activity falls under, as the children guess who is who from the baby picture they can see that everyone different but also alike in some way. Bodies is a theme the activity falls under as well, the children will take a close look at all the different features we had at babies and how they change over the years.

Many anti-bias goals are being meet in the baby pictures activity for young children. One goal it meets is people are similar. While the children guess which children is which from the pictures they will start to see how much people are similar. People are different is another goal this activity meets, while the children are realizing how much people are similar they will also be realizing how much people are different as well. Another goal the baby activity meets is some physical characteristics stay the same, some physical characteristics change, and children may not realize how much they have change but also have not changed since they were babies. Lastly many different people live in our community is an anti-bias goal this activity meets, children will see we all don't have the same color skin, hair, or eye color.

"How we introduce materials and activities is an important part of teaching."(York pg.189) The children will be asked to bring in baby photographs and a current photograph as well. "Take time to introduce materials and activities to children, a clear introduction builds interest and helps children be successful." (York pg.189) "Collect pictures of each child as a baby. At circle time, tell the children you have pictures of them as babies. Say "I'm going to hold up the baby pictures, one at a time. Look at it carefully and see if you can guess who it is." When the children make a guess, ask them to explain their reasoning. Then set out the baby photos and the current photos of the children. Invite the children to match the baby and current photo. Display the baby photos and current photos side by side on a bulletin board in the classroom. If you are concerned about damaging or losing the baby photos, make a color photocopy of them." (York pg.192)

A variation for the baby pictures activity is to make a game from photos of the current staff. Collect baby photos and current photos of all the teaching staff. "Make a memory matching game by gluing a photocopy of each picture onto a black index card. Laminate the cards. Lay them face down and invited children to find a match." (York pg.192) This activity will help the children realize how much they have in common with their teaching staff. Also make the comment that their teachers were young once as well so they understand what they children are going through. Sometimes at a young age the children forget that adults were babies once too. Some great books for the children to read that go along with the same themes and concepts are:

Sesame Street- We're different, we're the same By: Bobbi Kates

We are all alike; we are all different By: The Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners 

The baby picture activity is a great anti-bias activity. It was "designed to help children explore, examine, and talk about their feeling and perceptions" (York pg.190) It will get all the children working and communicating together. They should learn many concepts from participating in this activity, help them "demonstrate comfortable, empathetic interaction with diversity among people" (York pg190)

The Lion King

                                                                   

Walt Disney

The Lion King

                                                                            1994

The Lion King has always been one of my favorite movies but now watching it with a new perceptive it's a whole new movie to me. This movie has racism and stereotyping all through out it. No wonder little kids think the dark hair doll is bad all of their movies tell them they are. After today I don't know I could call The Lion King one of my favorite movies.

Scar who is darker and has dark hair is known as the bad guy in this movie. He lives in the dark land ( ghetto ) with the hyenas.In the dark lands there are no rules. The hyenas live there and are known as dumb and evil animals; they are not aloud in the green lands. The actor that play scar and the hyenas are darker as well. The scar on Scar's evil is almost gang like. Scar is sneaky and a liar; doesn't show up to family gatherings and then kills his own family. Making children fear darker skin and think lower of them.

Mufasa the king of the green lands has lighter skin and light hair. Also played by a white actor as well as Simba. Someday everything will all be handed down to Simba. Teaching Simba not to have to work a day in his life and that the male in powers all. Kings can do anything they want and don't need advise. It plays off of the light skin and dark skin against each other treating children that it is the right thing to do.

Scar forms a army of hyenas to kills Mufasa and Simba ( acting almost Hitler like ). He make promises he can't keep and is not concerned about his own kind at all. He wants them to listen and do what he demands. Teaching children that is how darker skin handle their problems and get things done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGj1FHiXOzw

He treats Simba into believing he killed his own father and he needs to run away. Portraying children as naive and treating them it is okay to run away from your problems.

Woman in this movie are stereotype all through out it as well. When the light lion is king the woman are there to take care of the children. Then when the dark lion takes over they make their woman do all the work. They are lost without their male leader. Teaching children woman are hopeless without a light man their to guide them.

In the end Scar has the land and it's turned to dark dry land ( ghetto ) but as soon as Simba takes over everything returns to the greens. So just in case children didn't realize that light skin is better they get one last chance.

I searched the Internet to see if others felt the same way as I do and I found many site that backed up my new findings in this movie. As a child I'm not sure if I put two and two together but how could you not. Disney puts racism and stereotyping in our children's head but yet we still take them to see these movies. I hope to read in others blogs that they found a safe movie for our children to watch.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/flionkingcolumn.htm

http://www.newint.org/easier-english/Disney/diswomen.html

      http://www.intervarsitylafe.org/barrioprophets/blog/?p=49

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-lion-king/748

Analysis of the picture book

A Cool Kid -Like Me!, Hans Wilhelm, 1990

This is a story about a boy who everyone thought was a "cool kid" and didn't let many children see the real him except by his grandma. Only to her will he tell the awful truth, his coolness is merely a facade, and he's actually terrified without the night-light on. When his grandma goes on vacation, she gives the boy a teddy bear to keep him company and he loves it so much. Although his parents think he's too old for a stuffed animal and his friends think it is a weird present for a cool kid to get. In his grandma's absence the bear becomes a confidant, listening patiently as the boy tells of his inner fears until the day grandma returns.

I would have to say the characters are pretty stereotypical,  just one white happy "cool" family. This book states if your cool then you don't have fears. All the power in this story go with being "cool". His parents and friends expect that from him but if he states how he really feels he wont be "cool" anymore. I believe the grandma has the wisdom since she assures him it is okay to be scared and to like teddy bears still which is how it should be. She lets him know it's still "cool" to be yourself.

His consequences are having to live with two different lives and only be himself when he is alone. His mom doesn't know he doesn't like the dark so she turns off the lights or that he wants his teddy so she puts it away up high. Now he has to wait until she is gone for the light and to grab his teddy instead of just telling his mom and friends and not having to deal with this everyday. His traits feel rewarded when he acts "cool" and his family and friends want to be around him.

Hans Wilhelm wrote and illustrated this story and many others. He want children to relate with other children who have fears themselves. I guess I would say he is inside the groups he is presenting since he is white but he has moved around most of his life. He wants to share is life affirming concepts he has learned along the way to others.

I would say in this story there are 3 voices heard the boys, his grandma, and then everyone else together. The boys voice is conflicted on who he should listen to and what type of boy should he be. The grandma has the right voice letting children know its okay to be a child and to be yourself. The other voices are the voices we shouldn't listen to, that your only "cool" if you are like everyone else and don't have fears. I believe the voice that is missing is the voice of the parents and other children letting him know its okay to be himself and everyone has fears.

I don't think this would be a book I would recommend to anyone. I think there are better books out there that let you know its okay to be yourself. Also maybe the word "cool" shouldn't be used since children already have a problem with "cool kids" and "nerds".

Who am I

 My name is Erika Cline and I am 24 years old. I was born in Martinez, Ca and have moved around most of my life so far. I only speak English my high school Spanish class didn't stick at all. Currently I am living in Chico, Ca with my boyfriend David and our cat Cali and yorkiepoo puppy Calvin.My Race is white and I know I have some German in me but other than that I have no idea. I don't know my real dad all I know is his name is Steve Cline and is a alcholic. I have met him a couple of times when I was really young but that was enough for me. My mom doesn't really know much and her parents are both past but she knows her mother was from Germany. It would be nice to know one day what I am completely but for now I'm okay.
What is important to me... I would have to say family, my values, and my friends. I love my family and my boyfriends family so much and would do anything for them. I have thought about my values a lot in some courses I have taken and now I know what my top values truly are.  I wouldn't say I have a lot of friends but the ones I have I would go to the moon and back for, keeper for sure. One of the most important thing for a teacher to provide is a safe place for children to come to. You never really know how it is for them at home so make sure your classroom is a safe, fun place for them to get aways to.
So who am I, that is a question I have found myself asking myself many times. I have had a tough childhood moving around and just dealing with a lot of thing no child should have to deal with. I moved to Rocklin my junior year and started dating a bad guy not to long after that. He just wasn't a nice guy and we will just leave it at that but it slowed my development even more that the rest of my life had before. I dated him for four years and it took me some time to realize I deserved better and had to get out. At that time I met my best friend ( my boyfriend now ) David, he helped me through a lot of hard times and made me understand how great I could be.
My best friend then left me for school in Chico, CA and I had to grow up on my own. So I did and I waited for him, only seeing him from time to time. Then we couldn't take it anymore, the love we found in each other is nothing like we have ever had before. So now I am in Chico, Ca taking all my classes online at sierra for the last year and a half, David just finished at Chico State and is now on the career hunt. We hope to move back into the Roseville, CA area since that is where most of our family is at but it is where ever his career takes us.
Right now I am on disability at work since someone pulled my chair out from under me while I was sitting in the break room and my lower L5 is out of place and I lost all the stuff that is in between the disk above it. I had to go hire a lawyer and dealing with physical therapy and now pain management. So now my days are cleaning up the house, puppy training, school work, and then amazing time with my boyfriend, we have our shows and love our netflix.
Right now I don't have any children just my cat and dog which are spoiled like they are our children. We have the names picked out for when we have Children one day but now yet. My ring should be on the way soon since we have done some ring shopping and he got my size down plus we already kinda have the whole wedding planned out.
I don't currently work with young children but I have served many tables with children and also worked at toys r us. Next semester I will have enough credits to be able to work at a preschool and that is what I would like to do. The reason I am going to school other to better myself, for my family to be proud and to become a kindergarten teacher one day. I think it is a great career for me and gives me great family hours it fits in very well with my values for m future. I believe this class will help me out a lot with that career path I choose to take.