White parents: what are you teaching your white preschool age children about racism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re white and send our DC to a majority-minority school in DC that we love. We talk a LOT about how people can look different (different colors of skin, hair, eyes, but also different heights and weights, genders, etc) but we’re all the same on the inside. Also lots of conversation about how being different makes us all special and that we should celebrate and be proud of our differences. Big emphasis on kindness and empathy all around.

I hope your child is actually in classes with the minority students, and not in the special "gifted" class that happens to be all the white kids in the school. That was my experience in majority-minority public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re white and send our DC to a majority-minority school in DC that we love. We talk a LOT about how people can look different (different colors of skin, hair, eyes, but also different heights and weights, genders, etc) but we’re all the same on the inside. Also lots of conversation about how being different makes us all special and that we should celebrate and be proud of our differences. Big emphasis on kindness and empathy all around.

I hope your child is actually in classes with the minority students, and not in the special "gifted" class that happens to be all the white kids in the school. That was my experience in majority-minority public schools.

Strange because we had the opposite experience. My kid has 140 IQ yet was denied any special services while far less talented were admitted. White kid discriminated against.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re white and send our DC to a majority-minority school in DC that we love. We talk a LOT about how people can look different (different colors of skin, hair, eyes, but also different heights and weights, genders, etc) but we’re all the same on the inside. Also lots of conversation about how being different makes us all special and that we should celebrate and be proud of our differences. Big emphasis on kindness and empathy all around.

I hope your child is actually in classes with the minority students, and not in the special "gifted" class that happens to be all the white kids in the school. That was my experience in majority-minority public schools.

DP. DC doesn't have a G&T program. Sounds like PP has young kids, so fair to assume they're all in the same classes.

[Anonymous]

At that age, it's not so much about what you tell your kids but what you do? I live in a diverse neighborhood and we have a diverse group of friends. My kids play with white, African american, and Asian kids. At this point, I feel like I did my job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re white and send our DC to a majority-minority school in DC that we love. We talk a LOT about how people can look different (different colors of skin, hair, eyes, but also different heights and weights, genders, etc) but we’re all the same on the inside. Also lots of conversation about how being different makes us all special and that we should celebrate and be proud of our differences. Big emphasis on kindness and empathy all around.

I hope your child is actually in classes with the minority students, and not in the special "gifted" class that happens to be all the white kids in the school. That was my experience in majority-minority public schools.

Most gt programs are asian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re white and send our DC to a majority-minority school in DC that we love. We talk a LOT about how people can look different (different colors of skin, hair, eyes, but also different heights and weights, genders, etc) but we’re all the same on the inside. Also lots of conversation about how being different makes us all special and that we should celebrate and be proud of our differences. Big emphasis on kindness and empathy all around.

This is what we do, and it was actually spurred on when my twins, while quite young, met a girl at the swimming pool with a large birthmark on her face. Since then we have talked all the time about how everyone looks different and that's awesome and we are all people, no matter what we look like, but that some mean people treat people differently because of how they look and that's not ok. Additionally, we talk a lot about standing up for what is right, so you are responsible not only for your own words and behavior but also for saying something when someone else acts badly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That some bad people will generally use whatever they can against other people, and race and gender are most visible and thus easiest targets. You need to know that none of it is true, instead it's mean people trying to take things from other people however they can.

When he's older, we'll get into the specifics of history as well as the positive stories of overcoming oppression. We are eastern european/jewish so lots of family history as well.

I appreciate you talking to your kids about this and I don't mean to pick on your post. But I wonder if framing this in terms of 'bad people' is part of the issue. We all have unconscious biases that affect our thoughts and actions but that doesn't make all of us bad people. It's important to learn to recognize those unconscious biases so you can consciously try to counteract them. I'm not saying that this should be a discussion with a small child, but I am saying that framing it in terms of bad people misses a lot of what we experience and it causes decent people who would never use the N word assume that none of this applies to them.

You are not wrong, we are definitely all biased, but the fact is that people also use things like race and gender against other people consciously and specifically to benefit themselves. It is a systemic, central issue. It’s not some externality/unintended consequence. It’s conscious and tactical. I want / need my kid to know that. Biases occur in addition to, not instead of, intentional repression. I need to stop typing before is start rambling about Kant’s categorical imperative (humans have an inate ability to know right from wrong; they don't need the Bible or some other authority to spell it out for them; and it is our obligation to rely on this internal moral compass in our actions).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That some bad people will generally use whatever they can against other people, and race and gender are most visible and thus easiest targets. You need to know that none of it is true, instead it's mean people trying to take things from other people however they can.

When he's older, we'll get into the specifics of history as well as the positive stories of overcoming oppression. We are eastern european/jewish so lots of family history as well.

I appreciate you talking to your kids about this and I don't mean to pick on your post. But I wonder if framing this in terms of 'bad people' is part of the issue. We all have unconscious biases that affect our thoughts and actions but that doesn't make all of us bad people. It's important to learn to recognize those unconscious biases so you can consciously try to counteract them. I'm not saying that this should be a discussion with a small child, but I am saying that framing it in terms of bad people misses a lot of what we experience and it causes decent people who would never use the N word assume that none of this applies to them.

You are not wrong, we are definitely all biased, but the fact is that people also use things like race and gender against other people consciously and specifically to benefit themselves. It is a systemic, central issue. It’s not some externality/unintended consequence. It’s conscious and tactical. I want / need my kid to know that. Biases occur in addition to, not instead of, intentional repression. I need to stop typing before is start rambling about Kant’s categorical imperative (humans have an inate ability to know right from wrong; they don't need the Bible or some other authority to spell it out for them; and it is our obligation to rely on this internal moral compass in our actions).

PS You’re right, many people think, “I don’t do this or that so I’m fine.” A lot of education needs to happen.

[Anonymous]

That God made us all the same and we should be nice to everyone.

[Anonymous]

That looting is never ever acceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol I read only fiction books to my kids. I'm not spending my limited time with them reading some boring crap about famous white OR black people. Trust me there are plenty of years of indoctrination once they hit elementary school. No shortage of education centered around leftist political agenda.

You are ignorant AF. There's nothing leftist or political about understanding that racism exists and is bad for everyone.

Ok thanks. I have a phd and don't care.

And I should add that it's in a real, actual field. Not grievance studies

Lol I think I love you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol I read only fiction books to my kids. I'm not spending my limited time with them reading some boring crap about famous white OR black people. Trust me there are plenty of years of indoctrination once they hit elementary school. No shortage of education centered around leftist political agenda.

You are ignorant AF. There's nothing leftist or political about understanding that racism exists and is bad for everyone.

Ok thanks. I have a phd and don't care.

And I should add that it's in a real, actual field. Not grievance studies

Lol I think I love you.

Aw look, two racist Trump supporters have found each other and are reveling in this discovery, like two piggies in mud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re white and send our DC to a majority-minority school in DC that we love. We talk a LOT about how people can look different (different colors of skin, hair, eyes, but also different heights and weights, genders, etc) but we’re all the same on the inside. Also lots of conversation about how being different makes us all special and that we should celebrate and be proud of our differences. Big emphasis on kindness and empathy all around.

I hope your child is actually in classes with the minority students, and not in the special "gifted" class that happens to be all the white kids in the school. That was my experience in majority-minority public schools.

Strange because we had the opposite experience. My kid has 140 IQ yet was denied any special services while far less talented were admitted. White kid discriminated against.

You know this because you saw all of the other kids's IQ's and know of all of their other abilities that aren't measured by an IQ test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That looting is never ever acceptable.

But murder is sometimes? Because if you leave this part out, that is what you imply.

[Anonymous]

I don't go out of my way to teach my 4 yo son anything. Only once he made a comment that Larla at school was "brown" and I said a simple "yes, people come in all different colors", never came up again.