As we prepared to honor the birthday or Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. last Friday the 16th, our SEL classes focused on the limiting
aspects of stereotyping. In the younger grades, Marilena and I questioned some age
old gender stereotypes though role playing activities and reading such books as
“Oliver Button is a Sissy” and “The Paper Bag Princess”, where the not so
beautiful princess rescues a handsome prince from a fire breathing dragon by
her wit as opposed to physical prowess. We also attempted to isolate
which academic subjects are unique to boys and which are to girls, and were
delighted to conclude that there are none! Boys and girls have equal abilities
in math, science, music, art, etc.!
Having said that, our 3rd and 4th
Graders were posed the question: “If girls and boys can, and should be entitled
to do whichever activities appeal to them, then why is it that toy stores
continue to feature blue sections and pink sections? Why do we find more sports
oriented toys in the blue section and more dolls in the pink section? This is
where we begin to engage in the critical thinking process with our students –
not taking information at face value, but asking the type of question that Dr.
King asked so many years ago – why does color dictate who we are allowed to be
from the moment we are born?
We thought about how best to address the issue of
stereotypes and concluded that being self-aware and proud of who we are would
be wonderful first steps. With that accomplished, we would then be better able
to accept and appreciate differences in others on a more empathic level. So,
with the help and participation of the Lower school, featuring our amazing 4th
Graders, we created a video which reflects the diverse passions, characters and
personalities of our students, teachers and various administrators. The instant
support of everyone involved was moving, considering the time constraints of
this production.
It would not have been possible without the dedication of
everyone involved, but especially Marilena Canuto, whose tireless effort and
technical expertise made this dream a reality. And Wendy Harrington’s help with
the time lapse segment was greatly appreciated by us all. I am in awe of them
and the Lower School teachers (especially Roz and Mark) for saying “yes” in a
big way to this project.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed producing
it. As you watch it, think about Dr. King’s vision for our children as they
move along and face present and future global challenges. Knowing and being
proud of who they are, what they have to offer and how they treat others will
have life changing outcomes for them and the people who will be fortunate enough
to know them!
