“Scientifically speaking, there is tribalism and group bias, but there cannot be any such thing as racism. We are all one.” Bill Nye
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The first step in implementing multicultural art is for teachers and caregivers to check their biases at the door. There is no room for stereotypes, biases, or generalizations when teaching children about other cultures. A bias is a feeling about a certain topic that people have which causes them to favor one side over another.
Adults have biases about many things whether we realize it or not, and most of these biases are a result of unintentional exposure.
For example, a rural community child care center may use primarily materials that reflect the community. This may consist of mainly Caucasian children and teachers with little diversity. Likewise, a child care center in an inner-city location may provide materials that primarily reflect their majority inhabitants. These are not necessarily negative habits, however they do reflect unintentional biases.
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Biases also come in the form of stereotypes that are sometimes unintentionally perpetuated. If a person looks a certain way it may be assumed that their cultural identity matches this outward appearance. This is not necessarily true. Many people make assumptions about a person’s values and cultural identity based upon their appearance and often they believe the stereotypes that exist about that particular group. Educators must work diligently to check their biases at the door, whether they are aware of them or not.
Some suggestions for avoiding biases:
- Take each person as they come. Do not make assumptions about them based upon their appearance.
- Individuals vary greatly and do not necessarily fulfill stereotypes. Do not judge people unfairly.
- Experience with one person does not indicate the outcome of interactions with others. Just because that person was one way, doesn’t mean that others will be as well.
- Remain open minded about all people. Do not shortchange them or yourself by being closeminded.
- Be respectful of all people at all times. Whether you are interacting with them or talking about them, treat them with respect.
- Be a role model. Children look up to you and will imitate your actions, even your biases.