Education, like parenting, is inherently political — whether in the lessons you choose to teach, or in the ones you omit (intentionally or otherwise). As parents are their child’s earliest teachers, it’s important to take stock of just what you are modelling to your little learners, and to question what messages about diversity, inclusion and anti-racism they are internalizing.
As a starting point, these are the day-to-day ways you can ensure you are modelling diversity and equipping your children with tools to be inclusive, open-minded, anti-racist, and ethical adults as well as collaborative global citizens.
Look at how you include diversity in:
- Your relationships
- Who you learn from and with
- Your sources of information
- Are they diverse voices with a range of lived experiences, or do you operate in an “echo chamber” — where you only seek out opinions and perspectives that reaffirm your own views; this is known as confirmation bias.
- Your place of worship
- Your neighbourhood
- Your beauty standards
- How and where you travel
- The activities you choose to participate in
- The toys you buy for the kiddos in your lives
- The businesses you support
- The voices you amplify
- The language you use (words and phrases)
- The books you read to and with your kids, as well as the stories you tell
Once you’ve done this, actively work to challenge your own biases and to seek out information that covers your blind spots (we all have these). And don’t be afraid to engage your children (in an age-appropriate way) in conversations about race, privilege, and what each of us can do to create a healthier, stronger society together.
sp*rk curiosity 