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Second Graders Spend Recess Protesting Ferguson. Are They Too Young?
The 20-odd people chanting “Honk if you want justice,” on a New Bedford, Massachusetts sidewalk Dec. 12 got a lot of attention. They were second graders, rallying against police for the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. While the rest of their class enjoyed 11:30 recess that morning, these 7 and 8-year-old protesters stood by the side of the road in front of the Alma Del Mar Charter School holding signs including one that read, “Please don’t shoot me, Ferguson.”
Children protesting outside the Alma Del Mar Charter School Dec. 12.
While the students were eager to get involved in the cause, not all of their parents were so thrilled.
George Borden, the father of one participant and a policeman in New Bedford, told WHDH that discovering his 7-year-old had participated in the protest and finding a flyer in her backpack urging people to join a weekend protest “against the unjust systems that allow police officers to kill Black men and boys with impunity,” was “horrific to me.” He says he only learned about the protest after a friend saw it and called him.
Borden told WHDH his daughter asked him, “Daddy, do you shoot people?” And now he wants an apology from his daughter’s teacher.
Yet Will Gardner, the school’s founder and executive director, stands by the school’s decision to let the kids protest, saying it was allowed as part of lesson in civics. Gardner told The Boston Globe that the class’s teacher had sent a note home with her students Dec. 10 alerting parents that the class would be discussing diversity and “issues covered by the media,” and offering kids an opt-out of the talks if parents so chose. The protest “wasn’t something the teacher planned,” he said. “It was something the kids did.”
“We discourage our teachers from sharing their own political and religious views with their scholars,” Gardner added. “[But] we certainly want our scholars to engage in activities that help them to understand what it means to be citizens and what it means to be a democracy.”
But how young is too young to start talking with kids about violence, including the events in Ferguson, that many adults still have trouble wrapping their heads around?
Learning about protesting is “entirely appropriate for this age group,” family therapist Dr. Paul Hokemeyer tells Yahoo Parenting. “Seven and 8-year-olds are at the point in their development when they are learning to find their place in the world and are becoming less focused on self and more focused on others. To facilitate this growth, its important they know they have a voice in the world and that their voice is validated and heard.”
When it comes to talking and showing incidents of violence though, parents and educators must tread with care.
“If violence is involved in any way, even talk of shootings and such, the danger is that it will exacerbate all of the normal fears kids have at this age,” Dr. Alan Kazdin, a Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University tells Yahoo Parenting. “That can come out in the child starting to have nightmares, anxiety, crying. You really want to be careful about not fueling natural fears. So if a parent has a sensitive child, withdrawn at all or prone to anxiety, you’d want him or her out of these types of discussions.”
Showing kids scenes of violence on TV or in photos is also a bad idea, says the Director of The Yale Parenting Center because it leaves them vulnerable to the influence of modeling.
“Exposure to violence won’t be ruinous to every child,” says Kazdin, noting that age matters less than the child’s personality. “It really depends on the child’s temperament. So if you’re a parent, you want to make the decision whether or not your child is exposed to it.” Ultimately talking about shootings and violence is hard for kids to comprehend and, frankly, scary. “And we don’t want more things to scare children.”
READ MORE
www.yahoo.com/parenting/second-graders-spend-recess-protesting-ferguson-105366598412.html
Children protesting outside the Alma Del Mar Charter School Dec. 12.
While the students were eager to get involved in the cause, not all of their parents were so thrilled.
George Borden, the father of one participant and a policeman in New Bedford, told WHDH that discovering his 7-year-old had participated in the protest and finding a flyer in her backpack urging people to join a weekend protest “against the unjust systems that allow police officers to kill Black men and boys with impunity,” was “horrific to me.” He says he only learned about the protest after a friend saw it and called him.
Borden told WHDH his daughter asked him, “Daddy, do you shoot people?” And now he wants an apology from his daughter’s teacher.
Yet Will Gardner, the school’s founder and executive director, stands by the school’s decision to let the kids protest, saying it was allowed as part of lesson in civics. Gardner told The Boston Globe that the class’s teacher had sent a note home with her students Dec. 10 alerting parents that the class would be discussing diversity and “issues covered by the media,” and offering kids an opt-out of the talks if parents so chose. The protest “wasn’t something the teacher planned,” he said. “It was something the kids did.”
“We discourage our teachers from sharing their own political and religious views with their scholars,” Gardner added. “[But] we certainly want our scholars to engage in activities that help them to understand what it means to be citizens and what it means to be a democracy.”
But how young is too young to start talking with kids about violence, including the events in Ferguson, that many adults still have trouble wrapping their heads around?
Learning about protesting is “entirely appropriate for this age group,” family therapist Dr. Paul Hokemeyer tells Yahoo Parenting. “Seven and 8-year-olds are at the point in their development when they are learning to find their place in the world and are becoming less focused on self and more focused on others. To facilitate this growth, its important they know they have a voice in the world and that their voice is validated and heard.”
When it comes to talking and showing incidents of violence though, parents and educators must tread with care.
“If violence is involved in any way, even talk of shootings and such, the danger is that it will exacerbate all of the normal fears kids have at this age,” Dr. Alan Kazdin, a Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University tells Yahoo Parenting. “That can come out in the child starting to have nightmares, anxiety, crying. You really want to be careful about not fueling natural fears. So if a parent has a sensitive child, withdrawn at all or prone to anxiety, you’d want him or her out of these types of discussions.”
Showing kids scenes of violence on TV or in photos is also a bad idea, says the Director of The Yale Parenting Center because it leaves them vulnerable to the influence of modeling.
“Exposure to violence won’t be ruinous to every child,” says Kazdin, noting that age matters less than the child’s personality. “It really depends on the child’s temperament. So if you’re a parent, you want to make the decision whether or not your child is exposed to it.” Ultimately talking about shootings and violence is hard for kids to comprehend and, frankly, scary. “And we don’t want more things to scare children.”
READ MORE
www.yahoo.com/parenting/second-graders-spend-recess-protesting-ferguson-105366598412.html
"Its their right to protest!" tee hee hee.
Another fine example of schools (skrewels) indoctrinating our kids.
Another fine example of schools (skrewels) indoctrinating our kids.
Mike you are the biggest CRY BABY OF ALL
There is so much wrong with this situation, the teacher should be fired and never be allowed to teach again
There is so much wrong with this situation, the teacher should be fired and never be allowed to teach again
mike, you have a way with words. Deep and thought provoking.
But I get why you might not understand why this is wrong.
I think the best thing that all parents and teachers can do is talk about the process for their kids and everyone's safety. That they obey a police officer no matter what and immediately is essential. And after that, if the police officer did something wrong, that there is a process to address that. And that they should work hard in school and educate themselves so that when they are older, they can help address any issues we have as a nation.
Or, take them to the gym and teach them how to bash in glass and break doors down to get some free stuff by looting. Teach them the only way is to be , . . a CRY BABY.
There are teachable moments in life with our kids
But I get why you might not understand why this is wrong.
I think the best thing that all parents and teachers can do is talk about the process for their kids and everyone's safety. That they obey a police officer no matter what and immediately is essential. And after that, if the police officer did something wrong, that there is a process to address that. And that they should work hard in school and educate themselves so that when they are older, they can help address any issues we have as a nation.
Or, take them to the gym and teach them how to bash in glass and break doors down to get some free stuff by looting. Teach them the only way is to be , . . a CRY BABY.
There are teachable moments in life with our kids
Crybabies - big old crybabies.
Teeheehee
Teeheehee
Yet another brain-washing Liberal in academia, attempting to indoctrinate our children behind out backs.
How wicked-pi$$ed off would Libs be, if a teacher gave "Support Our Troops & Wars!!!" signs to 7-8 y/o's, and marched them up & down a sidewalk, without obtaining the permission of their parents?
The teacher would be INSTANTLY fired and lambasted on every news outlet known to man.
She won't be fired though. Nope. She'll be hailed as a hero by her fellow Lib academia brain-washers.
How wicked-pi$$ed off would Libs be, if a teacher gave "Support Our Troops & Wars!!!" signs to 7-8 y/o's, and marched them up & down a sidewalk, without obtaining the permission of their parents?
The teacher would be INSTANTLY fired and lambasted on every news outlet known to man.
She won't be fired though. Nope. She'll be hailed as a hero by her fellow Lib academia brain-washers.
Teacher should be fired.
It is disturbing to suggest kids came up with this. I don't believe that for 2 seconds. Not even for one second.
The protest “wasn’t something the teacher planned,” he said. “It was something the kids did.”
7 and 8-year-olds? BULL $HIT!
7 and 8-year-olds? BULL $HIT!
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