They'Ve Got to Be Carefully Taught

They've Got to Be Carefully Taught
By Susan Brady Konig

In "They've Got to be Carefully Taught" by Susan Brady Konig, she writes about educating young children, as young as pre-school age about their ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Educators are teaching the children what country their ancestors came from and how that makes them all different, their hair color, their skin color, how they celebrate special occasions, the different foods they may eat. I agree with Susan's take on her daughter's pre-school Cultural Diversity Day. She continually told her daughter's teacher that they are American (New Yorkers). She herself was born in America, her husband was born in America, as well as their daughter. I believe that teaching children at such a young age only confuses the child. Let them grow and get used to the American culture before you start throwing all these new ideas at them. Why is it necessary to teach a child that they are different from their little friends? Children at that young of an age, don't realize the differences in hair color, skin color and differences like that. They look at their little friends and adults as people, not from what country your from or what color your hair is. This is basically teaching pre-schoolers how to become racist. If it wasn't for the Cultural Diversity Month the little dark-haired girl would've been included with the little blond-haired girls and they would've all been playing together. You want to teach ethnic and cultural differences, do it based on the different countries and where they are located around the world, let them try the foods, listen to the music, learn some foreign words... don't make it about the skin color of individual students. In todays' world, does it really make sense to teach children about these differences. Let the children grow up looking at each other as people and not pointing out and encouraging the children to point out each of their differences. This might possibly help out with the racism that has plagued the world for so long.