Today, I went to pay my respects, donate items, and see what used to be my post-college home. When I picked my girls afterwards and they asked me how it went, I stumbled with my words. There was destruction, but there were also those "helpers" Mr. Rogers talks about looking for in scary times. It was a roller coaster of emotions and I wanted to be able to share that with them, but wasn't sure what I should be sharing with them so they can be a part of the solution with me.
52 Diverse books: https://www.facebook.com/stefanie.kellum/posts/10112692158963725
Perhaps you're finding yourself in the same boat. Or maybe you've been having discussions about race in your home prior to this and you are offering ideas to family and friends. Wherever you are on this journey, you aren't alone. I'm right here with you.
As parents, we struggle with how much information is too much given that these little people do not have the perspective and wisdom that we have. We have been navigating this with COVID-19 for the past several months now and that has not been for the weary! But this this conversation hits nerves and can make some of us very uncomfortable. I'm here to tell you - it is okay to be uncomfortable. I encourage you to push through the discomfort and have the tough conversations with your kids. So where do we even start?
I have below a variety of resources for you to look through. Children's books that celebrate diversity and online articles with ideas for the conversations. Ask your child about any of my Life Skills lessons and they will likely tell you about a book we read! Books are great ways to talk to kids about tough topics and I often suggest books to parents who request help for anything from changing families to grief. You can sometimes view a sample of these books online or even check them out at the Hudson library to see if it suits your family and your child's developmental stage.
These are just a small sliver and are resources I have come across thanks to the wonderful work of our Wisconsin School Counselor Association (WSCA), counselors from across the country in an Elementary School Counselor Exchange group as well as from my Hudson Elementary Counseling team. There are many more resources out there - but I offer these as a starting block if you are looking for ideas.
These little people will be our teachers one day. Our social justice workers. Our clergy. Our social workers. Our lawyers and judges. Our police officers. Our artists, scientists and polar dog sled drivers. So the conversation is critical if we are to see change for their generation. It calls on us as adults to be okay with the discomfort and remind ourselves this is not just a one time conversation to explain the next few news cycles. It is an ongoing conversation and we will learn and grow together as we go.
We teach kindness at Willow River because all people deserve kindness. We teach standing up for others (UPstanders) - even though its scary and uncomfortable. We teach peaceful conflict resolution so that one day they may listen to another person's viewpoint and be respectful of it. We do not teach these things to simply keep the peace at recess. We teach these skills because they are critical to our society. They are critical for our children to feel empowered and strong and safe. When we do the right thing, we feel it in our bones. It may be solving a conflict over a coveted snowball from a snow fort across the playground today, one day it could give them the language to speak up when they feel hurt rather than lash out in anger. My hope is that if any Willow students should ever appear on "What Would You Do" with John Quiñones, they would be the ones using their "I statements" to confront the injustice before them.
I have all the confidence in the world in our kids and in you as their caregivers. We've got this.
Mrs. Flier
Children's Books about Race and Racism https://www.embracerace.org/resources/26-childrens-books-to-support-conversations-on-race-racism-resistance?fbclid=IwAR387wx6P7wXdzxy1d32Pf3Pyr0Q5zUQflaOphs-wDHhqe7fm0DCrUUpxwU
Talking to Kids about Race (National Geographic): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/in-the-news/talking-about-race/
The Parent Toolkit: How to Talk about Race and Racism
Sesame Street - racism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovoilDJethU&disable_polymer=true
Something Happened in Our Town: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOhOFGcWm8&feature=youtu.be
