We often hear the adage that children learn to hate. While
it is true that children will learn to hate if it is modeled for them, this is
not the only way to learn racism.
Racism is sin, and we are hardwired to sin; children are no
exception. Because of this, it is not enough to refrain from teaching our
children to hate. We must actively teach them to love and accept others.
An infant is born able to focus on the face of the person
who holds him. The pattern of eyes, nose, and mouth is one of the first an
infant learns to recognize. This kind of pattern learning is so strong that as
adults, we can still see faces in things that are not human.
The brain sees a possible face, compares it to previously
seen faces, and makes a quick decision. As long as toddlers see more human
faces than sink faces, they will make a correct determination.
This learning technique of creating a category and deciding
what does or does not fit is used by the brain for things other than learning.
It can also be a shortcut to determine if an unfamiliar face is safe. If a
child sees only faces that look like hers, it is more likely that a strange
face will cause small anxiety. If children see many different faces, then their
category for faces will be large and varied.
With many examples in the category, new faces will be more readily
accepted.
It is important for young ch ______ to have plenty of
s _________ and good f_________
for healthy growth.
Your brain uses its schemas to fill in these words. It
pays attention to the grammar of the sentence and uses the beginning letter
clues to identify the right categories. You likely filled in these spaces using words
such as “children,” “sunshine,” and “food.”
However, this is a line of text from a paragraph about
raising chickens. “Sunshine” is a correct word, but the first and last blanks
are “chicks” and “feed.” Schemas serve
as shortcuts, but sometimes shortcuts point us in the wrong direction. If your brain had more categories that fit the term "healthy growth" it might come up with different answers.
Schema thinking is a gift from God because it helps us to
understand things and make quick decisions. However, like everything else in
our world, sin creeps in and turns something helpful into a potential for sin.
If children have a small number of schemas, if their
categories have few examples, they will be limited in what they are comfortable
with, think about, or like. Children who do more, see more, and learn more will
have many schemas full of examples.
Think about what kinds of faces your children have seen over
their lifetimes. Do they see faces with skin color or eyes different from their
own? As a parent, think about how you can increase their exposure.
Literature- The photographs and characters in books have a
profound effect on schema development because photos provide more examples for
the categories of things that make up schemas. And stories show children how
different people work together. Seek out books, movies, video games and
other toys that feature people who are different. If your child’s everyday
world includes people who look different, speak a different language, or
accomplish things in different ways (e.g., moving in a wheelchair), these
differences will become familiar. Achieving this goal takes work. You cannot
let the world do this for you. It’s not enough to notice a different character;
your goal must be to make differences familiar.
Media – One of the biggest dangers of a lack of experience
with people who are different is when someone different gets attention in the
media for a bad action. As you seek to fill the life of your children with
exposure to different people, it is essential to point out the variety within
each group. The media tends to focus on wrong actions because that is what gets
our attention. Look for ways to find things to admire in people, so your
children become focused on looking for the good.
It is equally important to
talk about the power of forgiveness. Children tend to define an individual
based on one wrong action – even though they do not apply that standard to
themselves. Children who have been forgiven and have been taught to forgive
will be less likely to judge an entire group of people by the actions of a few.
Life- Literature and media have a significant influence on
our children, but not as significant as the way a family lives from day-to-day.
How often do you seek out new experiences with new people? Everything from
trying new food, attending a cultural celebration, enjoying music, and
worshiping at a church where you do not look like most of the people are all experiences that
broaden those schemas. The goal is not to ignore your family’s culture but to
appreciate it more when you realize that each family has their likes, rituals,
and traditions.
In my previous post, I mentioned that an unspoken truth is
an untaught truth. This idea applies beautifully to teaching our children about racism. We do not do our children any favors by hoping they will not see
differences. Their brains are hardwired to make a note of differences and to
assign value to those categories. We need to teach children about differences
and how to value those who look different, like different things, and celebrate
in different ways.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness. Genesis 1:26a
We do not know if Adam and Eve had dark skin and black curly
hair or light skin and blue eyes. We do know that God made all of His children
in His image. And just like Adam and Eve did not have to teach their son Cain
to hate, we know that sin has found its way into our families. Through the
power of God’s Word and the work of the Spirit, we can teach our children about
fellow children of God.
This Dr. Lawrence Chatters, the Vice President for Student Affairs at Midlands University. We were classmates in graduate school and I have learned much from his wisdom. Here is an interview with him on the topic of children and racism.
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