Only girls are good

The other day I came across a book that I have of quotes from children. The book was put together by the teachers at a preschool school, recording what their students said. In the past, when I read the book I enjoyed laughing about the funny things that the kids said. As I looked through the book recently, I had a different response. This time, I thought about where these quotes might have been coming from and how a teacher might use these as part of the curriculum. Many of the things these preschool students say could be used to address the preconceptions of these young children or other societal issues raised by what is said. Through a critical literacy curriculum, these quotes could be the foundation for what is done in the classroom. For example, one child said “If you're going to be good, you've got to be a girl. Only girls are good." I think this quote is not only interesting because of the underlying assumptions the student is making, but also for its value in starting a conversation about gender. When a statement like this is made by a preschool student, it must be based on something that student heard or saw. Thinking about something like this from a critical literacy perspective offers the chance to ask questions and discuss with students where these ideas came from. Although this example comes from something said by a preschooler, older people also say things on a regular basis that can be analyzed to discuss the bias of the speaker or to show how a person's background and perspective impacts how they view a situation. Opportunities for critical literacy can be found almost anywhere, sometimes all it requires is listening carefully and thoughtfully to what others are saying and asking meaningful questions to help start the thinking process.