A worksheet got us wondering what children learn about race at school.
A worksheet at a local kindergarten got us wondering if our children are being taught racial awareness or racial stereotyping at school, preschool to be exact.
A friend sent me this picture that had been posted on Facebook by an irate mum. Nothing new you think? Mums seem to always be irate about something these days. Schools seem determined to upset parents on a daily basis.
Well, this one was a little unusual and it got our office talking. The picture in question was of a worksheet. The exercise was for 3-4 year olds at N2 level. It required them to match the child with the food. Innocent enough you say? Well, yes and no.
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The children were pictured in their traditional clothes and shaded in various shades of grey to indicate ethnicity. Clearly they were meant to be Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian. The children were even sized in proportion to their race’s proportion of the overall population in Singapore i.e. Chinese biggest, Eurasian smallest. The foods listed were a burger, noodles (incorrectly in the singular noodle), chapati (mis-spelt as capati) and satay. The child in question clearly understood what was required from the exercise and even got a star for his correct answer.
Does this type of stereotyping help or hinder racial harmony?
But was there really a correct answer to this very imperfect question? Indians eat noodles, Malays eat chapati, Chinese people eat satay and doesn’t everyone eat burgers?
Read on for our thoughts on this type of teaching at our schools.
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