Role Play Scenarios

Focused Topics Creating Culturally Responsive Programs Lesson 7 Explore Role Play Scenarios Reflection	WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG ACTIVITY ID: 26211 Name Certifier Date
Read and engage in the following scenarios with staff members to address and reflect on possible situations that may arise in your program concerning anti-bias, anti-racist, and culturally responsive teaching. Review the suggested responses to further support your understanding of how you might respond in these situations. Scenario #1  A family in your program has contacted a staff member and is upset because their 4-year-old child has come home asking why their hair does not look like the other children’s hair. Most of the children have straight hair, but this child, who is biracial (Black and White), has kinky hair. The family is concerned that their child does not feel like they belong in your program. The staff member is not sure how to respond. First, thank the family for bringing their concern to your attention. In order to properly respond to the concern, let the family know that you would like some time to reflect with the staff members involved in their child’s care. Spend time reviewing the upcoming curriculum units to see if and where identity comes into play and create intentional spaces for conversations about identity to take place. For example, if a science unit is planned in the upcoming week, take a careful inventory of the books and materials that will be shared and make sure that scientists that represent the child’s racial identity are present in the curriculum. Since the child is biracial it would be especially fitting for you to include biracial scientists who resemble the child if possible. While it is true that children and youth want desperately to fit in and belong in their peer groups, it is also true that children and youth with a strong sense of self will have the confidence to be different and still know that they are accepted among their peers. Once you have had time to analyze ideas and reflect with staff members, be sure to reconnect with the family and provide action steps for addressing their concern. It is important for families to feel seen and heard, so be sure to ask if they have any suggestions or additions they would like to share. Be sure to follow up with the family after a few weeks to determine whether progress has been made. Scenario #2 A 5-year-old child in your program who was born as a girl often arrives at school wearing jeans, sweatpants, and baggy shirts. The child enjoys running, climbing, and playing sports and often spends time playing with the boys in your program. In addition, the child has recently cut their hair short. The child has a gender-neutral name and now their appearance is generating curiosity with other children in your program who are not familiar with them. The 5-year-old child seems uncomfortable with the attention they are beginning to receive, and the staff has not responded yet.  It seems clear that gender stereotypes have begun to form and solidify for some children and, as a result, they are confused by the appearance and behaviors of the 5-year-old. It would probably be best to address this on a school level through your curriculum choices to open conversations about gender. Books are a great way to enter these conversations. Since the child seems uncomfortable, it is important to address their feelings first. Determine how the child wants to be addressed and how they wish to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with their peers. Additionally, engage in dialogue with the other children by asking open-ended questions about identity. Scenario #3 As Christmas approaches, many of the children are excited to sing Christmas songs and talk about all the things they will do during the holiday. One day a staff member receives an email from a family in your program asking how holidays are addressed. What should the staff member say to the family?  Start by considering how holidays are addressed in your program and why. Are all holidays discussed? Are holidays from certain religions discussed while others are not? Is there a practice in your program of not talking about any holidays? As you reflect on the current demographics of your program, you may realize that the model you have in place no longer applies because your families are more diverse than they were before. In any case, this question provides an opportunity to think differently. Be sure to respond to the family with a positive attitude and explain your plan to review your current policies. Do not hesitate to ask the family their thoughts on holiday celebrations. Scenario #4 A new child in your program is beginning to exhibit some challenging behaviors. The child is a biracial (White and Latine) 7-year-old. They were in a different program last year and the family decided to leave. The only information the family has shared with your staff is that the child is learning English but loves singing, enjoys being read to, and knows two other languages that they practice at home. You also learn that the child is involved in several other activities, including soccer, karate and basketball. The child seems very disconnected from the other children. The staff tries to encourage the child to engage in other activities but finds that they are often resistant to following these directions and this usually leads to screaming and sometimes hitting or kicking a staff member. Whenever the child does engage with peers, a staff member needs to be present to help them avoid conflict. Staff members are concerned about how to approach this situation with the family due to how early it is in the school year. How should they proceed? You have an opportunity to help a staff member proactively support a child who clearly is not getting the most out of your program. The reasons for their behaviors can be numerous so gathering additional information will be an essential next step. Maybe language is a factor. Perhaps the child is struggling to regulate their emotional needs throughout the day. It’s possible that socializing with other children is very hard for them to do without a significant amount of one-on-one support. Whatever the underlying reasons are, it’s very important to find a way to help figure out what the cause of the behavior is so you can help the staff move the child past their challenging behaviors. Since the child is expressing themselves with physical actions, consider bringing the family into the conversation as soon as possible. In an ideal situation, the staff would have already been taking notes and recording observational data that might shed some light on when these behaviors are happening and what seems to cause them. The key is to address these challenges in a caring and humanizing way, so we are not viewing these behaviors as rare or abnormal but instead seeing them as a form of communication that the child is currently using to tell us that something is not working for them in their current situation. This provides a tremendous opportunity for staff to collaborate with the family

Reflection

WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG

ACTIVITY ID: 26211

Name

Certifier

Date

Read and engage in the following scenarios with staff members to address and reflect on possible situations that may arise in your program concerning anti-bias, anti-racist, and culturally responsive teaching. Review the suggested responses to further support your understanding of how you might respond in these situations.

Scenario #1 

A family in your program has contacted a staff member and is upset because their 4-year-old child has come home asking why their hair does not look like the other children’s hair. Most of the children have straight hair, but this child, who is biracial (Black and White), has kinky hair. The family is concerned that their child does not feel like they belong in your program. The staff member is not sure how to respond.

First, thank the family for bringing their concern to your attention. In order to properly respond to the concern, let the family know that you would like some time to reflect with the staff members involved in their child’s care. Spend time reviewing the upcoming curriculum units to see if and where identity comes into play and create intentional spaces for conversations about identity to take place. For example, if a science unit is planned in the upcoming week, take a careful inventory of the books and materials that will be shared and make sure that scientists that represent the child’s racial identity are present in the curriculum. Since the child is biracial it would be especially fitting for you to include biracial scientists who resemble the child if possible.

While it is true that children and youth want desperately to fit in and belong in their peer groups, it is also true that children and youth with a strong sense of self will have the confidence to be different and still know that they are accepted among their peers. Once you have had time to analyze ideas and reflect with staff members, be sure to reconnect with the family and provide action steps for addressing their concern. It is important for families to feel seen and heard, so be sure to ask if they have any suggestions or additions they would like to share.

Be sure to follow up with the family after a few weeks to determine whether progress has been made.

Scenario #2

A 5-year-old child in your program who was born as a girl often arrives at school wearing jeans, sweatpants, and baggy shirts. The child enjoys running, climbing, and playing sports and often spends time playing with the boys in your program. In addition, the child has recently cut their hair short. The child has a gender-neutral name and now their appearance is generating curiosity with other children in your program who are not familiar with them. The 5-year-old child seems uncomfortable with the attention they are beginning to receive, and the staff has not responded yet. 

It seems clear that gender stereotypes have begun to form and solidify for some children and, as a result, they are confused by the appearance and behaviors of the 5-year-old. It would probably be best to address this on a school level through your curriculum choices to open conversations about gender. Books are a great way to enter these conversations.

Since the child seems uncomfortable, it is important to address their feelings first. Determine how the child wants to be addressed and how they wish to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with their peers. Additionally, engage in dialogue with the other children by asking open-ended questions about identity.

Scenario #3

As Christmas approaches, many of the children are excited to sing Christmas songs and talk about all the things they will do during the holiday. One day a staff member receives an email from a family in your program asking how holidays are addressed. What should the staff member say to the family? 

Start by considering how holidays are addressed in your program and why. Are all holidays discussed? Are holidays from certain religions discussed while others are not? Is there a practice in your program of not talking about any holidays? As you reflect on the current demographics of your program, you may realize that the model you have in place no longer applies because your families are more diverse than they were before. In any case, this question provides an opportunity to think differently. Be sure to respond to the family with a positive attitude and explain your plan to review your current policies. Do not hesitate to ask the family their thoughts on holiday celebrations.

Scenario #4

A new child in your program is beginning to exhibit some challenging behaviors. The child is a biracial (White and Latine) 7-year-old. They were in a different program last year and the family decided to leave. The only information the family has shared with your staff is that the child is learning English but loves singing, enjoys being read to, and knows two other languages that they practice at home. You also learn that the child is involved in several other activities, including soccer, karate and basketball. The child seems very disconnected from the other children. The staff tries to encourage the child to engage in other activities but finds that they are often resistant to following these directions and this usually leads to screaming and sometimes hitting or kicking a staff member. Whenever the child does engage with peers, a staff member needs to be present to help them avoid conflict. Staff members are concerned about how to approach this situation with the family due to how early it is in the school year. How should they proceed?

You have an opportunity to help a staff member proactively support a child who clearly is not getting the most out of your program. The reasons for their behaviors can be numerous so gathering additional information will be an essential next step. Maybe language is a factor. Perhaps the child is struggling to regulate their emotional needs throughout the day. It’s possible that socializing with other children is very hard for them to do without a significant amount of one-on-one support. Whatever the underlying reasons are, it’s very important to find a way to help figure out what the cause of the behavior is so you can help the staff move the child past their challenging behaviors.

Since the child is expressing themselves with physical actions, consider bringing the family into the conversation as soon as possible. In an ideal situation, the staff would have already been taking notes and recording observational data that might shed some light on when these behaviors are happening and what seems to cause them. The key is to address these challenges in a caring and humanizing way, so we are not viewing these behaviors as rare or abnormal but instead seeing them as a form of communication that the child is currently using to tell us that something is not working for them in their current situation. This provides a tremendous opportunity for staff to collaborate with the family