jeudi 7 avril 2016
How 1 Teacher Stopped Kids From Teasing a Classmate About Her Natural Hair
Many women of color face discrimination simply because of their hair's natural texture, sometimes being told that the way their strands grow out of their scalps is "unprofessional." Unfortunately, this prejudice can start far too young, affecting elementary school students as well as adults. So when first-grade teacher Alexondra Purnomo observed a student being bullied because of her natural hair, she changed the conversation in her classroom - and the result is truly inspirational.
Purnomo teaches in Rome, Italy, to a class of predominantly white Italian students. Sasha, a new black pupil, recently came to school without braids for the first time. "Some of the kids made fun of her for her short hair, so she started wearing a Winter hat to school and refused to take it off," she shared in a Facebook post. Purnomo, a teacher colleague, and her students discussed how everyone has different characteristics that make them special.
As a result, Sasha finally took off her hat, revealing a little bun. "The other teacher and I both put our hair in buns on the top of our heads saying it was the 'Sasha bun,'" Purnomo said. All of her students - girls and boys alike - ended up wanting their own topknot. The children all styled their hair to match Sasha's and took the above photo.
"We were able to come together as a class and bring a smile to Sasha's face after a long, tough week," Purnomo stated. "It gave me chills to see 19 kids come together to help one fellow student."
Not only are we impressed with how quickly Purnomo and her fellow teachers reacted to the class's bullying (where were they when we were in school?!), but we're also inspired by how her students reacted. If adults start having these conversations about acceptance, perhaps we will live in a culture that embraces beauty diversity sooner than we had expected.
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