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Gender stereotypes have a significant role on the development of young children in Irish classrooms today. Children are constantly pressured into making decisions about how they look, feel and act based on their gender. It is imperative as teachers that we educate children about these stereotypes and to not let these preconceived ideas dictate their lives.
One particularly scenario I remember from my school was during lunchtime supervision where I was near the senior boys Gaelic Football game. One particular girl who played for her county underage and was extremely passionate about the sport wanted to play. The boys refused suggesting that she should go ‘skipping’ or ‘chatting’ with the rest of the girls. This behaviour is obviously unacceptable yet the reasoning behind their refusal remained unclear. Did they feel girls didn’t belong in football or did some feel they would be humiliated if a girl of that footballing calibre would show them up in front of their peers.
Lessons around these stereotypes are vital in order to teach our young people that these barriers need to be broken and lives do not have to follow stigmas. I had to chat to this particular class about what had happened and their classroom teacher held a discussion on stereotypes which she believed led to positive change thereafter.
Developmental Education can be incorporated into SSE by making sure all classrooms are taught about acceptance and inclusion. Once the children see the whole community acting in the same manner towards each other this will help foster a more welcoming environment. It will create a positive atmosphere where all children can feel safe to act and be who they want to be.
I agree with the above comments about project work. The children become much more invested in what they are learning about and take greater leadership in decision making. It helps foster skills that will help them become more effective global citizens.
The themes in the paper “The role of global citizens in today’s world” are very applicable to the lives of young people today. Children today are immersed in social media and technology and are constantly exposed to the effects of war, poverty and other global issues.
Over the past number of years children from war torn countries such as Ukraine and Lebanon have arrived to my school. These children are particularly aware of global developments and this has rubbed off on Irish children as well.
Children may feel powerless and overwhelmed to make an impact at a worldwide level so by encouraging them to take local action helps them regain purpose and attainable achievement. This can be completed as part of a class project and many cross curricular links can be created.
As a school community we can place suggestion boxes around the school for children to share their ideas/opinions about what the school should do to help local and global development. This would provide a safe space for the students to voice their ideas and concerns while also providing the staff a valuable tool for self evaluation.