Social Inclusion

Vanessa R, the author of this final entry on chapter 10, is
pictured here with her two brothers.

            Reading this chapter really made me stop and think about how excluded some children may feel due to their culture, race, social class or ethnicity. We all come from many different backgrounds, cultures, ethnic groups, and races. Children are often teased and bullied because other children don’t know anything about their beliefs or traditions. It is a sad thing to see how ignorant some children can be. As they grow up, they should be taught to respect where others come from. I understand that children are curious and sometimes don’t know how to express their curiosity, but they need to know we are all unique and should embrace our uniqueness as opposed to mocking others for it.

I work at the daycare center on campus, helping out with the toddlers. They range in age from 1 to 3. There are children from many different racial groups. I think it is so cute and amazing how at this age, they all see one another as friends and don’t see anything different about one another. They all play and accept one another as friends.  I wish this would stay the same as they got older. As children get older, they need to be taught that no matter where people come from, or what they look like, they should be accepted for who they are.

It really made me feel compassionate when I read about how some children are made fun of for living in poverty. This reminded me of a time when I was in elementary school. I was probably about 11 and in 6th grade. My parents and I took part in a Christmas Givaway every year. The event was set up to help families in need during the holiday season. Many people donated toys, clothes, Christmas gifts and food that were distributed amongst families in need. When we were there helping, a boy from my class came in with his family. This boy was always being made fun of by my classmates. After he saw me I could tell he was embarrassed, but I just smiled and said hello. I felt worse because I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable. I told him I was glad he came and tried to make him feel better. I would never want to make anyone feel bad for their situation. I was just glad that the program was able to help him and his family.

Empathy and compassion towards others is something that parents should teach their children from the beginning. All children want to do is feel accepted. Nobody wants to be an outcast for any reason. I feel very bad for children who feel rejected by their peers for any reason, especially of it is beyond their control. A child shouldn’t be forced to change in order to feel accepted. These days this is very hard because children can be very mean and cruel. This is an issue I also take to heart because it relates closely to a close member of my family. My little brother was always being made fun of because he was overweight. Seeing how upset and sad he would be when he came home from school broke my mother’s and my heart every time. He was only in kindergarten and already hated to go to school. I think we felt worse because we couldn’t do anything to make him feel better. My mother spoke to his teacher and the teasing stopped, yet we still couldn’t make the other kids like him. Eventually he made friends and felt better about school, but my mother still always worried about him.

Overall, this chapter really helped me understand how important social inclusion is to a child. Children are at a vulnerable age and acceptance is very important. I would never want any child to feel like he didn’t belong for any reason. I believe that children should be taught that our differences make us the people we are. We should all embrace who we are and accept those around us.