A Glimpse Into Pure Hearts
In a world often filled with complexity and challenges, the innocence of children shines like a beacon of hope and light. Their unfiltered view of the world, unblemished by cynicism or prejudice, reminds us of the beauty and purity within each of us.
This year, the children in my classroom became interested in law enforcement and started playing games like "police" and "bad guys." The games were pretty simple, with some children playing the role of the good guys or the police and others playing the role of the bad guys. They would chase each other around and capture each other. Then they would bring the bad guys to “jail” where usually the bad guys would escape and the game would start all over again.
The past decade has been marked by profound shifts in societal attitudes and awareness, particularly regarding race, and while the students in the Spring Room were playing their game of "bad guys" and "police," my co-teacher Calley and I were hesitant to ask the children about their perceptions of the "bad guys." We wondered who the children thought the bad guys were and what they looked like. However, we were also concerned about potential biases and prejudices that might be revealed in student responses and how to address them in class.
When we asked, their responses were both surprising and unsurprising. "Bad guys wear white and black stripes," one child said. "Yeah, they kinda look like robbers," another added. "And they wear black masks," a third chimed in. Upon hearing their responses, we realized that the children perceived villains as comical, old-fashioned prisoners. I took out a large piece of paper and instructed the children that I would sketch a bad guy if they gave me directions on how to draw it. They suggested, "Draw red eyes;" "Draw green spiky hair;" and "Make sure you draw him frowning so you know he's angry.” What we ended up with was a cartoon-ish bank robber who looked a bit like a monster and the children named him Heat Man. It turns out that the images they carried in their heads of “bad guys” were not shaped by real-life prejudices or biases, and included nothing about differences in skin color or class.
We were deeply moved by the experience. We noticed that the children were still fascinated with the idea of bad guys and police. Therefore, we decided to work together with them to construct a police station in the boulders area of our outdoor space. This way, they would have a designated place to take the bad guys. Additionally, we arranged a visit from the Inver Grove Heights Police Department. The children were given the opportunity to ask questions of actual police officers and explore the police vehicles. Following the children’s interests led to some satisfying deeper explorations.
In a world that can sometimes seem harsh and unforgiving, the innocence of children serves as a reminder of the beauty and goodness that exist within each of us.
