Children up to a certain age don’t know color and I’m not talking Crayola crayons here. If you have ever observed two or three year-olds playing together you will see much interaction, some bossiness, a little possessiveness with toys, but absolutely no prejudice. Prejudice is a learned reaction that is passed down to children from their parents.

In today’s classroom there still exist some prejudicial attitudes that usually rear their heads by the second grade. Children are great listeners and imitators of adults. What they hear and absorb in the first seven years of life has an enormous impact on how they see the world and the people who inhabit it. By the time they get to school they have learned their parents’ and relatives’ take on society and it becomes part of how they see the world.

At Back-to-School-Night, most parents didn’t expect their child’s Spanish teacher to be a blonde-haired green-eyed woman. I was conversing in Spanish with a parent of one of my students when her younger daughter, a child of six, blurted out in Spanish:

“Mamita, ¡dijiste ella es muy blanca a ensañar el español!”(Mommy, you said that she’s too white to teach Spanish!)

The mother was embarrassed as were those of us who spoke Spanish. I just smiled when the mother tried to explain her daughter’s comment. She told me that it was just that she herself had never known anyone as fair as I who spoke Spanish fluently.

When I was teaching high school I saw many instances of prejudice among the diverse student population, though never in the classroom. My school held assemblies to help the student body learn how destructive prejudice could be.

If you feel that there are racial or ethnic problems in your school, act to help stop them. Don’t be afraid to speak to the administration if you see a situation that is uncomfortable for some students or if certain groups are being singled out in prejudicial ways. Attend board of education public meetings and voice your concerns. Talk with the faculty and let them know what you think is going on.The teachers may not be as aware of the situation as you may be. Remember that students act one way in class and another with their friends.

Above all, try to remember that children are like sponges. They absorb the good and the bad things they hear at home. Allowing racial, ethnic, or prejudicial slurs to be said in your home is wrong. The telling of a racial “joke” is not funny and it can have a lasting impression on your child if they think you accept it.

Let your child know that prejudice is not correct and not allowed. Teach them that there is beauty in all cultures, races, and ethnicities. Tolerance and respect begins in your own home.