Abstract:

Laura Jones, a Virginia teacher, says that “this book makes you think.” Jacobson discusses the way bias manifests itself early and how to find “relearnable moments.”

Citation: Jacobson, T. (2003). Confronting our discomfort: Clearing the way for anti-bias in early childhood. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Full Text:

by Tamar Jacobson
2003 (160 pp/paperback)
Heinemann
ISBN: 0-325-00569-9/
$15.30

Reviewed by Laura Jones
Pre-School Special Education
Fairfax County VA Public Schools

This book makes you think. What more can you ask of a book about an uncomfortable subject? The author is a white African Jewish woman who grew up in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, immigrated to Israel at 19, and then to the US at age 38. Her professional experience has been as an early childhood educator and a university faculty member. She confronts the issues of bias and personal comfort level straight on, and offers help. She also delves into the rarely stated feelings of teachers' self-worth and attempts to confront that problem in a helpful way.

Dr. Jacobson starts out by assuring us that what we do as teachers matters. But she works through the obstacles we face in attempting to help children grow up without bias, and has as her objective to help teachers learn how to look at what stands in their way as they attempt to implement anti-bias values in their classrooms. She also bluntly states that one of the biggest obstacles is ourselves and the values we hold that we may not realize we hold.

She asks us to look at the feelings of discomfort we have as our teaching days go on. This struck a familiar chord with me as I move into the fourth month of being back with children after two years in the corporate world. I went right back to my lesson plans and materials as I worked with my preschoolers. But as I read one of my favorite books to one of the children, I realized that my little neighborhood had changed in the past two years and the world portrayed in this book was nothing like the world this child, or really any of the children I see, was experiencing. I have a serious feeling of discomfort, but no place to turn for more appropriate materials for next year.

Dr. Jacobson examines biases learned at an early age, particularly race, gender and religion. She also analyzes the difficulty teachers may have in engendering respect for others when they do not feel respected or valued themselves.

Examples given related to race and gender bias are particularly moving to me, as these are the ones I struggle with as I work with my preschoolers. I am struck once again by her comments as I unwrap my new toys — the Playmobil sets which become more and more male-dominated and violent, and the K'Nex sets which show no girls playing in the catalog. Her comments about women and voting rights were enlightening and caused many raised eyebrows in the doctors' waiting room as I read them aloud to my teenage daughter. I just kept wanting to say, "But she's right, don't you see???"

As you read this book, before you become too discouraged and ready to throw up your hands in despair, Dr. Jacobson offers glimmers of hope with her simple suggestions: become aware of "relearnable moments," begin self-reflection, and consider other tangible approaches to changing a lifetime of thinking. Her chapter on being "in or out of confidence" is thought-provoking and would be an excellent way to begin a study group for educators. She is particularly adamant about the lack of respect for early childhood educators as a profession and has many excellent points about the effect of this lack of support and respect upon all children.

Dr. Jacobson clearly has her finger on the pulse of the thinking teacher. While this book is slotted for early childhood educators, the talking points and critical thoughts are appropriate for all teachers. As my 19-year old talks about education as a major, I keep pushing her to realize that she has to be able to find her personal rewards within herself rather than from the community in the form of money or respect. Dr. Jacobson has stated the case much more clearly than I ever could.

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