Abstract
The authors explore three practices that foster a more socially just perspective in a kindergarten classroom. These include the role of one’s philosophy undergirding a social justice way of life; the creation and maintenance of a just and caring classroom community, and the connection of curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom community to local culture. These practices counter the deficit perspective of both the young children and their communities. These topics will be explored through the stories of a veteran Kindergarten teacher who has taught in various diverse communities. The end of the chapter will generalize from the stories to a list of suggested practices.
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Notes
- 1.
Black children represent 18 % of preschool enrollment but make up 48 % of preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension, according to the study released by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights in March 2014. These out-of-school suspension have been traced to negative development, as well as patterns of suspension that lead to a pathway to the juvenile justice system.
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McAllister-Flack, E., McAllister, G. (2016). Stories of Social Justice from the Kindergarten Classroom. In: Papa, R., Eadens, D., Eadens, D. (eds) Social Justice Instruction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12349-3_13
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