LM_NET: Library Media Networking
I have six children who are 14 years apart in age (from oldest to
youngest). One day several years ago when the youngest was with me on the
way to the sitter's house we were discussing her scheduled trip to the
hospital, with her preschool group. Knowing that the older children had
been given "doctor" kits if they were boys and "nurses" kits if they were
girls I was coaching her to request a "doctor's kit." The following
discussion took place.
Suzanne (4 years old): I can't.
Me: Why not?
Suzanne: Girls can't be doctors?
At the time her older sister aspired to become a doctor -- she was very
verbal about her goals and everyone in the family knew of her goal.
Me: Why not? Deborah is a girl and isn't she going to be a doctor?
Suzanne: (pondering for a minute or so) -- Well, yes, but then she'll have
to be a boy.
I inquired of her preschool teachers about where she might have gotten that
idea (heaven only knew she could not have gotten it at home) -- they, being
long standing friends, put their hands up and laughed with me. But the
question remained.
The answer came when I related the story at the dinner table. Two of her
middle school-aged brothers said, "Well, Mom you ought to know." They got
up from the table went to our library of children's books and pulled out no
less than 5 titles in which a character is a doctor - -all of them male.
(one was "Curious George Goes to the Hospital.") Then they pointed out that
our family doctor was a male and so was our dentist. So what was a girl to
think?
A picture is worth a thousand words I guess.
BTW -- the hospital had moved with the times and gave all the visiting
children "medical kits." Maybe it would be best if we aspired to do the
same. :>)
Incidentally Jacqueline Briggs Martin has written a wonderful book titled
"Washing the Willow Tree Loon" where the illustrator has done a superb job
of showing a diversity of characters: from a cultural, age, and gender
sense. The diversity is not necessarily a focus of the story but just is.
It is really an example of the way books ought to be (IMHO) -- not a book
about minorities or a book about what grandmothers and young people can do
while working together etc. just people working together to get a job done.
:>) Sharron
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Sharron L. McElmeel mailto:smcelmeel@cedar-rapids.k12.ia.us
Library Media Specialist
Harrison Elementary School http://www.cedar-rapids.k12.ia.us/harrison
1310 11th ST NW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405
"150 Years of Literacy in Iowa http://www.aea10.k12.ia.us/literacy
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