The author points out that "children who are punished harshly or inconsistently, or who are frequently threatened with punishment, are prevented from developing the internal controls they need to discipline themselves," (156). Children who are raised in supportive environments will generally tend to support their peers and those who they meet through their entire lives.
Toward the end of Teaching Tolerance, the author includes a variety of exercises and activities parents can do with their children. For example, Bullard advises parents to cultivate self-awareness through drawings, collages, and dance. She offers other educational arts and crafts projects like designing a family tree. Educators can apply these lessons to their school curricula. Teachers don't need to be or act as psychologists to encourage self-awareness in their classrooms. Moreover, teachers can use Bullard's book as a guideline on how to create classrooms that promote tolerance.
Bullard's book is firmly rooted in research and not in speculation. Therefore, Teaching Tolerance is a valuable resource for early childhood educators. The only two drawbacks of the book are that its principles cannot apply to older children who have already solidified their prejudicial beliefs, and that Bullard underestimates the more serious dimensions of expressing intolerance in schools such as violence. Bullard does not indicate how teachers should deal with violence related to intolerance once it has already started.
Nevertheless, Teaching...
Ignoring the problem of prejudice will only make matters worse, condoning behavior that should be unacceptable. It is up to parents and teachers to first be aware of how adults pass on their prejudices to other people and second, to impart tolerance to their students and children. For instance, showing respect for children by paying attention to them, allowing them to express themselves fully without criticism. "We demonstrate respect for out children's individuality when we allow them to dress the way they feel comfortable, to eat the foods they like, to listen to the music of their choice. Through respect, we give them the freedom to discover who they are, and help them become people who will foster the same freedom in others," (93). Although Bullard directs her book for an audience of parents, her book applies equally to teachers. One of the keys to teaching tolerance is to "help our children see the connections between these principles and everyday events," something that teachers can be in the unique position to do (Bullard 112). Teaching tolerance, according to Bullard, is not about paying lip service through politically correct language, which can all but gloss over deeply-rooted biases. Rather, we can teach tolerance by embodying acceptance and respect and continually teaching those values to children.
Teaching Tolerance
Bullard, Sara. Teaching Tolerance: Raising Open-Minded, Empathetic Children. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
