The Image of Childhood - Essay Example

Name Instructors’ name Course Date How Images of Childhood Influence Rights of Children Introduction The image of the child as the innocent has been a major concept of policies and practices concerning early childhood since the introduction of early childhood in 1837 by Froebel (Sorin 1). The construct perceives children as powerless individuals who should be protected by the adults. The childhood is viewed as the period where an individual is passive. The adult caregivers are expected to choose for the children what type of knowledge and experiences they should receive (Sorin 1). Some of the images for the childhood include, The Innocent Child, The Savior Child, The Evil Child and The Out-of-control Child (Sorin 1). Each of these images describes the behavior of each children and is an integral aspect in helping adults understanding different children. Nonetheless, image of childhood is constructed to alienate the basic educational rights of the children with mental or physical disabilities. The Innocent Child Image Since the late middle Ages, the image of The Innocent Child has been present. The image is perceived as pure time of life distinct from adulthood (Pati 420). The child dependence upon the adult to attend to their needs came along with the child’s carefree existence. For instance, the Garden of Children, a kindergarten metaphor introduced by Froebel, depicts infants as seedlings which are in natural goodness state, and whom should be natured by the adults through good care until they grow into the full adults (Pati 420). The United Nations Convention Document of 1989, on the child’s right and ethical codes concerning children, seems to be constructed based on this traditional stand (Sminkey 69). The convention correctly states that in all actions regarding the child, the primary considerations shall be the child’s rights. However, the adult caregivers are the one who determines what is the best interests of the children instead of being let to decide what is good for them. The construct of the Innocent Child is noticeable in censorship practices or sheltering of children from the world that is real in early childhood classroom (Pati 420). Literally or metaphorically, the adults cover the eyes of the children when sexuality, death or violence images in the media is accidentally presented (Pati 420). The adults choose for the children video games, activities and books that present some aspect of life considered to be sanitized while excluding others that are thought to be not worth (Pati 420). For instance, when considering the early childhood bookshelves, books that consist stories about monsters and which craft are excluded from the shelves, because they may cause anxiety and fear in children, based on the teacher’s perspective (Pati 420). Similarly, the construction of learning environment, is designed in such a way that protects children from acting with agency, apart from safeguarding them from harm. All this construction and designing is made by adults who according to them, they ‘understands better.’ The image of childhood innocence comes at a cost. It places youngsters as incapable, susceptible and dependent on adults. They are considered as empty individuals ready to be filled by the adults (Pati 420). Whereas it is a very real concern to provide protection for children, it is alarming that the youngsters are not given a chance to have a voice in the matter, since the issue of providing protection for children is being left for the adults (Anderson and Boyle 15). In such instances, the adults make choices concerning what type of schools the children should attend based on the level of security in those schools and not the children’s abilities (Pati 420). As a result, children with disabilities may be affected in terms of their educational performance. The Image of the Savior Child Another image of childhood is the Savior Child, which is an image that depicts children that are have the capacity to undertake the role of the adult of protecting other children (Banwell 4). The Savior child also exhibits good characters. The image emerged during the period of early Christians, from the Biblical character of Jesus Christ, who died to save the sins of others (Banwell 4). In modern narratives, such as the Dicken’s narrative which depicts the character of Tiny Tim, a child that is crippled and who brings people closer to God by using his suffering and disability. In addition, another modern example includes the Harry Potter’s narrative, which despite his loss and suffering, he puts himself at a high risk in order to assist other people. The children that falls under this category are also referred to as Parentified (Banwell 4). Because comparing to children of the same age, the ‘parentified’ fends more on themselves. These children, may be in charge of cooking for the whole family or even in other ways, being responsible for running the household. The child under this category is forced to make sacrifices on behalf of the other children (DeVore and Russell 189). In classrooms of early childhood, where more than often youngsters are viewed as incapable and innocent, the savior teen may appear less in reality than in the fictional form (DeVore and Russell 189). The children emulate the Television’s superheroes who liberate the world from evil force. Because of that emulation, their plays are dramatic and directly relate to those heroes of the day shown in the Television (DeVore and Russell 198). Children can be empowered to understand the bad and the good in their lives through plays involving superheroes’ emulation. There are times when children act as intermediary between parents and teachers, especially when there is communication barrier, or between other children who may be experiencing getting challenges of getting along with others (Banwell 4). Older teens are responsible for making their sibling’s lunch in some families, particularly in situations where their parents are unavailable. Similarly, this type of a child, for the sake of maintaining harmony in classroom, may foregoer his own study needs. Nonetheless, rather than expecting this behavior from young children, teachers should negotiate with the children (Banwell 4). Because, each one of them have individual differences (Banwell 4). For the children with mental disability, these expectations put them at a disadvantage. In addition, fundamental rights of equitable provision of education to the children may be violated if the savior child fails to study for the sake of helping other children. The Image of the Evil Child The image of the evil child arose in ancient and prehistoric Christian eras, with the opinion that children were an indication of their parents’ relationship (Murphy 105). In order to become responsible adults and well established individuals, there was need of severe beatings to do away with that evil, since children were considered to be born with sin (Murphy 106). The children who were regarded less than perfect were starved, drowned and subjected to torture. This whole concept brought evil practices such as incest and infanticide to continue in China, Africa, Rome and Greece. Afterwards, there was a replacement of infanticide by tough physical punishment to get rid of evil from the kid (Murphy 106). The child was thought to become obedient, through adult control, which makes the child to develop an image as a result of adult fear. In sensitive discipline policies and obstructive class or school regulations, the child as sinful is an underlying concept (Murphy 105-127). Certain behaviors in learning institutions are considered as good hence are rewarded. Whereas, others are disapproved and punished especially the evil ones (Armstrong, Armstrong and Spandagou 33). These grown up initiated rules seek to limit the kids themselves as their wicked manners are believed to have a negative impact on their fellow children. The evil child is recognized with time-out chairs and elimination from the rest of the children, at the beginning of childhood classroom (Murphy 127). The wicked child will only be accepted through an understanding of the sinful behavior and an agreement to change to the adult’s expectations of good behavior (Murphy 127). In such circumstances, adults could reconsider the benefits of removal or rejection of the children, which might have an effect on both the evil and the other child in class such reprogramming their behaviors (Murphy 127). Behavioral expectancies from each member of the learning community can be agreed in partnership with children. The Out-of-control Image of the Childhood The out-of-control children leaves their parents or caregivers helpless, as they may choose behaviors that are self-destructive so as to make another do what they want (Youngmi GoI 337). Sometimes, children under this category are known as ‘dysfunctional.’ They are the type of teenagers that the school system may give up on, after several attempts of trying to make them study (Singer 157). Some individuals believe that the out-of-control children’s development of anti-social personality is as a result of attachment disorder. It is a right of every child to access quality education (Singer 161). However, children with this disability do not have a place in the early childhood environment that is considered as ‘sanitized.’ Occasionally, these kinds of children are neglected by the ‘educational system.’ In most cases, they end up being expelled from the school and taken to special classes (Singer 161). If not, the out-of-control children may end up turning to criminal activities (Youngmi GoI 361). The adult-controlled educational system, denies these children basic right to access quality education. Conclusion The image of childhood is constructed to alienate the basic educational rights of children with disabilities. Each child is different with one another, at such will exhibits different behaviors. The images of childhood places children into different categories based on their behaviors that have been ‘sanitized’ by the adults. Because of these categories, some children like the ones in out-of-control category end up being abandoned by the educational system designed by the adults, because of failing to conform with the expected behaviors. There is need for the adults to put best interests of the children when formulating educational policies, and to realize that it is important to provide equal educational opportunities for each child irrespective of what he or she is able or unable to accomplish. References Anderson, Joanna and Christopher Boyle. "Inclusive Education In Australia: Rhetoric, Reality And The Road Ahead". Support for Learning 30.1 (2015): 4-22. Web. 11 Jan. 2017. Armstrong, Derrick, Ann Cheryl Armstrong, and Ilektra Spandagou. "Inclusion: By Choice Or By Chance?". International Journal of Inclusive Education 15.1 (2011): 29-39. Web. 11 Jan. 2017. Banwell, B. L. "Through The Eyes Of A Child: Research Insights Gained Through The Study Of Childhood Multiple Sclerosis". Multiple Sclerosis 14.1 (2008): 4-5. Web. DeVore, Simone and Karen Russell. "Early Childhood Education And Care For Children With Disabilities: Facilitating Inclusive Practice*". Early Childhood Education Journal 35.2 (2007): 189-198. Web. Murphy, E. "Images Of Childhood In Mothers' Accounts Of Contemporary Childrearing". Childhood 14.1 (2007): 105-127. Web. Pati, Jagannath. Adoption. 1st ed. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co., 2007. Print. Singer, Elly. "Images Of The Child And The Unruly Practice". European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 20.2 (2012): 157-161. Web. Sminkey, L. "World Report On Child Injury Prevention". Injury Prevention 14.1 (2008): 69-69. Web. 11 Jan. 2017. Sorin, Reesa. "Changing Images Of Childhood - Reconceptualising Early Childhood Practice". International Journal of Transitions in Childhood 1.1 (2017): 1-10. Print. Youngmi GoI,. "Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers’ Images Of Science Teaching And The Factors Influencing Changes In Those Images During A Course On Early Childhood Science Education". Korean Journal of Early Childhood Education 33.4 (2013): 337-361. Web. Read More