"I Keep Me Safe": A Portrait of (Dis)Respect and (Mis)Understanding

• In Event: 61.064 - Seeking Social Justice in Early Childhood: Portraits of Children as Active Agents

Abstract

Using Portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997), my purpose in this examination is to consider how dominant notions of respect often contribute to misunderstandings and (mis)treatment of young children. Through critical analysis and representation of how notions of respect are constructed in one preschool classroom, I argue that educators’ limited perspectives and (mis)understandings of students frequently get in the way of engaging their strengths. Drawing on critical perspectives, I argue that such misunderstandings are especially likely and damaging for students growing up in the midst of challenging circumstances. Given the role of adult expectations in shaping positive life outcomes for students, such reframing of respect, especially for children with challenging lives, may be critical to improving their (and our) long-term prospects.

Author

• Travis S. Wright, University of WIsconsin- Madison