Can Children Go to Jail, and other Big Conversations

02/05/2021

Can Children Go to Jail, and other Big Conversations

Conversation is the way we discover how to transform our world, together.
Margaret Wheatley

The newest Exchange Reflections, "Tackling Hard Questions with Children," explores ways to respond when children ask questions or broach subjects that make us uncomfortable. Because the author of the article that the Reflections is based on addresses some sensitive personal subjects they are not yet ready to discuss openly, a friend, Cassandra Tondreau, submitted the article on their behalf.

This Exchange Reflections raises important questions for early educators to ponder, such as:

• What is our responsibility as adults to be attentive to what children are exposed to; when they are exposed to frightening or upsetting stories, how can we help them process what they’ve heard in developmentally appropriate ways?

• When the children in her care began talking about jail and detention centers, the author made a choice to lean into their questions, despite her discomfort. How can we encourage educators to welcome opportunities to engage with children around complicated conversations?

All of us grapple with the levels of vulnerability we are comfortable experiencing and how to discern which conversations are appropriate to have with children, and which are not. This Exchange Reflections will help groups thoughtfully discuss these important issues.

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