Rights of the child
The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child were made to protect children from abuse and ensure access to; education, a voice, health care and social connections. There are 54 articles that make up this Declaration and it can be found simply by a quick search on the internet.
In the Early Childhood sector we often talk about the "Rights of the Child". These rights are drawn from the UN Rights of the Child and guide our practice to ensure, amongst many things that; all children are part of an inclusive environment, spoken to in a respectful manner, have fair access and opportunity to all resources and learning, are listened too and are believed to be capable individuals whom already have a vast wealth of knowledge.
When you allow your craft to really reflect such beliefs the dynamic of the room is a special place. Different to spaces where children have no choice and are expected to participate in teacher selected experiences without room to develop their own voice or autonomy. When the rights of the child are respected by the adults in a child's life, there is space for the child to contribute to the environment as opposed to simply being a passive subject of that environment. Learning can truly reach depth when children can genuinely engage in quality rich and open ended resources and, when given the opportunity to take great ownership over how these resources are utilised.
On the flip side, while attending recent professional development courses a common thread of conversation is of educators expressing frustration over the lack of respect many children express for their environment and the other people in it. This is also a very common phenomena that is observed when watching free play in a group play setting.
I believe this lack of respect is not a reflection of the nature of the child but a reflection upon the tendencies of the adult to neglect the idea that in order for children to; grow and develop into well rounded people, who respect other people and property, and who learn to understand that their needs are not superior to the needs of other people, we must teach that rights go hand in hand with responsibility and consequence.
When children are served by the adults in their lives (either while in care or in the home) with the child's needs consistently placed above all others, the child perceives that their wishes and their voice is the most important. Children need to learn that they are not the centre of the universe and that in conjunction with rights, they also are part of a community and in order to be a successful member of a community some things, are simply non-negotiable.
In the Early Childhood sector; respect and belief in the rights of a child does not mean that the child and their needs come before all others. It simply means to believe that a child is a capable little human who deserve to have their competencies respected and supported. It means that children deserve to be spoken to and treated in a respectful and fair manner and to have the opportunity to express them selves and be heard. It means that they deserve to have access to an education and in this sense, deserve quality learning opportunities.
As an educator and as a Mum, it is my role to guide children towards successful development as a whole being. This means play and opportunity, this also means expectations, boundaries, and accountability. It is so important to ground yourself in the reflection of what kind of people our children will become and consider the repercussions of misinterpreting what it means to respect the rights of the child.
In the Early Childhood sector we often talk about the "Rights of the Child". These rights are drawn from the UN Rights of the Child and guide our practice to ensure, amongst many things that; all children are part of an inclusive environment, spoken to in a respectful manner, have fair access and opportunity to all resources and learning, are listened too and are believed to be capable individuals whom already have a vast wealth of knowledge.
When you allow your craft to really reflect such beliefs the dynamic of the room is a special place. Different to spaces where children have no choice and are expected to participate in teacher selected experiences without room to develop their own voice or autonomy. When the rights of the child are respected by the adults in a child's life, there is space for the child to contribute to the environment as opposed to simply being a passive subject of that environment. Learning can truly reach depth when children can genuinely engage in quality rich and open ended resources and, when given the opportunity to take great ownership over how these resources are utilised.
On the flip side, while attending recent professional development courses a common thread of conversation is of educators expressing frustration over the lack of respect many children express for their environment and the other people in it. This is also a very common phenomena that is observed when watching free play in a group play setting.
I believe this lack of respect is not a reflection of the nature of the child but a reflection upon the tendencies of the adult to neglect the idea that in order for children to; grow and develop into well rounded people, who respect other people and property, and who learn to understand that their needs are not superior to the needs of other people, we must teach that rights go hand in hand with responsibility and consequence.
When children are served by the adults in their lives (either while in care or in the home) with the child's needs consistently placed above all others, the child perceives that their wishes and their voice is the most important. Children need to learn that they are not the centre of the universe and that in conjunction with rights, they also are part of a community and in order to be a successful member of a community some things, are simply non-negotiable.
In the Early Childhood sector; respect and belief in the rights of a child does not mean that the child and their needs come before all others. It simply means to believe that a child is a capable little human who deserve to have their competencies respected and supported. It means that children deserve to be spoken to and treated in a respectful and fair manner and to have the opportunity to express them selves and be heard. It means that they deserve to have access to an education and in this sense, deserve quality learning opportunities.
As an educator and as a Mum, it is my role to guide children towards successful development as a whole being. This means play and opportunity, this also means expectations, boundaries, and accountability. It is so important to ground yourself in the reflection of what kind of people our children will become and consider the repercussions of misinterpreting what it means to respect the rights of the child.
As an educator or as a parent; what are your beliefs around the importance of respecting the rights of the child? How do you live this or what are your conflicts?
Jarome photographed by his beautiful Aunty Rochelle, demonstrating how he can fly with the birds. He has access, he has opportunity and their are boundaries to ensure safety. There is love and security, there is communication. We can truely embody the rights of our children in our every day living and interactions.
Love this post Sarah. Reminds me of Carl Roger's principles of person centred counselling.
ReplyDelete-Empathy
-Congruence
-Unconditional positive regard
When working with adolescents and liaising with the various child services meant to serve and protect them, many professionals fail to give young people the benefit of the doubt. In other words they don't have unconditional positive regard towards the youth they work for.
Faced with the harsh realities of an obscenely unjust society, these adults place undue blame on the young people they are meant to be empowering and advocating for. It's easier to do this than it is to acknowledge and address the larger forces at play.
To turn a blind eye to the pitiful amount of power and autonomy held by young people in our society means that the these professionals can throw up their hands and say 'it's not our fault, we can't do anything to help if the youth refuse to help themselves!'. In short, victim blaming .
We all know the saying 'with great power comes great responsibility' but as adults we constantly fail to comprehend the power we wield over the young people in our lives.
When we are well in ourselves we do well in our lives. When young people are well they will learn and grow and mature as they should. When young people are unwell, abused and neglected, then it is up to the adults to step in and create the conditions necessary for young people to thrive.
Childhood is short and there's no time to waste on dishing out blame to the young or to their families. We have to role model the kind of adult behavior we want young people to demonstrate. Let's start with empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard. This is how we must begin. This is how we can uphold the rights of children.
I love the passion, thought, reflection and just how informed your comment is.
DeleteYour comment also touches upon the power plays of "us" and "them" which are often at play between the adult ego and the child.