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Promoting Equity with Stories Children Tell Through Truck and Car Play
We, as a preservice and practicing classroom teacher and two teacher educators, believe that children tell us about their thinking and passions through their play if we do not assume or interpret their words and behaviors too soon. We acknowledge that children grow up in diverse environments that may be different from our own, thus influencing our worldviews and how we interpret meaning (Prochner et al. 2016; Trawick-Smith 2019). We began our inquiry into the intricacies of play in early education settings in our rural communities with the aim of informing our teaching practices to promote language and literacy for young children in ways that respected the children's lived experiences. The inquiry expanded into an exploration of equity, particularly with respect to gender and class differences, and a reckoning about our own assumptions about learning and play.
Freddie rushes to the block area and lines up eight cars. He waits for Dakota. When Dakota arrives, Freddie "drives" each car out slowly, making "vroom" and "beep" sounds. He selects one for Dakota, but only one of the many cars in his possession. Frowning, Dakota drives his car around the rug, making a variety of car sounds.
Ms. Susan, the pre-K teacher being observed, notices their play and talks to the boys about sharing and taking turns. She divides the eight cars evenly between them. Shortly thereafter, Freddie leaves the block area.
When the same play scenario repeats over several days, Ms. Susan asks the boys why Freddie needs so many cars. Freddie replies, "You have to have a parts car." In Freddie's and Dakota's rural community, family members' livelihoods may depend on trucks and cars. When they break down, having access to replacement parts is crucial.
Ms. Susan is surprised by the logic and clarity behind Freddie's answer, and it causes her to question some of her assumptions about the meaning and value of the boys' play.
We were accustomed to investigating play that made us feel uncomfortable (Logue & Harvey 2008, 2011; Logue & Detour 2011). In this inquiry, we observed and tried to enter children's play with the goal of enriching language and literacy opportunities. Initially, we were focused on increasing their...