Consider...Jamal

Jamal is a 5-year-old Kindergartner at Centreville Childcare Centre in Centreville, New Brunswick. Jamal often plays in the dramatic play area where Jamal can be seen wearing different dresses or scarves and pretending to have superpowers. One evening during pick up, Jamal’s father, Rashad, notices that Jamal is in the dramatic play area and tells Jamal to take off the dress and apron because he is a boy, and boys do not wear dresses. Rashad tells Jamal, “Play with cars or build things like the other boys are doing”.  As Jamal and his father leave the room, Rashad tells the early childhood educator, Ana, that he does not want to see Jamal dressed in girl clothes in the future. Rashad goes on to say he does not want Jamal to go down the wrong path because he will be bullied and teased which will negatively impact him. Ana is unsure how to respond at that moment and apologizes to Rashad as he quickly leaves the centre with Jamal.