In this week’s Living and Learning lesson, our topic was discrimination. But first, we watched a video about Welsh rugby legend, Gareth Thomas, and thought of adjectives to describe him.
Next, we discussed a recent news story where Gareth Thomas was targeted in a homophobic attack. This means that he was assaulted because he is gay.
Gareth Thomas decided to use restorative practice and to sit down with his attacker and talk. He said: “I thought the perpetrator would learn more that way.” We discussed how the following words were just as applicable for his actions after being attacked as well as playing rugby.
We talked about discrimination against other groups of people, too. We defined sexism, racism, disablism and homophobia.
Importantly, we discussed what to do if you see or hear any discriminatory behaviour or what you should do if it happens to you.
You should call it for what it is. For example, “That’s discrimination and that’s not ok.” You should tell an adult or someone you trust. Being open and honest with what you see or what happens can help everyone to learn.
We linked our L&L to our reading, using a RIC (Retrieve, Infer and understand writer’s Choice). This helped us discuss who might be discriminated against and that it’s not right because everyone should be treated fairly and given the same opportunities.
Challenge your child: Can they tell you a definition for discrimination without looking? Do they know what to do if they see or hear it happening?