Must watch this link:

Ok to watch with kids around

Really explains why we send our kids off to kindy expecting the teachers to notice that they can read, add, etc, and so often teachers don't.

In our families this is sort of normal behavior. In Kindy classrooms it just isn't.

And I guess my mom was right about people being to occupied with their own lives to notice that zit on my chin!

Love and More Love,
Grinity

That one's giving a "can't watch that in your country" error to me, but what Grinity said would apply equally to this incredibly famous one - so I recommend this one, also good to watch with kids, whether it's the same or different! ETA watch it fullscreen and avoid reading the text below it before you watch it - go to this link and immediately click the fullscreen button.

Interesting video, Grinity. I have no faith in early educators spotting giftedness based on my own experience. They were clueless, but my DD also decided to play along and perform the way they expected and hide her skills. I am not going to let this happen in K :-)

Oh that was fabulous.

Amazing!

DD gets that all the time, in that people believe she has black hair. Her hair is very slightly darker than mine (which no one has ever called anything but brown), and obviously not-black if you put her next to someone who actually has black hair. She's half-Asian, and the "Asian people have black hair" expectation overrides the "this person has dark brown hair" visual.

Ugg! I hate that, and I'm so glad that I have at least some indication that I don't do that myself.
Here's the story:
When my Cuban American girlfriend's 2nd child was born, I said 'She looks just like you, and her big brother looks just like Dad!'

She laughted said: "I can't tell you how many people say just the opposite." And she showed me that her daugher has light skin tone just like the Dad, while her son - who has her DH's features, has her coloring. That was eye-opening for me.

But yeah, people see what they expect to see, and racist ideas 'color' what they expect to see. Hopefully you'll get that working in your favor in the school setting at least once or twice. I say, use it (subtly) if it works - your obligation to saving your kid comes before any oblication to save the world.

In our family we also draft DH to deal with any situation where people expect to take advantage of a female. ((eye rolls))

Love and More love,
Grinity

Because I have dark hair (brown, not even that dark) and more of a golden skin tone people assume I have brown eyes. Always have. DS has very striking blue eyes and blond hair. The hair is like his father, but his eyes are much lighter than DHs. Even so, everyone says he looks "exactly" like his father. DD has a bit darker hair, but not as dark as mine. Everyone says she looks like me, well, except that she has blue eyes. A friend of my mother actually said, "no you don't" when I told her I had blue eyes too. Looking right at me. Wow. Oh, and DS and DD look very very similar in baby pictures up to about 9 months. Funny how gender and coloring are such strong identifying features to people.

My dd wears glasses... and has since she was 1 months. I was the same way. Up until I got very ill, I wore contacts. Now that I am back in glasses, everyone says she looks just like me. In reality, she could be a twin of one of er cousins on my dh's side and looks nothing like I did at her age. she has blond very fine straight hair very blue eyes (almost like ice blue) and I have very dark coarse curly hair and hazel eyes.

Golly - glasses at age one month! How did you know to take her to the doctor? How did they check? The youngest I ever heard of was 3 years old - and it was because she was having trouble reading. I felt pretty happy when I got that story out of her reluctant Dad.

Giggle,
Grinity

lol 13 months .. her eyes were crossing. Once she had glasses she was able to sit up and go down the slide without falling over. I guess she couldn't see the bottom or something. It made a huge difference in her. she never fought them or tried to pull them off.

Awww - such a happy story! Nice when we can make a positive difference in our babies lives.
Grinity