Teaching Tolerance

Tolerance begins at home, asserts Bullard, director of the Teaching Tolerance project sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center and editor of its magazine for educators. We are all born with the capacity for tolerance and intolerance, Bullard maintains, and many of our natural traits--such as drawing quick conclusions, ranking people and things, conforming, preferring the familiar--can lead to intolerance. By far the most important indicator of intolerance is how a child is treated within a family. The child who is denied love, or raised in an atmosphere that is harsh or threatening, will become frustrated and angry; low self-esteem and a propensity for prejudice are then more likely to follow. Firm, calm, consistent parenting, Bullard writes, allows children to develop the curiosity, creativity and appreciation for the mysteries of life that are characteristics of the tolerant individual. Bullard enlivens her work with quotes and anecdotes from such figures as Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King Jr., and she concludes each chapter with questions and suggestions for journal writing to help parents further explore their own attitudes. Also included is an extensive list of books, toys, games and music that explore ethnicity and promote tolerance. More thought-provoking than prescriptive, Bullard's reasoned and persuasive essay offers convincing inspiration for parents to serve as open-minded models for their children. (Sept.) Parenting