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The Child as Innocent

This image is an artwork from 1893 by Bouguereau titled L’Innocence. The artwork has been created to show the child as innocent and pure, with no worries in the world as depicted with its mother overlooking them. The artwork is aligned to the construct of the child as an innocent as during this period, particularly in Christian beliefs, children were a symbol of innocence and purity (Paton, 2003). Describing children as lambs of God in Jesus’s times also reflect their sinless nature as well as the colour white symbolising purity (Paton, 2003). L’Innocence [Image]. (1893). Retrieved from https://www.artrenewal.org/Artwork/Index/1073

The Evil Child

While infanticide is mostly outdated in today’s society, images and practice of ‘the polarising politics of a good spanking” still occurs on the “evil child” where adults think they can hit the “evil” out of the child through corporal punishment (Munro, 2009). The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child defines corporal punishment as "any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light." (United Nations, 2006). This image shows a child being spanked after displaying unacceptable behaviour. At times where parents lose their patience and feel helpless they may use corporal punishment as discipline over other methods. No name [Image]. (2009). Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1926222,00.html

The Miniature Adult

This image is shows young children working in a sweat shop factory. This image reflects the industrial era, where children would have no childhood, as they must take on the responsibilities and actions of an adult in order for their families and themselves to survive. The children were often subjected to long hours of work in suboptimal conditions (Goering, 2008). No adult was there to look after or provide for them and thus their childhood was lost and were seen as more of a miniature adult. Child Labour & Sweatshops [Image]. (2008). Retrieved from http://whsword.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/childlabour-sweatshops/

The Adult in Training

This image shows a tutor and a young child learning together at a desk with reading material. The notion of children being adults in training is seen as educators and parents try to teach children important skills which will help them in adulthood (high academic achievement), and thus encourage them to use these skills in childhood. This is seen to be “push-starting” children into adulthood, which is well indented.

Tutoring Taking Care of a Kid [Image]. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.heykiki.com/blog/2013/01/10/tutoring-and-confidence-how-tobolster-anxious-kids/

The Agentic Child The construct of the agentic child is a modern construct which stems from adult-child collaboration, where children are “active, curious and self-motivated learners” (Sorrin & Galloway, 2006). The image shows a teacher and agentic child collaborating together to teach and educate the child. This is also seen in the EYLF where there is focus on play based learning and contemporary teaching methods, where teachers are steered away from tradition roles, and instead focus on negotiating and letting students design their learning to align with their strengths and weaknesses (Australian Department of Education and Training, 2009).

No name [Image]. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.sphds.org/constructingreading-and-writing-in-a-play-based-learning-environment/

Introduction During childhood, children undergo many transitions as they develop and grow at home and in school. To support children through childhood, adults and educators also need to transition; including the way they view children, the way they view childhood and the actions they undertake based on these views. As per Sorin and Galloway (2005), childhood consists of ten different constructions. This essay will explore five of these constructs and how they may appear in childhood through a variety of cartoons, pictures and artworks using philosophical and theoretical perspectives to liken, contrast and elucidate each image and construct. Yelland & Kilderry (2005) state that, “one of the aims of education is to prepare citizens for the ‘real world’, and the ‘real worlds’ of today are multi-faceted and often the issues that arise are not easily solved but instead need to have multiple readings and interpretations”. Thus, this essay will explore an educator’s beliefs of childhood constructions and how this will affect future practice.

The Child as Innocent The construction of childhood where there is a notion of innocence and purity has been present in society since the late middle ages. A child being untainted and innocent in their childhood is portrayed as a time of life that is distinct and independent from adulthood. A child’s carefree existence in childhood stems from their dependence of adults to meet their requirements and needs (Branscombe et al., 2000; Hutchison & Charlesworth, 2000; Wood, 2003). In this construct of childhood, innocent children are over protected and sheltered by adults in their lives, thus leading to the phenomenon of “bubble wrapping”. As highlighted by Dahlberg, Moss and Pence (2007) a child’s childhood and early life is lived and governed by constructs and understanding of an adult notion of childhood and how children should be and act. As educators it is important to offer children a nurturing and safe environment. For example, censoring violence from children to upkeep their innocence. However, it is also vital to allow children to learn, explore and make mistakes so they would know what to do in testing real-life situations and experiences. As Rothfuss (2007) stated, “The day we fret about the future it the day we leave our childhood behind”.

The Evil Child

Similarly, to the construct of an innocent child, an evil child is also derived from prehistoric and early Christian times from the concept of original sin (James, Jenks & Prout, 1996). Children were often considered evil as they were a result of their parent’s intimacy, they misbehaved or for reasons not understood such as intellectual disabilities. In contrast to the bubble wrapping and protection of innocent children, evil children were punished, beaten and even killed to purge the evil which was believed to reside in them. Thus, the role of the adult in this construct, was to discipline the child to become obedient (Sorin & Galloway, 2005). Many cultures worldwide practiced infanticide when a child was considered to be less than perfect. As illustrated by DeMause (1982), “children were thrown into rivers, flung in to dung-heaps and cess trenches, ‘potted’ in jars to starve to death and exposed on every hill and road side” (p.25). This construct shows behaviours and ideas that is not accepted by most people in today’s society due it is harsh and unnecessary discipline and beliefs. The harsh reality of the medieval period included innocent children being thrown into rivers with no way to protect themselves. As educators I believe children should listen and follow the rules given to them by adults and teachers, however, should not by any means be endangered by any kind of abuse to force the child into obedience. All children should be given the opportunity to succeed and grow in life and to become adults with the opportunity to obtain an education and have life experience. As educators, we do not deem a chid evil, but when they misbehave can assist in teaching children manners by actions such as time out chairs or exclusion from activities, where the child can be included when there is realisation of bad behaviour and the child can conform to the expectation of good behaviour. The Miniature Adult As compared to the evil and innocent child, the miniature adult construction of childhood involves no distinction between the phases of childhood and adulthood. In this construct, children are treated as adults, who essentially have no phase of childhood. This construct was very common in the 17 th and 18th centuries as well as during the industrial revolution, where children worked long hours in coal mines and factories in suboptimal conditions (Brandscombe et al., 2000). Children were often required to work due to poor economies, where working class families could not support themselves and their children and thus their children were required to work with their parents or sold as slaves or servants. In today’s society, the miniature adult construct can be seen in some poor and third world countries where children must work jobs, look after younger siblings/family members or even complete household duties. In contrast to the evil and innocent child constructs, there is no focus on the adult providing for or looking over the child as a child. Here, the child must fend for its own. Child labour deprives the child of their dignity as well as their childhood and education opportunities, thus creating a vicious child labouring cycle (Eddins, 2008). As educators, we should be open-minded about how differing cultures operate and their outlooks on children and childhood. Nevertheless, we must ensure that children are not being exploited or used and that they are given an opportunity to be active citizens in society and given a chance to learn and receive and education.

The Adult in Training The adult in training concept of childhood is the notion of childhood being a practice run for adulthood. This is similar to the child as a miniature adult as there is a focus on adulthood throughout what is supposed to be a child’s childhood. In contrast, the adult in training does not completely omit a child’s childhood, but views it as a stepping stone. As per Connolly (2013), “For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be”. The adult in training also has similarities to the miniature adult, where the construct is prevalent in countries of poor economy or war-torn countries where children are poor or orphaned and often forced into military solider training (Bourke & Hatcher-Moore, 2017). More common to today’s society, the adult in training may be seen as children who are pushed to achieve high academically by forcing tutoring and training. This type of adult in training “push-starting” is instigated and constructed by well-intended educators and parents, comparable to the innocent child construct where the parent or adult has high regard for the needs and requirements of the child (Sorin & Galloway, 2005). As educators, we must remember to be open-minded as each culture has its unique developmental approach particularly in education, which is also influenced by the current circumstance in which they live in. Differing communities will also have carrying expectations of children of which activities or responsibilities they should or should not be undertaking. While it is important to teach students skills which would be valuable in adulthood, it is also important to try and teach these through play based learning to ensure children are still able to enjoy their learning and childhood. The Agentic Child Like the innocent child and the adult in training, the agentic construction of childhood, is a childhood which is considered a vital part of a child’s life. The agentic construction of childhood, however, is a modern construct of childhood where children actively participate and interact with their environment and world to make sense of it (Corsaro, 1997). This is unlike the four other constructs which have historical roots. Like the adult in training, there is heavy focus on education and learning in childhood. In contrast to the miniature child, the agentic childhood requires adult-child collaboration, thus being similar to the needsbased innocent child and adult in training constructs (Sorin & Galloway, 2005). In contrast to the adult in training, the agentic child has a greater involvement in their learning and is not “push-started”. The adult in the agentic child construct can promote diversity and agency through observation, assessment and interviews, which would help to hear the voices and opinions of many children (Cannella, 2000). Although the agentic child construct is still relatively new, I believe it is a very fair construct as it gives all students the opportunity to have their voices and opinions heard and to take control of their learning, which is particularly vital to society as they are our future. Conclusion As seen in the images above, there are many varying constructs of childhood which have their advantages and disadvantages. The five constructs also had many similarities and stark differences. Constructs such as the innocent child,

the evil child, the miniature adult and the adult in training had historical roots as compared to the contemporary agentic child construct. The miniature adult was the stand alone construct where there was no focus on the adult providing any assistance or guidance to the child. The adult in training and miniature adult were also the two constructs which focused more on adulthood, in comparison to the evil and innocent child as well as the agentic child which all highlight the importance of the childhood stage. As mentioned, there are many similarities and differences between each construct, and having the knowledge of how to approach each construct is important in the role of an educator.

References Australian Department of Education and Training. (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, Australia. Bourke, J & Hatcher-Moore, P. (2017, July 24). If you’re old enough to carry a gun, you’re old enough to be a solider. The Guardian. Branscombe, N., Castle, K., Dorsey, A., Surbeck, E. & Taylor, J. (2000). Early Childhood Education- A Constructivist Approach. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company. Cannella, G.S. (2000). Critical and feminist reconstructions of early childhood education: continuing the conversations. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 1(2), 215-221. Cloud, J. (2009, 26 September). Kids Who Get Smacked May Have Lower IQs. Time. Connolly, J. (2013). The book of lost things. Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1164024-the-book-of-lost-things Corsaro, W. (1997). The Sociology of Childhood. USA: Pine Forge Press. Dahlberg, G., Moss, P., and Pence, A. (2007). Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care. Melbourne, Australia: Taylor & Francis. DeMause, L. (1982). Foundations of Psychohistory. New York, USA: Creative Roots Pub. Eddins, C. (2008). Human Rights – Child Labour. Strengthening the Human Rights Regime. Retrieved from http://child-humanrights.blogspot.com.au/2008/06/strengtheninghuman-rights-regime.html Goering, L. (2008, April 18). Ending Child Labour Tricky Job for India. Chicago Tribune. Hutchinson, E.D. & Charlesworth, L.W. (2000). Securing the welfare of children: Policies past, present and future. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 8(16), 576-595.

James, A., Jenks, C. & Prout, A. (1998). Theorizing Childhood. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell. Munro, P. (2009, 23 August). The Polarising Politics of a good spanking. The Sydney Morning Herald. Paton, T (2003). Freemasonry: Its Symbolism, Religious Nature, and Law of Perfection. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing Rothfuss, P. (2007). The Name of Wind. New York, United States of America: DAW Books. Sorin, R. & Galloway, G. (2005). Constructions of childhood: constructions of self. Paper presented at the Childhoods 2005 International Conference: Oslo, Norway. United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children. 2006. Violence against children in the home and family. World Report on Violence Against Children. Geneva, Switzerland. Wood, A. (2003). Constructions of childhood in art and media: Sexualized innocence. AgorA: Online Graduate Humanities Journal, 2(2), 191-198. Yelland, N.& Kilderry, A. (2005). Postmodernism, passion and potential for future childhoods. Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education. New York: Open University Press.

Images:

L’Innocence [Image]. (1893). Retrieved from https://www.artrenewal.org/Artwork/Index/1073 No name [Image]. (2009). Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1926222,00.html Child Labour & Sweatshops [Image]. (2008). Retrieved from http://whsword.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/childlabour-sweatshops/ Tutoring Taking Care of a Kid [Image]. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.heykiki.com/blog/2013/01/10/tutoring-and-confidence-how-tobolster-anxious-kids/ No name [Image]. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.sphds.org/constructingreading-and-writing-in-a-play-based-learning-environment/...