u/Getfsr

I’ve been a preschool teacher for about two years now ranging from 11months to 7 years (after school programs) old. I live in a very predominantly white area. Out of about 100 kids, 12 are either black, Hispanic or pacific islands. Out of 30 teachers, 5 are minorities. I’m the only Latino staff member present. My bosses and coworkers are all so inclusive and educated but the lack of diversity shows in how some of the kids, especially the girls, see themselves.

Today while coloring in a princess drawing sheet I over heard two girls (5 and 6 years of age) talking about finding the right skin color crayola for their princesses. One of the girls was Caucasian and blonde and the other was an adopted Pacific Islander. They suggested finding a yellow, white, cream or a “normal skin color” crayola. I stopped in my tracks and just started over hearing. They then talked about what color they’d do their princesses hair. They chose blonde. At that point I looked at my co-teacher and saw she had her half of the classroom relaxing so I asked if I could sit down with them and color too. They excitedly said yes and I started coloring her dress a dark blue and when it came to her skin I chose a light brown that matched my skin. Then for the hair I picked up a black crayola and colored it in. The Pacific Island girl left to the bathroom before I did her hair and skin but the Caucasian girl was so curious as to why I was making her brown. I showed her pictures of myself during my high school prom and she LOVED IT. she loved my hair and my dress and then asked if she could make her princesses hair a different color. I showed her some inspiration pictures and she chose black hair like mine 🫶.

The Pacific Islander girl came back and stared at our papers. She asked why we changed the colors and before I could speak, the Caucasian girl said that hair and skin can be any color! She excitedly showed her the inspo pics and the Pacifc islander girl chose a bright red instead of blonde for her princess.

It seems so small but seeing how kids can come to those realizations themselves is awsome, especially since I didn’t do much except color in a sheet. They asked all the questions. As a teacher, this was just a reminder of how important all of our actions are.

Now some disclaimers because I wanna be clear about some things. I’m using the terms, Caucasian girl and Pacific Islander girl because I want to be as vague as possible when it comes to descriptions just for privacy and clarity sake. Number two, there is nothing wrong with coloring in a princess with white skin and blonde hair however, this is something that I had noticed multiple times in my two years of being there, but this was the first time I had an opportunity to sit down and try to show them some different examples. Number three, if you think it’s pointless or dumb, just don’t comment. This was just something that happened today. That made me really happy.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes!

Hello everyone, I have a ten year old fear reactive/nervous Belgian Shepard and a heeler mix 9montjbolf who is very social. I need advice as to what to do for an upcoming trip. Sorry if it’s long but I need help.

My family and I are going to the Oregon coast in a couple of days for vacation. We are getting an Air bnb that accepts dogs so they’re both coming with us. There’s a lot of hiking trails and quiet neighborhoods in the area we’re visiting but also plazas full of people along the beach etc. I was a child when we got our Shepard and I knew nothing about proper exposure, training, socializing, etc. so she grew up to be a nervous dog. Her foundation comes from routine. She can handle being in crowded plazas and all but I know she gets very anxious and it leads to her occasionally being really reactive (no agression but she wants all dogs away from her). On the other hand our rescue teenager dog was picked up from the streets and she can handle a crowd with ease. She can lay down and take a nap in the middle of a party if she wanted to.

My dilemma is when we go to these plazas for dinner, or walks along the beach, is it mean to exclude my other dog? I KNOW for a fact she gets anxious and if she’s anxious, I’m anxious. On the other hand I don’t know if she’d feel horrible seeing us all leave (other dog included) and leave her air bnb. Is it reasonable to feel this way? She’d feel abandoned

Some other info, some of you might say that it would be a great training opportunity and I agree I am for sure going to take advantage of new locations and work on her training that we’ve been doing here at home but I’m on vacation. It sounds stuck up to say and I feel horrible but training is hard work and I want to enjoy the sights, the atmosphere, everything without the pressure of taking care of my dog if that makes sense. If I do leave her at the air bnb she’d obviously be left with enrichment and excersiced before hand. Also, I mentioned hikes and we’re definitely taking her early mornings to avoid crowds and all but in this post I’m referring to walks in crowded places like peers, beaches, plazas, cute cafes etc

Is this stuck up of me to even consider? Has someone had to consider similar things?

Hello! I live in a state with very varied seasons. Winters are cold and harsh while summers feel like boiling pots. I have a 9 year old Belgian Shepard and an adopted 7months old puppy. We have fully working AC over summer but to save on costs, and having family members who get chilly very very quick, we have the temp set at 70. Nobody, not even our Belgian, struggles with this.

however, our puppy was born September/October and this is her first summer heat wave. We adopted her in December so she’s fully settled in our home. She seems to rly struggle tolerating the heat. During the day she’s way less active and at night she is very restless. We’re still walking her like normal just earlier/later in the day to avoid the sun so she’s still exercising plus enrichment.

Does anyone have a dog who’s not summer heat tolerant or who struggles with this too? If so, how do you help your dog feel better?

She’s a chihuahua/red heeler mix.