Response to "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

I can recall one time in particular that I used to point at the neighbor's daughter and ask why her eyes were that way. My mother, after spanking me, told me not to point and ask those questions because it was rude. The message that my mother sent to me was that I shouldn't ask questions nor she I express any type of curiosity towards people who weren't like me. Had anti-bias education been around, she could have used this as a teachable moment and taught me things about diversity and the differences that we shared as human beings. I would have loved to have known about my neighbor's daughter; I could have gotten to know her and we could have become friends.