“Your Lunch Pail Is Silly!” Children’s and Teachers’ Views on Teasing

Abstract

What is childhood like today? Is it a world fraught with endless joy, fun, and games, or are children experiencing a much different reality? A child’s social interactions can be a source of great enjoyment and are essential to early development. Conversely, young children routinely experience tension, ambiguity, and conflict as they navigate the complexities of these early social relationships. An ambiguous behavior such as teasing can be challenging for children to negotiate and understand. These often subtle jabs can be vague and involve conflicting meanings and interpretations. How children negotiate the complexities within teasing and the impact on teachers and classroom life is not readily known. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of young children and teachers of teasing within a framework of their “real-world” experiences. The article highlights the findings in relation to how children’s and teachers’ “storied” perceptions of teasing may be positioned and juxtaposed so that a deeper understanding of how teasing is practiced in schools can be realized.

Keywords:

• teasing
• children’s and teachers’ perceptions
• qualitative research
• classroom implications

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation of the teachers, children, and school board for inviting us into their classrooms and dedicating time and energy to this project. The authors also thank Dr. Sandra Bosacki, Tiffany Brzozowski, and Corina Sumaway for their help with coding.