“HIDDEN CHILDREN”

Research indicates that children whose parents are incarcerated are a vulnerable group of people with poor life outcomes. Yet these children are not tracked in the Canadian education system, making it difficult for schools to respond with appropriate supports. 

How can schools be inclusive to this hidden demographic of children? 

Framed in theories of Critical Literacy and Ethic of Care, the author’s Master’s thesis ("Hidden children: using children's literature to develop understanding and empathy toward children of incarcerated parents”) proposes the use of story to develop understanding and empathy. Research shows that acknowledging children’s experiences through story helps them to feel validated while broadening capacity for empathy among other children. 

Can a story develop empathy toward children of incarcerated parents? 

To answer this question, the author wrote a picture book about a child who visits her mother in jail, and read the story to three groups of children, interspersed and followed by rich discussions. This story elicited empathetic responses from all students, suggesting that more critical literacy be read and promoted in our schools.

Publication

Language & Literacy: https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/langandlit/index.php/langandlit/article/view/29369

Sammy’s Visit follows a young girl as she visits her mother in jail. Readers are invited to experience the complex and emotional landscape of a child who misses her mother. Sadness, playfulness, confusion, and hope; a multiplicity of human emotions are woven into the story. By tapping into these emotions vicariously, it is hoped that readers will have a better understanding of the internal experiences that children of incarceration live with. 

The story invites dialogue with respect to two of the “dimensions of critical literacy” offered by Lewison, Flint, and Van Sluys (2002). The first dimension focuses on a shift in perspective. A typical perspective of jail might be one that regards all people in custody as “bad” or “scary” people. Sammy’s Visit offers another view, that of someone who has a loving relationship with her daughter where fairy tales and poetry are positive points of connection. The second dimension of critical literacy focuses on entering into the experiences of another. As children read the story, they follow and observe Sammy and are given access to her thoughts and feelings, making it easier to ‘step into her shoes’.

Greater understanding toward a story character might ultimately transition into expressing greater empathy toward children of incarcerated parents, so that inclusivity at the classroom level toward this hidden demographic of children will be practiced. A research study conducted by the author suggests that this picture book helped children to understand and be empathetic toward those affected by parental incarceration.

Val Plett Reimer began her career as an Elementary Teacher in Canada’s arctic and has since worked in areas of Learning Resource, EAL, and Adult Education. The years she spent teaching high school courses in a women’s correctional centre in British Columbia inspired the writing of Sammy’s Visit. As women in the centre shared their stories about their children and families, the plight of Canada's "Hidden Children" became more clear. In response, Val combined her passion for children's literature with the desire to develop greater awareness and understanding of this hidden demographic of children. Val and her partner, also an educator, live in Winnipeg and have three adult children.

As a mother who has served time, Mo Korchinski understands first hand the pain of familial separation due to incarceration. Since 2007, she has worked as a counsellor and peer researcher in a collaborative participatory action research project called Women in2 Healing (Wi2H) where among other things she helps women deal with post-release trauma. Mo’s artistic flair is readily evident as one visits the Facebook page called, Unlocking the Gates. (https://www.facebook.com/unlockingthegates/). She has also contributed artwork to a number of related publications. Mo is actively involved in social change for incarcerated women, as evidenced in the following articles:

• Maclean's Magazine: Jail program gives moms a new start, advocates say

• Vancouver Sun: Mother Teresa of ex-inmates helps women deal with life after prison

Mo lives in British Columbia with her daughter and granddaughter.