Persona Doll 1

1. Physical Characteristics
My doll is a four-year-old boy, brown hair, brown eyes and brown skin

2. Ethnic and Cultural Identities

His mother is Mexican and his father is African American

3. Socio Economic Status

He and his family live in an apartment, his mother works at night cleaning offices and his
father does not live with them because he is in jail.

4. Family Make-Up
He has a twin sister, mother, grandmother

First Story
Good morning class. I would like to introduce a new student to our class, his name is Aaron.
He is four-years-old (like some of you). He lives in Upland, CA with his mom, grandmother
and his twin sister. Aaron and his sister are twins. That means they were both growing
inside their mommy’s stomach at the same time and were born at the same day. Since this is
his first day at our school, could all you please make him feel welcomed and show him
around our classroom.
Second Story
During large group or circle time, the teacher reads a book called “The Kissing Hand” by
Audrey Penn. The teacher begins to discuss the book with the children. She begins by
talking about Chester’s fears about going to school and having to leave his mother. The
teacher asks if anyone has ever shared the same feeling as Chester? The children respond,
with various stories about a time when they were scared, sad or lonely after their parents/
grandparents left them at school. Then, Aaron volunteers his story. He begins by saying, “he
gets really sad and cries when his mommy leaves in morning.” The teacher explains, that
sometimes it is hard to say goodbye to our loves ones but reminds them of the responsibilities
parents have to work or go to school to provide food, clothes, buy us toys and take us to fun
places. Then Aaron says, “I don’t want my mommy to leave like my daddy left.” The
teacher reassures the children and Aaron that even through our loves one leaves us at school
in the morning, they will always return, just like Chester’s mommy and if they feel scared or
lonely, like Chester, they could always go to the “safe zone” in the classroom and look at
their family picture for extra comfort.

Third Story
Now that the children know more about their new friend, you are ready to tell a “deeper”
story that deals with or introduces an anti-bias issue. Develop a story that addresses the
Persona Doll 2

incident or issue. Remember to keep in mind the ages and developmental stages of the
children you work with as you write your story. Use the information from the worksheet on
developing stories for persona dolls as a guide.
At the end of the day, Aaron was asked to share something he did at school today with the
class. He decided to share a picture he drew for his dad. In the picture were some clouds, a
person standing behind long vertical lines on the paper. It also had another person with a sad
face at the bottom corner of the paper away from the vertical lines, holding a piece of candy.
As Aaron shared his drawing with the class, he explained to his classmates that the person
standing behind the lines was his dad; he said, “his dad was in jail,” and “this is me” pointing
to the person at the bottom of the picture.
When Aaron finished sharing his drawing with the class, the teacher acknowledged his
feelings and asked if he would like a hug. Aaron responded with a quick “yes” and hugged
his teacher. The teacher then asked the class if there was anyone else who would like to
share. One other child said his daddy is in jail too. He said the police came to get him and
took him to jail. The teacher proceeded to talk to the class about how we make choices and
all our choices have consequences, she explains it’s the same for our parents. She adds, when
they make a bad choice they also have consequences and sometimes that means they have to
go to jail. Tomorrow she said, she will read a book about a little boy who goes to see his
daddy in jail.