We discussed a similar case recently, didn’t we?
Some teachers aren’t very bright.
Elementary School teacher here. I was horrified when I read this story. I can’t even imagine. The equity, inclusion, and diversity work that we do is so counter to this type of nonsense. It’s so wrong and so hurtful and so ignorant.
Didn’t really say in the link, but are we to infer that the parent skipped discussing his/her concern with the teacher and went straight to someone else? (Principal, superintendent, news media?)
If so, seems somewhat childish.
These types of stories always baffle me. Has this guy been living under a rock? Did he wake up one morning and decide to self sabotage?
And I would not have gone to him first - I’d have gone higher up the chain immediately.
It always baffles me whom you choose to scold.
The real message in this is for us all to accept we can be insensitive and to freaking filter. Think. Just because one decides some lesson is illustrative or some comment “shouldn’t” be taken as offensive or hurtful, doesn’t make it fair and reasoned.
I do see this sort of thought leakage as more common than some think.
This is well beyond “cultural insensitivity”. Disgusting & horrific may be more appropriate terms. (“Horrific” because he is dealing with highly impressionable 9 & 10 year old students who are taught to respect teachers.)
If the teacher’s intent was academic, all he had to ask students to do would be to calculate the price or cost of labor.
P.S. Maybe an appropriate follow-up assignment would ask the students to define “jackass”.
So, I had a meeting with my Belgium boss today, she talked about how her kids had already got presents on Dec 6th. It’s a Dutch/Belgium tradition where a white folks dress up as Black Pete and giving out presents to the children.
I said I don’t think this tradition would do well in the US. There are just so many painful history/so many wrongs have been done to black people, this kind of things would cause outrage.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/paebx9/why-the-dutch-holiday-tradition-of-blackface-wont-go-away
Reading the article and the assignment, there appears to be no educational reason for the last item. Completely insensitive. It doesn’t sound like anyone necessarily wants this teacher to lost their job (although I would guess it may depend on the tenure situation) but a full apology, understanding why this is wrong.
I think it is important for things like this to get out in the press. Not at all childish.
"Didn’t really say in the link, but are we to infer that the parent skipped discussing his/her concern with the teacher and went straight to someone else? (Principal, superintendent, news media?)
If so, seems somewhat childish."
Totally disagree. This is a problem that shouldn’t be brought to the teacher. The damage has been done. This isn’t just a matter of “I hope you won’t do this in the future” It’s a matter of “The school need to be aware that this occurred and this person needs to be disciplined for what has already occurred so that no other child has to experience this.”
Stories like these just reinforce the idea that common sense really isn’t all that common.