What's new
By:

How should a history teacher handle the "N" word?

This is my junior high school. Yay!

I love the movie "Glory" but I agree with Colton that junior high school students are likely too young to be shown this movie at school. It seems the teacher was trying to be responsible about it, though, using the word in explanation. The teacher hopefully learns that parental permission should have been obtained. I do not believe he should lose his job over this.

On the news last night, the mother claimed that her son now feels unsafe at school. I'll admit that this may be my white privilege showing, but I have a hard time understanding that viewpoint. No one was using the word in a derogatory fashion, and certainly they were not directing the word at him. If anything, the movie would be likely to create more sympathy and understanding toward a black student. Once again, I have no idea what it is like to be a black American, but I wonder if the reaction is a little extreme.

This movie was the beginning of my love for Denzel Washington. Oh my!
 
colton said:
I'm OK with that. But that doesn't seem to have been the case here.



I get what you are saying. I read the book To Kill a Mockingbird when I was probably around 8 years old. It was on our bookshelf and I just picked it up looking for a book to read. I absolutely loved the book and probably re-read it another 5-6 times before I was 18 years old. It played a huge role in forming my opinions of how people of all races should be treated.
Click to expand...

We are comoletely on the same page. Have kids take home a very well scripted informative letter for parents to agree to. If this teacher did not do this he should be fired. If he did and the patent was negligent then she should be fired.
 
JazzGal said:
This is my junior high school. Yay!

I love the movie "Glory" but I agree with Colton that junior high school students are likely too young to be shown this movie at school. It seems the teacher was trying to be responsible about it, though, using the word in explanation. The teacher hopefully learns that parental permission should have been obtained. I do not believe he should lose his job over this.

On the news last night, the mother claimed that her son now feels unsafe at school. I'll admit that this may be my white privilege showing, but I have a hard time understanding that viewpoint. No one was using the word in a derogatory fashion, and certainly they were not directing the word at him. If anything, the movie would be likely to create more sympathy and understanding toward a black student. Once again, I have no idea what it is like to be a black American, but I wonder if the reaction is a little extreme.

This movie was the beginning of my love for Denzel Washington. Oh my!
Click to expand...

The terms 'unsafe' and 'safe space' are now used so ubiquitously that, while I understand the purpose behind them, I think they are now being used to silence opposition speech. While I do believe that institutions need to try in good faith to create school/work/social environments that are not overtly hostile to certain social groups, part of being a grown up is learning how to navigate successfully in situations that are not, per se, 'safe.' As with other cases, I'm not sure where the line is between legitimate concern and political correctness, I do believe this line is crossed with frequency, which only serve to delegitimize cases where there are actual inappropriate hostile environments. I don't see that anyone has a right to being 'safe' all the time. Sometimes you just need to grow up, but sometimes also the people are just arseholes who seek to discomfit people intentionally and inappropriately.
 
jimmy eat jazz said:
The terms 'unsafe' and 'safe space' are now used so ubiquitously that, while I understand the purpose behind them, I think they are now being used to silence opposition speech. While I do believe that institutions need to try in good faith to create school/work/social environments that are not overtly hostile to certain social groups, part of being a grown up is learning how to navigate successfully in situations that are not, per se, 'safe.' As with other cases, I'm not sure where the line is between legitimate concern and political correctness, I do believe this line is crossed with frequency, which only serve to delegitimize cases where there are actual inappropriate hostile environments. I don't see that anyone has a right to being 'safe' all the time. Sometimes you just need to grow up, but sometimes also the people are just arseholes who seek to discomfit people intentionally and inappropriately.
Click to expand...

You sound like a Britian. I like it. Or a New Yorker. The rest of USA will grow up eventually.
 
I wish our society allowed our teachers and classrooms to deal with serious historical/societal issues instead of trying to force it all onto parents who are much more likely to be massively unqualified to do so.
 
colton said:
Because I think parents are the best ones equipped to have that kind of conversation with their kids.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that is always true. The reason racism continues is the inaccurate teaching of children by their racist parents.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using JazzFanz mobile app
 
dalamon said:
what makes you think that?
Click to expand...
Because they know their kids the best, and can tailor the discussion appropriately. And can pick the appropriate time for the discussion. And don't have artificial time constraints. And know the kids' backgrounds so can draw appropriate analogies and examples. And so forth.

Why would you NOT think that? Do you have any kids yourself? I'm guessing not.
 
JazzGal said:
I'm not sure that is always true. The reason racism continues is the inaccurate teaching of children by their racist parents.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using JazzFanz mobile app
Click to expand...
Sure, not ALWAYS true. But generally so.
 
colton said:
Because they know their kids the best, and can tailor the discussion appropriately. And can pick the appropriate time for the discussion. And don't have artificial time constraints. And know the kids' backgrounds so can draw appropriate analogies and examples. And so forth.

Why would you NOT think that? Do you have any kids yourself? I'm guessing not.
Click to expand...

colton said:
Sure, not ALWAYS true. But generally so.
Click to expand...

Give me a rough percentage estimate of the parents in America capable of instructing their children on America's history of oppression and systematic discrimination against black Americans that still persists into 2016. Hell, half of America probably doesn't even think white privilege exists.
 
King Cy said:
I just mean in general conversation IRL. Saying the "N" word is just as offensive as saying ******. Everyone says ****** in their head when they hear "the n word".
Click to expand...

I agree with you.

You use the word when necessary in adult conversations and you act like an adult about it, but perhaps 8th graders are not adult enough for that. Maybe/maybe not? After thinking about it "the n word" is probably appropriate for a jr. high school teacher to use, in high school ****** should be used to tackle the same subject matter.
 
I just remembered a story, did I handle it correctly?

One afternoon while walking home from elementary school with my child one of the boys(African American) was spitting out ****** this, ****** that. I said "Hey, does your mom know you speak that way?" and gave him a look like you know better.

Did I act as a good member of my village or was I simply exercising my privilege?

I tend to think both
 
dalamon said:
Give me a rough percentage estimate of the parents in America capable of instructing their children on America's history of oppression and systematic discrimination against black Americans that still persists into 2016. Hell, half of America probably doesn't even think white privilege exists.
Click to expand...

Uh, probably close to 100%.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top