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Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play slave

danarhea

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An Ohio school district is in hot water after the mother of a black fifth-grader said her son was assigned to play a slave for a social studies lesson.

WTF? With a teacher like this, then maybe the Republicans are right about wanting to gut the teachers' unions there. LOL.

But, seriously, this teacher should be given a pink slip, the sooner the better.

Article is here.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

WTF? With a teacher like this, then maybe the Republicans are right about wanting to gut the teachers' unions there. LOL.

But, seriously, this teacher should be given a pink slip, the sooner the better.

Article is here.

In what kinda classroom is it even okay for slavery to be acted out??
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

In what kinda classroom is it even okay for slavery to be acted out??

Social studies, apparently.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

OK... I have a few questions. When the classroom was divided into "slaves" and "masters" was race taken into consideration? Were there blacks and whites on both sides? If this is the case, though somewhat insensitive, I do NOT see this as a racial issue and I'm not sure what the big deal is. For example, I know a lot of schools, when studying WWII, do "mock" Holocaust lessons, where classrooms are divided into "Nazi's" and "Jews". It gives students a feeling of what it was like and how easily power could corrupt (similar to the Stanford Prison Experiment). Should Jewish students be prevented from playing "Jews"? No, though a bit insensitive, if explained appropriately, I don't see a problem with this.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

political correctness run amok.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

political correctness run amok.

Wait... did you and I actually AGREE?

l_21f066cf050a43f5ac2bfcd650c8d34c.jpg
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

WTF? With a teacher like this, then maybe the Republicans are right about wanting to gut the teachers' unions there. LOL.

But, seriously, this teacher should be given a pink slip, the sooner the better.

Article is here.

The lesson could have been better thought out but to use one teacher as an example of all teachers is past believeable, this would be like judging all republicans to be like GWB or Sarah Palin

Official apologizes for in-class 'slave auction' | The Columbus Dispatch

Burton's son said in an interview that the students' roles were determined by random drawing.

He said the only other black child in the class, a girl, ended up in the masters group
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

OK... I have a few questions. When the classroom was divided into "slaves" and "masters" was race taken into consideration? Were there blacks and whites on both sides? If this is the case, though somewhat insensitive, I do NOT see this as a racial issue and I'm not sure what the big deal is. For example, I know a lot of schools, when studying WWII, do "mock" Holocaust lessons, where classrooms are divided into "Nazi's" and "Jews". It gives students a feeling of what it was like and how easily power could corrupt (similar to the Stanford Prison Experiment). Should Jewish students be prevented from playing "Jews"? No, though a bit insensitive, if explained appropriately, I don't see a problem with this.

I dont know if the classroom is the appropriate place for social experimentation, especially if the teacher isnt trained...there is a reason we have IRBs...still...if the class make-up was totally at random and kids and no one was specifically singled out for a particular role, I think its much ado about nothing.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

I dont know if the classroom is the appropriate place for social experimentation, especially if the teacher isnt trained...there is a reason we have IRBs...still...if the class make-up was totally at random and kids and no one was specifically singled out for a particular role, I think its much ado about nothing.

I also think that 10 years old is a bit young to manage a lesson like this, but if the students were randomized, the complaining about this is ridiculous. It's like a comedian telling an ethnic joke at a comedy club and a few people becoming offended. Context, people.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

OK... I have a few questions. When the classroom was divided into "slaves" and "masters" was race taken into consideration? Were there blacks and whites on both sides? If this is the case, though somewhat insensitive, I do NOT see this as a racial issue and I'm not sure what the big deal is. For example, I know a lot of schools, when studying WWII, do "mock" Holocaust lessons, where classrooms are divided into "Nazi's" and "Jews". It gives students a feeling of what it was like and how easily power could corrupt (similar to the Stanford Prison Experiment). Should Jewish students be prevented from playing "Jews"? No, though a bit insensitive, if explained appropriately, I don't see a problem with this.

There wouldn't be a problem unless it adversely affects the kids, and that seems to be the problem. We are talking about elementary school kids here, who don't have the maturity to see it the way you presented it. IMHO, the teacher was just dumb.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

OK... I have a few questions. When the classroom was divided into "slaves" and "masters" was race taken into consideration? Were there blacks and whites on both sides? If this is the case, though somewhat insensitive, I do NOT see this as a racial issue and I'm not sure what the big deal is. For example, I know a lot of schools, when studying WWII, do "mock" Holocaust lessons, where classrooms are divided into "Nazi's" and "Jews". It gives students a feeling of what it was like and how easily power could corrupt (similar to the Stanford Prison Experiment). Should Jewish students be prevented from playing "Jews"? No, though a bit insensitive, if explained appropriately, I don't see a problem with this.

We did the same thing in 8th grade world history.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

There wouldn't be a problem unless it adversely affects the kids, and that seems to be the problem. We are talking about elementary school kids here, who don't have the maturity to see it the way you presented it. IMHO, the teacher was just dumb.

I don't completely disagree with the age issue. Most "Holocaust" experiments that I know of, occur at the high school level. Still, I don't think this was completely out of line, if the division of the children was randomized.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

There wouldn't be a problem unless it adversely affects the kids, and that seems to be the problem. We are talking about elementary school kids here, who don't have the maturity to see it the way you presented it. IMHO, the teacher was just dumb.

They can't handle a real illustration of slavery but they can somehow handle comprehensive how-to sex-ed? You libs are messed up.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

We did the same thing in 8th grade world history.

Yup. Though I never did it, I've had lots of clients that have done it. One client, playing a "Nazi" organized some of her "fellow Nazi's" to fight back and join with the "Jews" to fight "the oppressive" school administrators (who organized the experiment). She got them to stop within the day. THAT was an interesting lesson in and of itself.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

On the surface, I was shocked. However, after reading the article I have the same kind of questions CC has. If both the "master" and "slave" groups were mixed races, then it seems out of line for a single boy to complain. Apparently they have done this "lesson" before without complaint. Personally I think that these kids are a bit young for this kind of lesson, since their empathy and compassion brain cells haven't really developed yet, and I think any teacher who is going to conduct social experiments like this should have specific training in how to do so safely. There have been instances where these role-playing lessons have had some pretty nasty consequences.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

I don't completely disagree with the age issue. Most "Holocaust" experiments that I know of, occur at the high school level. Still, I don't think this was completely out of line, if the division of the children was randomized.

Was the division of savory randomized?
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

They can't handle a real illustration of slavery but they can somehow handle comprehensive how-to sex-ed? You libs are messed up.

The way sex-ed would be explained to a 10 year old would be different than how it would be explained to a 16 year-old. The only issue that I see with the experiment in the article is the age of the children... perhaps.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

Was the division of savory randomized?

In the article? It didn't say, but I would suspect that it was.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

In the article? It didn't say, but I would suspect that it was.

Correction. Seems like there were two black students: one was a "master" the other was a "slave". Doesn't sound like there was any discrimination or intent to harm.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

Yup. Though I never did it, I've had lots of clients that have done it. One client, playing a "Nazi" organized some of her "fellow Nazi's" to fight back and join with the "Jews" to fight "the oppressive" school administrators (who organized the experiment). She got them to stop within the day. THAT was an interesting lesson in and of itself.

We had one who objected to having to play a Nazi. The teacher gave us a quick example of a real sympathizer among the Nazi ranks, and the student was symbolically 'executed' for treason against the Fuhrer.

No one got a bad grade for the exorcise, it was one of those things where you just had to be in class that day to get credit, so no harm don.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

Correction. Seems like there were two black students: one was a "master" the other was a "slave". Doesn't sound like there was any discrimination or intent to harm.

I would say that accurately reflects the history of modern slavery, that our black slaves were sold to us by their black masters.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

I dont know if the classroom is the appropriate place for social experimentation, especially if the teacher isnt trained...there is a reason we have IRBs...still...if the class make-up was totally at random and kids and no one was specifically singled out for a particular role, I think its much ado about nothing.

Training seems to be a problem with teachers these days.
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

We had one who objected to having to play a Nazi. The teacher gave us a quick example of a real sympathizer among the Nazi ranks, and the student was symbolically 'executed' for treason against the Fuhrer.

Excellent lesson, going along with the context of what was being taught.

No one got a bad grade for the exorcise, it was one of those things where you just had to be in class that day to get credit, so no harm don.

Generally, that's what I've heard how these experiments go, though the originator, Ron Jones, a teacher in California, saw his experiment go a bit out of control:

The_Third_Wave
 
Re: Bad lesson? Ohio elementary school in trouble after black student made to play sl

I understand the intent of the exercise. It was, of course, to display one of the dehumanizing aspects of slavery. I did a similar lesson with 11th grade U.S. history students a few years ago. There were no black students and only one white student in the class, so race wasn't an issue. I also think 11th grade students are generally more mature than fifth grade students. I think the primary mistake was doing this with fifth graders. There will ALWAYS be parents who simply don't understand and will overreact. Unfortunately, they are often the ones who run the asylum...
 
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