Personally, I think it's fine and the aftermath just demonstrated we still aren't ready to have serious conversations with our teenaged kids about it. But on the execution side the content looks ripped from the internet (RA sensitivity training?) without really attempting to alter it and make it relevant.
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Teacher fired over "how comfortable are you" assignment
- Thread starter Black Republican
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echoshifting
Banned
As a parent, I would be bothered that such a delicate and complex subject is being treated with obvious carelessness by a teacher who doesn't seem to have spared a thought for age tailoring or even, apparently, read the questions. If my child told me they were forbidden to bring the questionnaire home to talk about it (something that might have had some value for some kids, actually!), that is another red flag. I would not have demanded she be fired or anything but the principal would certainly have heard my concerns.
There is value in discussing bias from a very young age within a peer group, but you have to put the tiniest bit of thought into it, at least.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
I'm more than fine with addressing these issues in class (in fact welcome it), but as you said, it falls apart in the execution phase. (amusingly enough)
IrishNinja
Member
Dubbedinenglish
Banned
It's a low bar
Jag
Member
My son is in a Florida public middle school with a hispanic majority of kids. You would think it would be a little more tolerant, but the shit he comes home with is infuriating.
Yesterday he was upset because they were told to put away their electronics and some kid said to the quiet Muslim girl, who is a friend of his, "you can put away your bomb". My son is Jewish and has been bullied as well. We were going to file a formal complaint about the bullying, but it calmed down after we met with the principal.
We're pulling him out of the shitty school system at the end of the year and sticking him in private school next year. Just glad we have the resources to do it.
Yesterday he was upset because they were told to put away their electronics and some kid said to the quiet Muslim girl, who is a friend of his, "you can put away your bomb". My son is Jewish and has been bullied as well. We were going to file a formal complaint about the bullying, but it calmed down after we met with the principal.
We're pulling him out of the shitty school system at the end of the year and sticking him in private school next year. Just glad we have the resources to do it.
Leona Lewis
Banned
Captainbojanglesiii
Banned
I mean I'd like to see a survey of how kids feel about these sort of things, but come on man, not in school.
Beer Monkey
Member
The question probably should have been worded "Your congressman asks you to go to a gay bar..." anyway.
its Florida
John Rabbit
Banned
I wanted to believe this. But they're 12.
Middle schoolers love hitting the bars.
Did any of the questions ask how comfortable they were with a group of whites on the street or Christians?
Did any of the questions ask how comfortable they were with a group of whites on the street or Christians?
Jag
Member
Maybe not, but we know people that have kids there and it seems much stricter. They just don't seem to give a shit in public school.
Uuuuugh I can absolutely see where she was going with this assignment but she blew it. One of best ways to expose bias is by having the kids read/interact with modern day multicultural material that aligns with their age group. Not just MLK day or black history month, like just casually expose them to multiple viewpoints. It doesn't need to be extra special or treated as such, just drop Black Boy as a reading assignment.
The fact that she didn't want them to take it home says, to me, that she knew the idea was half baked. I'm sure if she put it in the context of a unit where it wouldn't be fucking out of place to address racial bias she could have stood her ground in any meeting and justified the assignment. Based on that assignment alone, she should have been hit with some sort of disciplinary measure for sure though.
There are waaaaay more appropriate ways to scaffold students into a certain mode of thinking. This isn't it.
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
The material seems like reasonable measure of explicit prejudice... for adults. I'm not against adapting it for use with children on principle, but it would take a deft re-working. As it was actually handled, this outcome was predictable.
Maybe a Gay cafe?
Is that a thing? That sounds like a potentially booming market.
deadscreensky
Member
Yeah, the kids sound maybe a bit young and the assignment definitely could have used some, uh, refinement, but it's not completely outside of the sort of things talked about when I was in high school. I'm way more leery about the parental outrage.
Do you got to bars often, how many of them are gay bars.
Also what race is your roommate
Epsilon-delta
Banned
I can understand the intent but the execution was done poorly.
Edit: the parent outrage raises an eyebrow from me.
Edit: the parent outrage raises an eyebrow from me.
That's an understatement
ZombiePlatypus
Member
I guess it's carelessly executed, but I definitely don't think an assignment like this is without merit. It seems like it was made, as others have point out, to highlight individual bias. People aren't always aware of their individual prejudices, and recognizing this stuff within one's self is the first step at becoming a better person. I think firing the teacher is going overboard here.
Edit: Yeah, the more I look at this story, the more the backlash/parent-outrage seems to fit the "florida" meme.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
Yeah, also this.
lol u tk him 2 da bar|?
Right, this looks like something she got in college that she thought, for some reason, was appropriate for 12 year olds.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
2Smashed4U
Banned
Man, I guess you all had a boring childhood.
This is the only problem with it, from what I can see.
I think addressing socially taught racial and other biases from an early age would actually benefit our society. The execution wasn't so great in this case though. So I don't think the teacher should have been fired, but perhaps directed to address these biases in a more inclusive way (which should also be the general policy of the school).
Sir Abacus
Member
I assume the music. One can only take so much R&B in clubs before you just want some good old Eurodance.
Given that this is likely aimed to highlight and reflect on common biases in NA society, what purpose would such questions serve?
Aarglefarg
Member
Adjust it to be age appropriate (if there isn't already an age appropriate bias questionnaire) then run it by the principal. And keep the responses anonymous and not even shared in aggregate; the important thing is that people think about their own biases. Maybe repeat it again a few weeks later after teaching about diversity and respect etc.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
material is clearly copy-pasted from a college sensitivity training thing
To start a nuclear war
She obv downloaded a developed measure of bias and gave it to the kids. Should have revised it to be age appropriate.
I don't see any problem with the intent, though, and 12 y/os aren't naive little babes anymore. The questions were not that outrageous.
Hell, some I would probably have no problem asking my 7 y/o.
Should not have been fired for this alone.
I don't see any problem with the intent, though, and 12 y/os aren't naive little babes anymore. The questions were not that outrageous.
Hell, some I would probably have no problem asking my 7 y/o.
Should not have been fired for this alone.
SugarDaddy
Member
Totally great idea, total shit execution. That's the real travesty
Aarglefarg
Member
Would be good "baseline" questions. You are comfortable with X but not Y, then explore why that is.
Most of them wouldn't even understand the context. With questions about RAs, academic advisors and other figures in college life.
It's like the Teacher didn't even read it.
frankie_baby
Member
Make it 14 and almost anywhere in the world apart from america and it wouldnt be that bizare a question
I Stalk Alone
Member
Don't understand how the outrage came about in the parents minds. Did the parents not understand the nature of the questionnaire or were they uncomfortable on a scale of 1-4?
Good idea, garbage execution. Like others have said, lol at middle schoolers going to a gay bar.
It's super obvious he did not come up with it himself, and while I'm not entirely cool with him being fired, he was super dumb, especially as a new hire. Anything controversial like that at all you should probably run by your superiors.
It's super obvious he did not come up with it himself, and while I'm not entirely cool with him being fired, he was super dumb, especially as a new hire. Anything controversial like that at all you should probably run by your superiors.
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