Is a Redskins-obsessed teacher ok?
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Anonymous
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Our child is in a young elementary grade in a very well-respected Montgomery County elementary school. At the before-school open house, along with our child, we visited his classroom to meet his teacher and saw some prominently displayed Redskins paraphernalia (flag, poster, etc). and were told by the teacher that if the Redskins win over the weekend, her father will come to class on Monday and lead the children in "Hail to the Redskins."
My husband and I are quite disturbed by this. We find the Redskins name, song, etc. really offensive, and don't want our kid inundated with Redskins stuff at his public school - especially at a young but able-to-understand age. There are entire networks and newspapers that are even refusing to use the name, so we know we aren't crazy. Yet, we also understand that there are lots of people who don't see it as a big deal. We'd like to bring up our discomfort, but how? To whom? We worry both about burning bridges and also not sticking to what we truly believe. Any ideas & opinions are appreciated... |
Anonymous
| Try talking to the principal first. |
Anonymous
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Not the hill you want to die on- you can't obscure the name of a popular large and local franchise from your child forever.
There will likely be more important things that make a larger impact on your child- save yourself for that so you can ensure the best outcome in those situations |
Anonymous
| I think the teacher probably doesn't realize just how offensive he's being, though I know it's all over the news lately. It's just not that obvious to some people. If an opportunity arises for you to bring up your discomfort, go for it, in a friendly manner that doesn't make the teacher feel attacked. Otherwise let it go, and just teach your child about why the name/song/etc are problematic. |
Anonymous
| While it's not my cup of tea either (and I'm an MCPS employee) I have seen many teachers do this and most kids really get into it. It's a topic to rally around and converse about. |
Anonymous
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On the one hand, the teacher shouldn't do this.
On the other hand, I agree with the PP that this is not the hill you want to die on. What I would do is talk to my child. The discussion would be something like, "You've probably found out that Ms. X is a big fan of the Washington football team whose name is the Redskins. In this family, we believe that this is a bad name that makes Americans Indians feel mad and sad, and that people should stop using that name. However, other people don't believe that. That doesn't mean they're bad people. It just means that they have a different belief. When you're at school, the best thing to do is to keep our family's belief to yourself, for now. When you get older, you can decide for yourself whether to speak up about it or not." (Actually I've had similar conversations with my kids about several subjects, starting with Santa Claus in pre-school.) |
Anonymous
Yes. Teachers should not have personalities. 
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Anonymous
I don't think OP is objecting to the teacher being a fan of the Washington (actually Landover) football team in her private life. OP is objecting to the prominent displays of team paraphernalia IN THE CLASSROOM and to the teacher's father coming to sing the team song IN CLASS.. |
Anonymous
| "Hail to the Redskins" sounds very respectful . You are "hailing" them. Jeez. |
Anonymous
| I would be having a conversation with my child about my concerns. I would also give the teacher some support. She is supporting her local team and that unfortunately is the current/traditional name of it. Your child will see many things in life s/he may consider offensive but are not to others. |
Anonymous
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I think some teachers are ok with supporting a local sports team because it often can be a team building interest for the class. It gives kids something to talk about on Monday morning. If your kid doesn't generally like football he or she won't be ostracized and it may be an early introduction to the idea of water cooler conversation.
Football is also a great way to teach/build math skills. Personally, I'd let it go...even if your kid wants to tube in to a game. |
Anonymous
| I guess I'm the only one who thinks the teacher was kidding about her dad coming in? |
Anonymous
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I had a English teacher who was distractingly gay. Like flitting all over the room , an exaggerated gay voice to the max. He would say "Ohhhh that's soo ribald" if the story was at all a romance. He loved vocabulary words , if someone was chewing gym he would implore him to "stop masticating" ( a play on masterbating) lol.
He was one of the best English teachers I ever had. |
Anonymous
SO WHAT! It is fun, it shows the teacher has a personality. I have had multiple teachers do the same thing for other teams. We can't expect teachers to kowtow to every hang up of every parent. |
Anonymous
| My middle school was all boys private and the day after the Super Bowl was a day off. |