Wilson / Jackson-Reed Teacher saying slurs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems crazy to give any word so much power.
Context is everything.

Context. Could it be there is an organized effort to address systemic racism in our society? Could it also be that currently white supremacy has gotten extremely ugly in this country? That’s my current context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems crazy to give any word so much power.
Context is everything.

Context. Could it be there is an organized effort to address systemic racism in our society? Could it also be that currently white supremacy has gotten extremely ugly in this country? That’s my current context.

Context here is a disruptive kid using a racial slur to try to bait a teacher teaching in a majority minority school system who seems universally liked and respected and who, along with other teachers and students, has been putting up with this nonsense for nearly a full school year. Oh, and being called a homophobic slur into the bargain. That’s the context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe we should all go around saying racial slurs about our own races and normalize it. Then when others repeat our very own words, we can all of us raise bloody hell. Is that really a good idea?

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, and I'm not saying anyone should call anyone the n word, but how about folks maybe tone down the use of it just a little?

Not flamed at all. It’s absurd to claim the meaning of a word is determined wholly and inarguably by the race of the person who says it. And then to further argue that the variation of pronunciation of the second syllable carries extreme meaning, and we should all know that and agree on that? It’s ridiculous.

With that said, no white person in DC — and especially no one teaching or with kids in DCPS — would say that word as a slur. Arkansas? Possibly? 1950? Yes. But not here and now.

The effort to play ‘gotcha’ does nothing to foster an environment of mutual respect.

NP: I would add that giving into the obvious gotcha game will only lead to more of them. Kids love messing with teachers, they always have. We shouldn't reward them when they do so in bad faith and mal-intent.

As a Black millennial who works for DCPS in Ward 5 I would never say n*er because that's clearly a slur. However I frequently use n*a in my own social circles with other Black people my age, however that's not something I would use with my parents, grandparents, aunts or anyone older than me nor would it be something that my Black 5th graders would use in a conversation with me. Now my Black 5th graders would say n*a use in their own 5th grade circles but never n*er. I can think of 1 occasion when a student decided to address me as n*a and I didn't have to say n*er to let them know that they can't address me in that manner as their teacher.

Then you are part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not at all a comment on the situation at Jackson Reed. But as this conversation has taken this turn, PLEASE take 4 minutes to watch this video where Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on the question of who gets to use certain words and much more.

It really opened my eyes and maybe you'll get something out of it, too.

https://youtu.be/QO15S3WC9pg

who gets to use certain words

Hard pass on the video, harder pass on this concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems crazy to give any word so much power.
Context is everything.

Context. Could it be there is an organized effort to address systemic racism in our society? Could it also be that currently white supremacy has gotten extremely ugly in this country? That’s my current context.

Context here is a disruptive kid using a racial slur to try to bait a teacher teaching in a majority minority school system who seems universally liked and respected and who, along with other teachers and students, has been putting up with this nonsense for nearly a full school year. Oh, and being called a homophobic slur into the bargain. That’s the context.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe we should all go around saying racial slurs about our own races and normalize it. Then when others repeat our very own words, we can all of us raise bloody hell. Is that really a good idea?

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, and I'm not saying anyone should call anyone the n word, but how about folks maybe tone down the use of it just a little?

Not flamed at all. It’s absurd to claim the meaning of a word is determined wholly and inarguably by the race of the person who says it. And then to further argue that the variation of pronunciation of the second syllable carries extreme meaning, and we should all know that and agree on that? It’s ridiculous.

With that said, no white person in DC — and especially no one teaching or with kids in DCPS — would say that word as a slur. Arkansas? Possibly? 1950? Yes. But not here and now.

The effort to play ‘gotcha’ does nothing to foster an environment of mutual respect.

NP: I would add that giving into the obvious gotcha game will only lead to more of them. Kids love messing with teachers, they always have. We shouldn't reward them when they do so in bad faith and mal-intent.

As a Black millennial who works for DCPS in Ward 5 I would never say n*er because that's clearly a slur. However I frequently use n*a in my own social circles with other Black people my age, however that's not something I would use with my parents, grandparents, aunts or anyone older than me nor would it be something that my Black 5th graders would use in a conversation with me. Now my Black 5th graders would say n*a use in their own 5th grade circles but never n*er. I can think of 1 occasion when a student decided to address me as n*a and I didn't have to say n*er to let them know that they can't address me in that manner as their teacher.

Then you are part of the problem.

How am I apart of the problem? I clearly stated that my students can't address me with that word......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not at all a comment on the situation at Jackson Reed. But as this conversation has taken this turn, PLEASE take 4 minutes to watch this video where Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on the question of who gets to use certain words and much more.

It really opened my eyes and maybe you'll get something out of it, too.

https://youtu.be/QO15S3WC9pg

who gets to use certain words

Hard pass on the video, harder pass on this concept.

So you hate black people? Got it....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not at all a comment on the situation at Jackson Reed. But as this conversation has taken this turn, PLEASE take 4 minutes to watch this video where Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on the question of who gets to use certain words and much more.

It really opened my eyes and maybe you'll get something out of it, too.

https://youtu.be/QO15S3WC9pg

who gets to use certain words

Hard pass on the video, harder pass on this concept.

So you hate black people? Got it....

John McWhorter has a much smarter take on this and destroyed TNC in conversation years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not at all a comment on the situation at Jackson Reed. But as this conversation has taken this turn, PLEASE take 4 minutes to watch this video where Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on the question of who gets to use certain words and much more.

It really opened my eyes and maybe you'll get something out of it, too.

https://youtu.be/QO15S3WC9pg

who gets to use certain words

Hard pass on the video, harder pass on this concept.

So you hate black people? Got it....

John McWhorter has a much smarter take on this and destroyed TNC in conversation years ago.

I *love* McWhorter. His "The Story of Human Language" is magnificent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is in that class and loves the teacher. However, DC felt that the teacher lost his cool and needlessly escalated the exchange by repeatedly contradicting (correctly) the student, instead of saying, eg, "be quiet, conversation over" long before it got to the slur stage.

Related, DC has some sympathy for the student, who seems to be playing with somewhat less than a full deck. DC says he is generally an upbeat guy, but a bit clueless and obviously lacking in the parental department and any notion of appropriate behavior.

For my part, I'm horrified to see what DC has to put up with in DCPS (I went private) and am embarrassed we've have put him there.

It is so damn darling that you think that would have worked.

And had it not worked, then the kid should be ejected from the class and suspended.

Again, this is against policy, so I don’t understand why you keep repeating it. It isn’t going to happen. “Should” and $5 gets you a small speciality coffee at Starbucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In what world do you think a teacher can "make" a kid do anything? No one can make the kid do anything they don't want to do.

I can't believe people are this naive, come on. You can certainly ask a student to do something, but "make" them self reflect or write a 6 page paper?

Adult - "I want you to self reflect."
Student - "NO!"
Adult - "Okay thanks!"

Adult - "Write a 6 page paper."
Student - "Get lost."
Adult - "Cool."

No one is going to be "making" any student do anything.

Those posters are stuck in their 80s/90s/early 200s school experiences. They’re often the same ones tantruming became they shriek teachers aren’t spending enough time “actually teaching” (which, in their mind, is standing in front of a roomful of desks lecturing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw the video. Black student angrily calls a White teacher the N-word. Teacher replies, "I'm not a n---." Student then tells the teacher, who happens to be gay, "Your life don't matter. You're a f-- [homophobic slur]." Teacher lost composure but it's not like the teacher called anyone the term. The student called him the term and he just repeated it to reject it. Lots of smoke but hardly any fire.

How and why is this being put on video?

Whichever student or students videoed this exchange should be held accountable.

The students who SAID it should be held accountable.

Absolutely! More power to whomever videoed it. Instagram may have been too public as a distribution choice, but it likely would have gotten little traction without the receipts.

Do receipts legitimize how awful the student is? Try to finish high school and get a career, hun.

Wow, I’m so embarrassed for you,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid showed me the video. I’m disgusted by that students behavior. I’m sympathetic to the teacher but I do believe he was wrong for saying the word. if my kid ever acted that way his father would cave his chest in (not literally, just expressing the seriousness). - Black women wirh 2 sons, one who goes to this school. I’m embarrassed by that students behavior.

The teacher did nothing wrong. He repeated what that trash student said. If you have a problem with the word, take it up with that student, or his parents, who clearly have not raised a decent human being. The school should suspend him immediately

I agree with most of what you said, but for anyone who speaks current DC English, the teacher definitely DID NOT repeat back what the student said. You can claim to not understand that, but frankly I don’t believe you. This is not complicated.

What a load of BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid showed me the video. I’m disgusted by that students behavior. I’m sympathetic to the teacher but I do believe he was wrong for saying the word. if my kid ever acted that way his father would cave his chest in (not literally, just expressing the seriousness). - Black women wirh 2 sons, one who goes to this school. I’m embarrassed by that students behavior.

The teacher did nothing wrong. He repeated what that trash student said. If you have a problem with the word, take it up with that student, or his parents, who clearly have not raised a decent human being. The school should suspend him immediately

LOL! "Mom! He said it first!"

I'm sorry he's an adult, he doesn't need to entertain that. And calling a student, a child trash? You never need to be a parent.

The teacher did not deserve that mess but as a professional and adult, no need to stoop down to that level.

My child has told me that this student regularly calls this teacher "fag" in class -- that kid should have been expelled by now.

Wanna bet a non-black student who called a black teacher an n-word wouldn't be back in that class?

Yep. I think you are right.

Ha. You're both definitely not Black, that's for sure.

Couple of things:

1. No sh*t Sherlock! You figured that out all by yourself?
2. Point here is not that the kid saying a racial slur should not be suspended; I believe he should be. The point is that the SJW and woke-warriors are all against suspensions and real consequences in this situation but change the fact pattern a bit and their wokeness meter gets melted down because it isn't clear from the SJW Handbook whether they should hate racism or suspensions more.

Oh, you’re stupid. Sorry. Didn’t realize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid showed me the video. I’m disgusted by that students behavior. I’m sympathetic to the teacher but I do believe he was wrong for saying the word. if my kid ever acted that way his father would cave his chest in (not literally, just expressing the seriousness). - Black women wirh 2 sons, one who goes to this school. I’m embarrassed by that students behavior.

The teacher did nothing wrong. He repeated what that trash student said. If you have a problem with the word, take it up with that student, or his parents, who clearly have not raised a decent human being. The school should suspend him immediately

I agree with most of what you said, but for anyone who speaks current DC English, the teacher definitely DID NOT repeat back what the student said. You can claim to not understand that, but frankly I don’t believe you. This is not complicated.

I respectfully disagree. I am a teacher in DCPS and have lived here for many years. Today I heard a student use the “a” ending of the word for the first time and because of all this realized the difference. If you are white and living in a largely white neighborhood you truly might not have known.

Yes, I’m just SURE the teenager hurling the N word as an epithet was definitely using it in a friendly, collegial, “a ending” kind of way at a white teacher at whom he was furious. Morons.