What to do if you suspect that a teacher is racist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize you're talking about children, right? You're saying a child of one race is more likely to be agrees ice than another based solely on race?????

You didn't know children can be subject to stereotypes?

And you're ridiculous for thinking that it is outside the realm of possibility that a white child is aggressive.

Lol I wasn't that PP I was just amused at the naïveté...
Hell yeah people have preconceived notions about children based on race, I'm not at all surprised that someone would find it hard to believe that the deviant girl described was white...that's completely preposterous to a lot of people.
Everybody knows non-white kids are rowdy and violent with the exception of Asian kids who are quiet and studious...that's common perception/expectation, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, its not W and 3 rd grade. Do you mind if I ask if anyone said something about it? Our principal isn't the most approachable person. This is a big accusation but it seems to be a pattern.

Everyone always asks "which teacher does your child have" and its normal conversation to then share who your child had at that age and what you thought. I feel very awkward now when anyone says that they have Mrs X.

At our school, people have definitely spoken with the school counselor, and some have gone to the principal. The teacher in question is apparently very sweet and charming when speaking with parents, but is a screaming lunatic with the kids.

I would never allow my child to be in that class. Being subjected to that even if it's not directed at your child is extremely damaging.

This sounds just like one of my DC's classes. Brown kids are miserable, white kids and their parents are collecting end of the year gift money for the teacher.

I could not get my DC out of the classroom, and I could not get my DC out of the school with a COSA form. We are moving. Bye.

What a load of bull. You are moving because you had a teacher that you assumed was not politically correct? Very rarely does a teacher follow a kid in elementary school so why are you moving/

[Anonymous]

If you are black, always expect to be descriminated against. You are living under the system of White Supremacy

[Anonymous]

Had this happen with my HS dd. I overheard she and her friends (multiple races) talking about a teacher and even the white kids agreed that the teacher treated the black kids much worse (penalized them for things he didn't penalize white kids for, didn't let them use the bathroom when they asked). DD didn't want me to report it because said the teacher was very mean and would retaliate.

I reached out to the vice principal anonymously and said I knew he couldn't do anything based on an anonymous report but wanted to let him to know in case he had a pattern of reports. I'm pretty sure the vice principal ignored, but at least it is on his radar screen in case there really is a pattern of behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and have been accused of being racist before. It is ALWAYS because the student or parent A. disagree with the grade the student earned and B. have zero evidence of any wrong-doing. It is always the last ditch effort by the kid parent "I disagree with the teacher, and I can't prove anything wrong has happened, therefore, the teacher is racist."

Careful. This is a hurtful label to put on someone.

As a teacher, I can honestly say, when I look out to my class of students, I do not see black, white, etc. I see "great kid. Hard worker. Lazy. Grade grubber. Doesn't shut-up..." etc.

I totally believe you on this, but here is my guess. At the Elementary level, teachers very quickly get to know who the hard workers are, etc. so by the third or fourth week in school, most teachers have this attitude.

In MS and HS, it is more difficult. Teachers only see kids 45 minutes per day, classes are bigger, and classes often change from one semester to another. So there is much more stereotyping going on.

I have three black kids. In ES, they were much more likely to be called out (in my mind, inappropriately) in the first couple of weeks of school and after that, became close with their teachers. (For instance, my third grader came home mortified last week because a teacher moved her for talking when it was the girl next to her talking. I know that I wasn't there to witness, but I know this kid (shy and obedient) and I saw her reaction and thus believe her. I'm sure that will take care of itself in a few weeks when the teacher comes to observe her behavior over a longer term.)

My MS and HS kids, on the other hand, report something similar with much greater frequency. Of course, the kids have become teenagers so are likely misbehaving more than they did when younger. But we had multiple times last year when they had very believable stories of 'mild' discrimination, corroborated by friends. (These aren't occasions when there was a call home and they needed to come up with an excuse. They were occasions when the felt 'wronged' and wanted to complain about it, and they didn't frame it in terms of race but just general unfairness by the teacher.)

My advice to my kids is to make sure they take actions to stand out as 'good kids' early in the school year so that teachers give them the benefit of the doubt later on.

[Anonymous]

pp here. I should note that the MS and HS kids only complained about one teacher each. Certainly not all, but more than should be happening!

[Anonymous]

I'd try reporting it to the Equity unit of MCPS if you aren't satisfied with the principal's action/inaction

https://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/clusteradmin/equity/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tips for handling situations like abuse, misconduct, or lack of professionalism in school.

1. Decide what your objective is. Fire the teacher? Have your kid in a different class? Vent?

2. Be specific and use firsthand experience when raising concerns to the counselor or principal. For example, "my child has been expressing anxiety about the treatment of a friend by a teacher. She mentioned it after the field trip last week." Actual incidents or dates should get their attention.

3. Use edu-speak that mirrors wording of teacher performance reviews. Focus comments on things like concerns about the potential impact of "the social-emotional environment of the classroom" on academic achievement. Give the counselor or principal the ammunition to document the issue in teacher's file. They can't put "mixed reputation" on a performance review or disciplinary notice. It's likely the administrators are looking for evidence
against this person.

Do NOT ask your child loaded questions like "Honey, do you think the teacher is mean to Billy?" It puts too much pressure on them to judge the person you send them to everyday.

Encourage them to tell you how they feel in school, what they do or don't like, if they're ever confused or concerned about things they hear or see, etc. Whatever is age appropriate to keep lines of communication open.

Being racist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynistic, or any other kind of bigot isn't a crime. Teachers can think or feel whatever they want. (You'd be surprised by some of them.)

But acting on their biases, behaving inappropriately or teaching ineffectively are what can get a teacher fired or reassigned.

It sucks that kids have to deal with a--holes posing as educators.

THIS! Excellent advice and a roadmap on the most EFFECTIVE way to proceed.

[Anonymous]

I would encourage anyone and everyone to take an implicit bias test (google to find one free, online). Research tends to find that even minorities taking the test end up with some level of bias against minorities. I know that I consider myself very unbiased, but still ended up with a mild bias as a result.

You can take it privately and no one knows the result. While taking, you can assess whether you think the methodology is valid, and at the end, you can think about how your results may influence your own behavior subtly, on the margin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a teacher at our school with a VERY mixed reputation. I have several neighbors whose kids had terrible experiences with her. One boy was crying everyday because she was so mean. The parents all brought these issues to the guidance counselor and principal's attention. My DD ended up with the same teacher and she was super nice to her. Same thing with a few of her friends (same race as us). DD said she was mean to some of her other friends (same race as the older kids who had a problem).

Do I say something to any of the other parents? One of my friends (race that the teacher may not like) was shocked that she was nice to my DD. At the time I didn't know why but there seems to be a pattern here.

We'e not in her class anymore but I have a younger child.

If you see something, say something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a teacher at our school with a VERY mixed reputation. I have several neighbors whose kids had terrible experiences with her. One boy was crying everyday because she was so mean. The parents all brought these issues to the guidance counselor and principal's attention. My DD ended up with the same teacher and she was super nice to her. Same thing with a few of her friends (same race as us). DD said she was mean to some of her other friends (same race as the older kids who had a problem).

Do I say something to any of the other parents? One of my friends (race that the teacher may not like) was shocked that she was nice to my DD. At the time I didn't know why but there seems to be a pattern here.

We'e not in her class anymore but I have a younger child.

If this is in Alabama, your complaint may have some merit. File a formal complaint.

If this is in Maryland...the teacher may have a point. Investigate context a bit more, perhaps those kids do deserve the feedback they are getting.

Racism only occurs in Alabama??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are black, always expect to be descriminated against. You are living under the system of White Supremacy

what do you call someone who pulls an old 2013 post whilst searching "racist" in the archives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would encourage anyone and everyone to take an implicit bias test (google to find one free, online). Research tends to find that even minorities taking the test end up with some level of bias against minorities. I know that I consider myself very unbiased, but still ended up with a mild bias as a result.

You can take it privately and no one knows the result. While taking, you can assess whether you think the methodology is valid, and at the end, you can think about how your results may influence your own behavior subtly, on the margin.

Yes, it is very insightful!
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are black, always expect to be descriminated against. You are living under the system of White Supremacy

what do you call someone who pulls an old 2013 post whilst searching "racist" in the archives?

LOL. race-baiting?

[Anonymous]

The minority (or targeted groups) parents have to demand supervision. Either they sit in class daily or they require someone sit there or videotape.
My son who is biracial suffered terribly under one such teacher in third grade. We only found out at the end of the year. It took him years to recover.