APS black student singled out to play cotton picking game

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you put racist in quotes tells me exactly who you are.

DP, but no. The game is not “picking cotton” and is not racist. Unless anything having to do with cotton is considered racist, how could a sub from another country, or this one for that matter, ever think that pushing around cotton balls with your nose is racist and resembles picking cotton? Was it a waste of time and not what should be happening in school? Yes. Was it handled poorly by a clueless but needed sun? Seems like it. But this family is the reason the kid is now in the library and they clearly want money or for APS to foot the bill for a private placement.

He felt uncomfortable and told his teacher so. The mom thinks it's racist. The NAACP got involved. I don't know what else to tell you. If a Black person tells you something's racist, I'm going to listen to them, not some anonymous person.

What would you have considered an appropriate response to the complaint?

It seems as though the school is in a catch-22 on this incident. If the initial response to the parent had been, "You are right, this game was racist and damage has been done to your child", APS would be sued with proof of guilt. The teacher initially denied that the activity was racist, and that was interpreted as "not being able to accept the wrongness". How COULD the school have responded to this to avoid a lawsuit? The only place where APS was truly wrong was with the student confronting the student after the fact. That should not have happened, but I can understand how this teacher, a foreign-born POC, was utterly baffled by the accusation.

The teacher at the heart of the complaint is a foreign born person of color?

I was surprised that the teacher is supposed to have said : “You think I am a racist??” immediately after the incident.

Now I can see it.

Ok but you don't say that in front of the entire class!!!!

She was a sub, English isn't her first language. She was probably so confused and just asked it as a question without thinking it through.

[Anonymous]

I’m finally catching up on the story. I’ve seen headlines about this and how awful. But we’re talking about a minute to win it style game where every kid was going to play? Unbelievable. This does not appear to be a racially motivated incident, and when people make issues of non-issues, like this, real issues will be ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does picking up cotton balls with their greased up noses have anything to do with learning French?

Honestly, this is why American public education is trash.

And why did they pick the Black kid to do it?

Because if they wouldn’t have picked the black kid, that would have been racist too?

[Anonymous]

I think the amount of attention this non-issue is getting is outrageous. However, if this is what finally does Dr. Wiggins in, I'm here for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the strangest story. It also evidence of why anti-racism curricula are helpful:

https://wjla.com/news/local/arlington-public-schools-gunston-middle-school-takes-cotton-picking-game-off-schools-list-family-demands-more-sidney-rousey-keisha-kirkland-naacp-francisco-durn

It also demonstrates what teacher shortages can lead to (side eye at long-term sub)…

did you notice how quickly his mom got a lawyer? they are set for life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you put racist in quotes tells me exactly who you are.

DP, but no. The game is not “picking cotton” and is not racist. Unless anything having to do with cotton is considered racist, how could a sub from another country, or this one for that matter, ever think that pushing around cotton balls with your nose is racist and resembles picking cotton? Was it a waste of time and not what should be happening in school? Yes. Was it handled poorly by a clueless but needed sun? Seems like it. But this family is the reason the kid is now in the library and they clearly want money or for APS to foot the bill for a private placement.

He felt uncomfortable and told his teacher so. The mom thinks it's racist. The NAACP got involved. I don't know what else to tell you. If a Black person tells you something's racist, I'm going to listen to them, not some anonymous person.

What would you have considered an appropriate response to the complaint?

It seems as though the school is in a catch-22 on this incident. If the initial response to the parent had been, "You are right, this game was racist and damage has been done to your child", APS would be sued with proof of guilt. The teacher initially denied that the activity was racist, and that was interpreted as "not being able to accept the wrongness". How COULD the school have responded to this to avoid a lawsuit? The only place where APS was truly wrong was with the student confronting the student after the fact. That should not have happened, but I can understand how this teacher, a foreign-born POC, was utterly baffled by the accusation.

The teacher at the heart of the complaint is a foreign born person of color?

I was surprised that the teacher is supposed to have said : “You think I am a racist??” immediately after the incident.

Now I can see it.

Ok but you don't say that in front of the entire class!!!!

Agree, but if this “long term substitute foreign born person of color” was actually a black African French teacher, you can imagine that he/she was taken so off guard by this incredulous accusation, that they simply said this aloud!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the strangest story. It also evidence of why anti-racism curricula are helpful:

https://wjla.com/news/local/arlington-public-schools-gunston-middle-school-takes-cotton-picking-game-off-schools-list-family-demands-more-sidney-rousey-keisha-kirkland-naacp-francisco-durn

It also demonstrates what teacher shortages can lead to (side eye at long-term sub)…

did you notice how quickly his mom got a lawyer? they are set for life.

She actually has several lawyers now working for her, I assume all pro bono. From the article: “Pain, suffering, mental health, civil rights”, she will get APS to pay for private school for her kid. And she wants that teacher fired. NAACP must have a lot of extra resources to be spending their time with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you put racist in quotes tells me exactly who you are.

DP, but no. The game is not “picking cotton” and is not racist. Unless anything having to do with cotton is considered racist, how could a sub from another country, or this one for that matter, ever think that pushing around cotton balls with your nose is racist and resembles picking cotton? Was it a waste of time and not what should be happening in school? Yes. Was it handled poorly by a clueless but needed sun? Seems like it. But this family is the reason the kid is now in the library and they clearly want money or for APS to foot the bill for a private placement.

He felt uncomfortable and told his teacher so. The mom thinks it's racist. The NAACP got involved. I don't know what else to tell you. If a Black person tells you something's racist, I'm going to listen to them, not some anonymous person.

What would you have considered an appropriate response to the complaint?

It seems as though the school is in a catch-22 on this incident. If the initial response to the parent had been, "You are right, this game was racist and damage has been done to your child", APS would be sued with proof of guilt. The teacher initially denied that the activity was racist, and that was interpreted as "not being able to accept the wrongness". How COULD the school have responded to this to avoid a lawsuit? The only place where APS was truly wrong was with the student confronting the student after the fact. That should not have happened, but I can understand how this teacher, a foreign-born POC, was utterly baffled by the accusation.

The teacher at the heart of the complaint is a foreign born person of color?

I was surprised that the teacher is supposed to have said : “You think I am a racist??” immediately after the incident.

Now I can see it.

Ok but you don't say that in front of the entire class!!!!

Agree, but if this “long term substitute foreign born person of color” was actually a black African French teacher, you can imagine that he/she was taken so off guard by this incredulous accusation, that they simply said this aloud!

Is this true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the amount of attention this non-issue is getting is outrageous. However, if this is what finally does Dr. Wiggins in, I'm here for it.

She was the one who mandated teachers play these games with the kids instead of teaching them. My kids go to Gunston and said their teachers told them they might as well schedule doctors appointments for the half day Wednesdays because they weren't able to teach anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the amount of attention this non-issue is getting is outrageous. However, if this is what finally does Dr. Wiggins in, I'm here for it.

She was the one who mandated teachers play these games with the kids instead of teaching them. My kids go to Gunston and said their teachers told them they might as well schedule doctors appointments for the half day Wednesdays because they weren't able to teach anyway.

Wiggins is a cancer.

[Anonymous]

I am fine with kids doing an occasional fun game or team building activity every once in a while. I’d attending an assembly. A half day seems like a good time to go it.

The teacher probably asked the kid, because she knows he knows the truth. It’s nonsense. I really feel sorry for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you put racist in quotes tells me exactly who you are.

DP, but no. The game is not “picking cotton” and is not racist. Unless anything having to do with cotton is considered racist, how could a sub from another country, or this one for that matter, ever think that pushing around cotton balls with your nose is racist and resembles picking cotton? Was it a waste of time and not what should be happening in school? Yes. Was it handled poorly by a clueless but needed sun? Seems like it. But this family is the reason the kid is now in the library and they clearly want money or for APS to foot the bill for a private placement.

He felt uncomfortable and told his teacher so. The mom thinks it's racist. The NAACP got involved. I don't know what else to tell you. If a Black person tells you something's racist, I'm going to listen to them, not some anonymous person.

What would you have considered an appropriate response to the complaint?

It seems as though the school is in a catch-22 on this incident. If the initial response to the parent had been, "You are right, this game was racist and damage has been done to your child", APS would be sued with proof of guilt. The teacher initially denied that the activity was racist, and that was interpreted as "not being able to accept the wrongness". How COULD the school have responded to this to avoid a lawsuit? The only place where APS was truly wrong was with the student confronting the student after the fact. That should not have happened, but I can understand how this teacher, a foreign-born POC, was utterly baffled by the accusation.

The teacher at the heart of the complaint is a foreign born person of color?

I was surprised that the teacher is supposed to have said : “You think I am a racist??” immediately after the incident.

Now I can see it.

Ok but you don't say that in front of the entire class!!!!

Agree, but if this “long term substitute foreign born person of color” was actually a black African French teacher, you can imagine that he/she was taken so off guard by this incredulous accusation, that they simply said this aloud!

That's why the parents and their legal team are using the language of "systemic racism" to tell their story...because their case falls apart when you look at the acutal individuals involved (teacher, student, principal, Duran, etc)

Yes, you’re right. With the sub teacher a foreign born person of color, and their principal (and nearly all admin staff) black it’s really a different look, one the family, NAACP, etc. have never mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you put racist in quotes tells me exactly who you are.

DP, but no. The game is not “picking cotton” and is not racist. Unless anything having to do with cotton is considered racist, how could a sub from another country, or this one for that matter, ever think that pushing around cotton balls with your nose is racist and resembles picking cotton? Was it a waste of time and not what should be happening in school? Yes. Was it handled poorly by a clueless but needed sun? Seems like it. But this family is the reason the kid is now in the library and they clearly want money or for APS to foot the bill for a private placement.

He felt uncomfortable and told his teacher so. The mom thinks it's racist. The NAACP got involved. I don't know what else to tell you. If a Black person tells you something's racist, I'm going to listen to them, not some anonymous person.

What would you have considered an appropriate response to the complaint?

It seems as though the school is in a catch-22 on this incident. If the initial response to the parent had been, "You are right, this game was racist and damage has been done to your child", APS would be sued with proof of guilt. The teacher initially denied that the activity was racist, and that was interpreted as "not being able to accept the wrongness". How COULD the school have responded to this to avoid a lawsuit? The only place where APS was truly wrong was with the student confronting the student after the fact. That should not have happened, but I can understand how this teacher, a foreign-born POC, was utterly baffled by the accusation.

The teacher at the heart of the complaint is a foreign born person of color?

I was surprised that the teacher is supposed to have said : “You think I am a racist??” immediately after the incident.

Now I can see it.

Ok but you don't say that in front of the entire class!!!!

She was a sub, English isn't her first language. She was probably so confused and just asked it as a question without thinking it through.

Teachers have a unique job where they have to talk all day. They can flub up every once in awhile.
We have to show some understanding, patience, and forgiveness. But, to just start name slinging as a society is not the way to go.

[Anonymous]

This is so stupid. Why have the NAACP and Justin Fairfax gotten involved? They keep making it worse for the kid by trying to make it into a thing when it’s obviously just a misunderstanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am fine with kids doing an occasional fun game or team building activity every once in a while. I’d attending an assembly. A half day seems like a good time to go it.

The teacher probably asked the kid, because she knows he knows the truth. It’s nonsense. I really feel sorry for him.

I am fine with teachers occasionally doing something fun too. But here the fun was mandated and each teacher had to do these kinds of games vs getting to decide for themselves. For a sub, it may have been easier to give the kids a worksheet that took 20 minutes than try to coordinate having the kids play a game.