Is a Redskins-obsessed teacher ok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

+100

The Ravens had a double murderer playing linebacker until 2012, and a woman beater is still on the roster. As well as several players with dui's and weapon charges.

The Eagles had a dog killer playing QB and a raging racist that still plays wide receiver for them.

Glass houses indeed.....

All of these things are bad.

Also bad: the name of the football team that Dan Snyder owns.

[Anonymous]

I object to this for a different reason. Young students don't view things they way adults do. The students in the class who have any interest in football will come to class with a favorite team -- usually the same team their family follows. When a teacher roots for another team and tries to get the class to follow her lead (ie. by having them cheer on her team on Monday) it can and will cause some problems for some of the kids in the class who will take it as a challenge to something they view as a family value. I know that many of you reading this will not believe me, but I swear to you, young children view things on a way adults do not. The bottom line is that while the teacher wants to use cheering for the Redskins as a way to build classroom unity, it will most likely cause problems for children who fail to conform because they want to stick with their family's team.

If the kids were older, 5th / 6th grade, I wouldn't see a problem, but younger than that, teachers have to be careful.

What the teacher can do is share her excitement for her team, but do so in a way that doesn't indicate that she is suggesting that the correct thing to do is to cheer for her team.

I knew a teacher who would give every student in her class a Hershey kiss every Monday after her college team won a game, She was sharing her happiness in a way that would be hard to interpreted as trying to change the team allegiances of her students.

[Anonymous]

Those that are whining about this with OP, you all are a bunch of idiots. Your granny panties are all bunched up. Loosen the F up and realize there are many other thing more important than this. Do you have to pick every single battle?

Signed,
I Could Never Be a Teacher In MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:99 percent of those who are now offended by the name were not offended three years ago. This is a relevantly recent revelation to most people, althought there has always been a small group pushing to change the name.

We need to remember that others will take longer to come around, especially if you grew up in DC and the team has been a big part of your life.

The team name will change. It's inevitable. I would talk to your kid and give your view, and give the teacher a year.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let the adults sort out the name issue. Don't put this on the kids. At some point down the road, the name will change, and the teacher will get new posters and shirts and such.

A few years ago very few people cared about this issue. A few years from now it will be over. Don't drag the teacher and kids into an issue that they don't control. Teacher wants to root for local sports team. That team has a name. Let it go.

+1 again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be happy to come in during the history class and explain EXACTLY what the various Native American Indian tribes do with all the $billions of tax dollars they receive annually. And how much of it is squandered away with nothing to show for it. Talk about a sad, missed opportunity at political reparations.

Casinos?

[Anonymous]

23:39 right on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those that are whining about this with OP, you all are a bunch of idiots. Your granny panties are all bunched up. Loosen the F up and realize there are many other thing more important than this. Do you have to pick every single battle?

Signed,
I Could Never Be a Teacher In MCPS

+1000, wow I still can't believe with NO curriculum in the schools, rampant overcrowded, horrible building facilities,lack of differentiation on ability level, campuses that look like trailer park learning cottages, a BOE that engages in credit card fraud that this is the battle that is being waged. Seriously?

Widen your viewpoints, bipolar liberals. Your view is not the only one that exists, many native Americans could care less about the name. Stop trying to ram your nitpicky narrow views on everyone. Damn you guys are fun suckers, like the other poster stated I could never be a teacher in MCPS. I feel sorry for the teacher, he/she is going to learn to hate parents, like most of the ones who have been teaching for 20 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Widen your viewpoints, bipolar liberals. Your view is not the only one that exists, many native Americans c[b]ould care less[/b] about the name. Stop trying to ram your nitpicky narrow views on everyone. Damn you guys are fun suckers, like the other poster stated I could never be a teacher in MCPS. I feel sorry for the teacher, he/she is going to learn to hate parents, like most of the ones who have been teaching for 20 years.

Ok pet peeve of mine - and I see a lot of people do this on this forum so I don't mean to single this PP out.
However, it is "I could NOT care less". If you "could care less" it would mean that you care at least a little.

Sorry

[Anonymous]

Yep, I would call the school and complain. We are not native american, but my cousins are. And I would NOT want my daughter to think it's appropriate to call her baby cousins redskins.

It's not appropriate to teach kids to use racial slurs.

[Anonymous]

To those who are offended: Freedom of speach...yes. Freedom from being offended.... No. Freedom to herd everyone into your worldview... Not so much. Enjoy your high horse. There is not enough room on it for all of us. I may I suggest picking your battles.

[Anonymous]

One of my favorite elementary school memories is of my 2nd grade teacher who was a huge Redskins fan. The Redskins won the super bowl that year and her father was a huge Broncos fan (the Redskins beat the Broncos that year) and her dad came into class and sang the Redskins fight song and handed out Redskins t-shirts to every kid in the class. Kid heaven. She also got married that year and invited all of the kids in the class to her wedding ceremony. More kid heaven. She was my favorite teacher in elementary because she shared some of her life with us and that made us feel so special. My family wasn't into football so I didn't become a fan until adulthood, but I completely enjoyed the comraderie the teacher instilled in that classroom.

I am an elementary teacher now and we are constantly being asked to make connections with our students to foster social-emotional learning. It's hard to fake excitement about cutesy animal classroom decorations. I'd imagine the teacher decided to decorate the classroom with something she's truly passionate about to try to foster connections. We have some kids at my school who are really tough to reach. I've been a mentor teacher for some of those students and it takes a long time for them to build a trusting relationship with an adult. Sports can be a common language. You may disagree with the team's name but by asking that the teacher remove the items and play down her allegiance to her team, you could be doing more harm than good for some students who really need to feel like someone speaks their language.

Can you talk to your child and explain that your family doesn't agree with the team's name but not everyone feels the same way? There is a good life lesson in this situation for your child if you frame it as people can have varying opinions about a subject vs. expecting people to cater to your personal opinions.

[Anonymous]

It's also a good life lesson that people can express their interests (especially if they fit social convention) and that your kid will be hearing people go on and on about sports in the community and at the office for the rest of their lives, for better or for worse.

[Anonymous]

Pick your battles, OP.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a fan of football, and I think that the Redskins should change their name because it's offensive (and have since I was a kid), but honestly you people need to lighten up. Pick your battles. You can express how you feel about the Redskins name, but it sounds like the teacher is just trying to relate to the kids and be a person, and honestly adult authority figures are not always going to have the exact same view on the world that you do as your kids parents. This seems like a pretty innocuous way to learn that lesson.