Hot-mic moment captures how some educators really feel

[Anonymous]

Are you okay with low-income Latinos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

Why does it matter? Low income families have a right to ask for open schools, and high income don't?

It’s like some school boards and education professionals think their actual job is to sh*t all over rich white kids in the name of “equity”. It’s been really disturbing for me to see this hostility come out. I had no plans to ever put my kids in a charter or private school and i still hope i don’t have to but I can’t un-see what has been said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear teacher who refers to students as "Hispanic," let me explain to you why you should refer to us as Latino/a. I'm about to do some emotional labor here, which I'm 99% sure you're going to ignore because you think your familiarity with us gives you some kind of authority.

Hispanic and Latino are often conflated. They are not the same. Hispanic refers to the language and Latino refers to the culture. If you have indigenous students in your classes (and if you have any from central America, you almost certainly do), these are Latinos, not Hispanics. Some of them may even speak Spanish, as is common in Guatemala, but that's the language of the colonizers. Brazilians are Latinos, not Hispanics. I can go on. This is just like how we don't call all Alaska Natives "Inuit" anymore.

Aside from mislabeling people with a moniker that refers to a particular language, "Hispanic" also refers to the colonizing culture. Many Latinos find it offensive for this reason.

I'm not going to get into Latinx. I don't understand it.

You didn't have to do that ... but thank you. You were gracious and kind, unlike that teacher.

+1

DP. I really didn’t know this. Thank you.

+2. Me neither. And yes, I should know if and you shouldn’t have to correct everyone. But, it’s hard to correct a mistake you don’t know you’re making. It’s a mistake I won’t make going forward though.

I do get the Latinx phenomena, although I’m not sure I agree with it. It’s an inability of native English speakers to deal with gendered languages because we don’t have a corollary. So, referring to Latinos feels like it leaves out all the women. And Latinos and Latinas is clunky. And now we are dealing with gender non-binary and preferred pronouns and so what do you do with a trans woman? So people give up and use Latinx. Which may not be right, but we’re all grappling with gender and language.

For example, I write in English for my job about identifiable people whose gender or gender identity I might not know. For example, they correspond with us and have a first name that is gender neutral. So, he doesn’t work. She doesn’t work. I hate S/he and them can get mixed up with plurals. English needs non-gendered pronouns. Latinx is a reflection of the same frustration with clunky language.

[Anonymous]

I just say I'm Colombian, and I think we're moving toward using that sort of specificity.

"Latinx" is like nails on a chalkboard to me, and I know many people like me whi feel the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear teacher who refers to students as "Hispanic," let me explain to you why you should refer to us as Latino/a. I'm about to do some emotional labor here, which I'm 99% sure you're going to ignore because you think your familiarity with us gives you some kind of authority.

Hispanic and Latino are often conflated. They are not the same. Hispanic refers to the language and Latino refers to the culture. If you have indigenous students in your classes (and if you have any from central America, you almost certainly do), these are Latinos, not Hispanics. Some of them may even speak Spanish, as is common in Guatemala, but that's the language of the colonizers. Brazilians are Latinos, not Hispanics. I can go on. This is just like how we don't call all Alaska Natives "Inuit" anymore.

Aside from mislabeling people with a moniker that refers to a particular language, "Hispanic" also refers to the colonizing culture. Many Latinos find it offensive for this reason.

I'm not going to get into Latinx. I don't understand it.

DP. Why is there a Hispanic/Latino category on tons of applications? Also, isn’t Latino also kind of a misnomer because indigenous students have very little to do with Ancient Rome and Latin?

Well this is a new and dumb argument. Amazing.

+1. Where in the world has the word “Latin” in its name PP. think hard.

The form doesn’t ask if they are Roman.

Which language was spoken in Ancient Rome? How do you think Latin America got its name?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

As you would know if you had clicked the link or read any of the comments besides the first one, its a majority lower income Latino district

Of course it is because poor communities are stuck with crappy boards! I can’t believe these idiots. I watched the video, and I feel sorry parents and kids have these losers advocating for them. I’m glad they retired. The community deserves competency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

As you would know if you had clicked the link or read any of the comments besides the first one, its a majority lower income Latino district

Of course it is because poor communities are stuck with crappy boards! I can’t believe these idiots. I watched the video, and I feel sorry parents and kids have these losers advocating for them. I’m glad they retired. The community deserves competency.

Our district is only 30% low income and Latino and still the school board is BAD! The crook super walks all over them too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you okay with low-income Latinos?

The derision that white teachers have for their Black and Latino students is awful, especially when they are also exploiting those families in their efforts to continue to block the families' access to education. It is horrific.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

As you would know if you had clicked the link or read any of the comments besides the first one, its a majority lower income Latino district

Of course it is because poor communities are stuck with crappy boards! I can’t believe these idiots. I watched the video, and I feel sorry parents and kids have these losers advocating for them. I’m glad they retired. The community deserves competency.

I don't think wealthy districts are any better off.

And Oakley is still stuck with three out of the four people who were on mic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you okay with low-income Latinos?

The derision that white teachers have for their Black and Latino students is awful, especially when they are also exploiting those families in their efforts to continue to block the families' access to education. It is horrific.

Only the UMC whites parents I know use the poor minorities as reasons to open up schools. Poor parents tend not to want to send their kids back. They've seen Covid up close and personal. Teachers cannot strike in MD so if your school district hasn't gone back yet, it is because they cannot get their act together to get schools ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

Yes California and it seems like most kids are low income hispanic, excuse me, Latino!

I guess the PP called it that you would learn nothing about the Hispanic/Latino difference. This really doesn’t suggest that you’re treating your students with respect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

Yes California and it seems like most kids are low income hispanic, excuse me, Latino!

I guess the PP called it that you would learn nothing about the Hispanic/Latino difference. This really doesn’t suggest that you’re treating your students with respect.

DP. I don't really care to cater to people who call others colonizers.

Sorry not sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

Yes California and it seems like most kids are low income hispanic, excuse me, Latino!

I guess the PP called it that you would learn nothing about the Hispanic/Latino difference. This really doesn’t suggest that you’re treating your students with respect.

DP. I don't really care to cater to people who call others colonizers.

Sorry not sorry.

Usually the claims of racism here are hyperbolic, but wow. You’re very blatant racist trash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you okay with low-income Latinos?

The derision that white teachers have for their Black and Latino students is awful, especially when they are also exploiting those families in their efforts to continue to block the families' access to education. It is horrific.

Only the UMC whites parents I know use the poor minorities as reasons to open up schools. Poor parents tend not to want to send their kids back. They've seen Covid up close and personal. Teachers cannot strike in MD so if your school district hasn't gone back yet, it is because they cannot get their act together to get schools ready.

that is explicitly not what happened here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Point of clarification:

This is California, right?

Are these board members speaking of low income parents of black and brown kids? Or Bay Area tech dads and moms?

...because that difference matters. At least to me it does.

Yes California and it seems like most kids are low income hispanic, excuse me, Latino!

I guess the PP called it that you would learn nothing about the Hispanic/Latino difference. This really doesn’t suggest that you’re treating your students with respect.

DP. I don't really care to cater to people who call others colonizers.

Sorry not sorry.

I really hope you don’t teach history or social studies.