Reply to DD experienced racism in the classroom. How to handle.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]AM I CRAZY???!!!!

Am I the only one who thinks this should've rolled off DD's back with a thought of "dumb ass" and an eye roll?

Before anyone starts, I'm the AA female who's preparing to send her own DC off to college, and for the life of me I can't understand going to a Diversity office, emailing a dean/professor, etc. This was nothing more than a dumb ass making a dumb ass comment. If she'd been physically assaulted or if this was even an ongoing thing, then I could see the point. But it's not. It's one comment that she should not even be thinking about a week later. But if it's blown into a federal case, it becomes a much bigger deal than it ever needed to be. Teach DD to have a thicker skin instead of reacting to every little comment and blowing things out of proportion. That child will never live in peace if her approach to living is to address every single slight by every single dumb ass.

Perhaps it's my background of being the only black girl in the class--in a small town. I heard the racist jokes, been asked racist questions and sat in class with teachers who were either insensitive, didn't hear or didn't care. And never ONCE in HS did I ever even mention the comments to my parents. Every class has dumb ass clowns in it (especially in HS), so I just thought of them as the dumb ass clowns and kept it moving. There were a few who seemed well-meaning and genuinely curious about black people, but I attributed their questions to ignorance and innocence. I'd hate to think of who I'd be today if my mother taught me by her actions that I was a victim, that I should react to every negative comment and that everyone up to the Superintendent needed to know about how badly her baby was being mistreated and that ignorant comments would not be tolerated! Not around her baby and not on her tax payer dime. Humph!

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I agree that it is good to develop a thicker skin. For her own sake, it is better not to give too much energy or emotion to some dumbass who makes a racist comment.

But this is a learning environment. As a white person, and someone who has been a teacher, I would want to know if I said something inappropriate that made a minority student feel uncomfortable. If I had A child in that  classroom, I would not want that child think that what happened was okay.[/quote]I had the thick skin of an elephant (in college and now) but I had no problem picking up the phone to talk to my mother if there was something on my mind.  And my mother never admonished me for seeking her advice and using her as a sounding board.  Where is it written that you have to go it alone and not seek out the opinion of someone you trust just because you're in college?

No, OP should not fight her DC's battles but if DC needs to blow off some steam, it's nice to know that there's someone there she can trust.  If I didn't have a close, trusted confidant, I probably would've jumped on the phone to rant to my mother instead of cursing the chucklehead out who make that ignorant comment in DC's class.[/quote]

I don't think anyone has a problem with DD relaying the situation to her mother. I think the bigger issue is Mom's reaction. Call the dean? Not on my dime? Time to let the little munchkin grow up.[/quote]

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