Our Bad: School Apologizes After Teacher Conducts Mock Slave Auction
- Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:14pm by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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Via Liz Dwyer at Good.is is a story of a Norfolk, Virginia elementary school teacher who earlier this month turned her classroom into a slave auction during class–dividing her students, along racial lines, into slaves and slave masters:
Jessica Boyle, a fourth grade teacher at Sewells Point Elementary School in Norfolk chose to teach a lesson on the Civil War by turning her classroom into a slave auction. Boyle segregated her students—black and mixed race students on one side of the room, and white students on the other. The teacher then had the white students, all around ten years old, play the role of slave master and take turns purchasing their black and biracial peers.
The incident came to light after parents, understandably, complained. The school’s principal, Mary B. Wrushen, sent a letter home stating that although Boyle’s “actions were well intended to meet the instructional objectives, the activity presented was inappropriate for the students.“ Wrushen said the lesson was not supported by the school or district and acknowledged that it ”could have been thought through more carefully, as to not offend her students or put them in an uncomfortable situation.”
Read the full story at the Washington Post.
This week, the school apologized to parents for the incident. The principal observed that “The lesson could have been thought through more carefully, as to not offend her students or put them in an uncomfortable situation.”
In a letter sent to parents, the principal wrote, “Although her actions were well intended to meet the instructional objectives, the activity presented was inappropriate for the students.”
Via WVEC:
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Comments (118)
lovethelord
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:25pmWhat color was the teacher?
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:25pmThe color of the teacher was “Stupid” and of course you cant fix stupid.
Report Post »powedj
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:23pmHow would the teacher handle the new black panthers and cracka babies?.
Report Post »Lostnowfound
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:17pmThe sad part is back then the % of the population that was enslaved was fairly low compared to now at nearly 50% enslaved by the welfare state. At least back then the slaves wanted to be free, now they want heavier shackles.
Report Post »Make them stop
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:20pmWOW, that’s in print. Loud and clear.
Report Post »28_ID
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:06pmI suppose if this teacher would have had the black/bi-racial students picking white students as slaves, it would be OK (smashing the whole white privilege thing) and the teacher would have been lauded for her extraordinary and innovative instruction methods by the union.
Report Post »Make them stop
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:10pmBoy everyone is so touchy, how about if the childrens role in this exercize were reversed? Make the white kids the slaves. If we forget our history, we are bound to repeat!
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:36pmWe are going to repeat it by dwelling on it and recreating the hate and demonization of now innocent people living today. How will we ever get past this if we constantly live in the past. This only re-enforces hate. Thanks for your comment!
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:49pmBack in the good old days when history was actually taught, along with religion and philosophy and law, children learned just fine without having to act things out. They had brains that were trained to take in information intellectually and process the ideas involved and then relate those concepts to the world around them. They were thinking beings. But in the modern world of public education rational thought is not presumed to be possible in children. Instead they must be spoonfed and manipulated emotionally.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:05pmI assume as slave owners, the teacher told them they were Democrats.
Report Post »DRAFTBeck2012
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:00pmRubbish. complaints are completely without merit. This was a good lesson for the children regardless of age. WE GAURD our children too much and it is ridiculous thinking. this shamful crap happened. we whites should feel disgust and shame in those who committed these atrosities and our children should be exposed to our true history. That it never happen again. Like it is now. Our black friends are being sold as slaves to the democrats. Only now its called welfare or free healthcare, or food stamps. all they did was move the overton window to make it sound humane or helpful or caring. But it is still SLAVERY and we are letting it happen. Shame on us.
Report Post »lovethelord
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:27pmSpeak for yourself…shame on you. I’m a first generation American…my parents both from Ireland. My people were slaves to the British.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:44pm“our children should be exposed to our true history”
Right. Let’s perpetuate racial; divisions by making white children feel guilt for what white people did over a cebtury ago. After all, all whites are corporately guilty, right? The only way there can be healing is if white children are made to pay the price for their parents’ sins, or for the sins of people who LOOKED like their parents.
You sir, are a first class turd.
Report Post »GODSAMERICA
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:56pm“her actions were well intended”
Report Post »I think not! There is no way that a stunt like that could begin to be considered well intended. As usual they are probably trying to protect one of their union pets.
Wornout
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:47pmWe had a slave day at our school (mostly white). One class, mine, was “the slave class”, the other teachers chose how to treat us, some made us sit in the back on the floor or gave us extra work, others let us sit in our normal seats and treated us the same. We had lessons on the various factions at work in the lead up to and during the civil war. We had one bathroom, and one drinking fountain. We had to let the other kids go ahead of us in line, they could take a basketball if we were using it, etc. Afterwards, we all had writing assignments on the event. It was an experience most of us will never forget. Especially the kids in my class. We all learned a tremendous amount about the history of slavery in our country, and compassion for the people who suffered it. If my kids were given the opportunity to spend a day in the shoes of a slave I would be all for it.
Report Post »This doesn‘t mean I’m a bleeding heart liberal, and I don’t believe in reparations, some of my ancestors were indian, some were white. Some died to free the slaves…I think that is payment enough.
trolltrainer
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:53pmThe difference is the whole class was assigned a part. This teacher segregated her kids white and non-white. Authentic? Yeah…But just not right…Had she simply split them odd and even or whatever it would not be an issue in my mind.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:09pmWornout, what you describe sounds like the English public school system of “*******”. It was called something else here in American private schools. Of course, by the time I was in school it had faded out but my father remembers it.
Report Post »lovethelord
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:29pmHappened to me in 4th grade. It just pissed me off. I didn‘t learn a thing I wouldn’t have learned by just talking about it. Kids are not so stupid that they have to experience slavery to get it. Give me a break.
Report Post »ChevalierdeJohnstone
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:42pmWhat’s wrong with this?
The answer is, us. The teacher didn’t do anything wrong. If there are problems of race-based tension and animosity in our society, we need to fix those ourselves – not in school. Whether or not experiential learning is an effective teaching method, it is a legitimately-recognized one in all disciplines at all age levels.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:59pm“The teacher didn’t do anything wrong. ..experiential learning.. is a legitimately-recognized one in all disciplines at all age levels.”
That doesn’t mean all uses of it are right. This teacher most definitely did something wrong by separating children by race, implicitly identifying those children with the roles they were playing. There is no universe where that is right.
Report Post »Mainer forever
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:41pmWas there or is there a video to this? Not that I need one…..there is just a big wide open spot when reading the text. Just saying is all.
Report Post »Ethereal
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:32pmReally? These lefty teachers have all these bright ideas about how to teach social responsibility and this is what they come up with? And the left calls the right bigots…we see where the real bigotry is.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:57amThis wasn’t a lesson in social responsibility, it was a lesson in history.
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:31pmThis is just another example of how school teachers like to keep stirring the racial pot. They like to keep blacks riled up against whites. Schools teach black students to hate whites for something that neither one of them had anything to do with (slavery). These black kids are asked “do you like whitey” and then present an outline of why they should hate white people. These kids wouldn‘t even know about this stuff if these white liberal teachers weren’t there encouraging them to hate whitey. So disgusting!
Report Post »Zer0
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:30pmlulz
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:29pmThis is another example of how school teachers like to keep stirring the racial pot. They like to keep blacks riled up against whites. Schools teach black students to hate whites for something that neither one of them had anything to do with (slavery). These black kids are asked “do you like whitey” and then present an outline of why they should hate white people. These kids wouldn‘t even know about this stuff if these white liberal teachers weren’t there encouraging them to hate whitey. So disgusting!
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:43pmI seriously do not think it was intended for anything other than teaching her students. Bad idea? Maybe…But I do not think the teacher had any ulterior motives.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:53am“These kids wouldn‘t even know about this stuff if these white liberal teachers weren’t there encouraging them to hate whitey.”
If you click on this article’s link to a Norfolk news clip, you‘ll see that the black students’ main reaction was either bewilderment or embarrassment, not hatred of “whitey.” Is it better to keep them in ignorance of slavery, what it meant, and what it took to end it? The lesson was on the Civil War, after all.
Report Post »prov1
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:29pm..race wars and conflict to promote riots
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:26pmAdd your comments
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:26pmI’m not sure what to make of this. It’s a political firecracker that could be used by BOTH sides of the aisle to politicize. One thing’s clear. That teacher probably should not have done that…
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:26pmThese kids are 10 years old, not 15-17. What was she thinking?
Report Post »vennoye
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:40pmWell, If the parents can’t teach their children that they are racists and victims at home we will just have to take care of that in school.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:25pmSo she had the whites as slave holdres and the non-whites as slaves. I‘m sure that made everyone feel good about themselves and didn’t cause any racial tension at all.
In other news Obama called for a balanced budget and an end to socialized medicine.
What an idiot of a teacher. Maybe next class she can teach them about sexual assault and have all the boys play rapists and the girst be victims.
Report Post »JJCon
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:34pmJust wait until they get to the holocaust.
Report Post »ironSharpensIron
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:38pm@Islesfordian, @jjcon
Good ones! We could also teach children not to touch a hot stove, by instructing them to place their little hands on the hot stove…That‘ll teach ’um!
I can’t believe we let this woman get paid for her “teaching”.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:53pmJJCON, imagine if a private school did this with a study of the Passion and had Jewish children play the pharisees.
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:55pm@isles, YIKES!!!!
Report Post »Sic semper tyrannis forehand and domestic
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:24pmthat kid could not even pull a plow
Report Post »bglaidlaw
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:24pmIf this was the 70′s, the teacher would have gotten a reward for being a great teacher … for involving the students. What better a lesson for the kids than to feel what it was to be like to be bought and sold. The white kids missed out on the lesson, she should have had them swap places 1/2 way through.
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:22pmAll she had to do was not segregate the students.
I am mixed on this one. I think teaching the realities of slavery is a good thing…But at 10 years old to actually have them act it out? What kind of playground behavior is that going to lead to later in the day?
There are some good History Channel clips where they reenact a slave market. Might have made the point better, it is certainly a memorable scene.
Report Post »Lostnowfound
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:07pmTo be historically accurate she would have to have African blacks
Report Post »selling the slaves to the White Americans.
biohazard23
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:54pmBut that would be politically incorrect, despite the historical accuracy. We can’t go around teaching the kids anything that would resemble FACTS, now can we? :)
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:55pmMore than that. She would have to have Arab slave traders introducing the trade to whites.
Report Post »Susan Harkins
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:20pmAre we sending our kids to school for the 3 Rs these days…
or to promote a teacher’s political agenda of enstilling “white anger” for blacks and “white guilt” for whites, at such early ages?
Hmmm.
Report Post »PavZilla
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:25pmAgreed.
Are the 3R’s now Racism, Radicalism and Revolution?
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:30pmThey most certainly ARE getting the three R’s: Revolution, Racism and Re-education.
Unless you were thinking of some other R’s.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:44pmThat was wild.
Report Post »PavZilla
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:52pmIndeedy!
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:45amOn the basis of the information provided, there is no way of knowing whether this is a “bad” or a “good” teacher, or whether there was any intent to stoke “black anger” or “white guilt.” We do not even know whether the teacher herself is black or white. She may have had no political agenda at all, but simply wanted to bring the realities of antebellum America to life in the most direct way she could think of, with a live reenactment. The main counts against her seems to be that she did not clear the lesson in advance, and that parents thought the lesson was “inappropriate” and some of the students were made “unconfortable.” But education that doesn’t make you a little uncomfortable, even in elementary school, is not much of an education.
Report Post »Bill Wallace
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:20pmMaybe not for elementary, but for junior or senior high, this is a GREAT way of teaching the evils of slavery, and the major component of the Civil War. This is the PRACTICAL LEARNING instead of a theoretical nebula that gives information without understanding.
Report Post »HumbleMan
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:24pmYour mental disorder is showing.
Report Post »ironSharpensIron
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:25pmWow! Your point of view is so simplistic, and frightening on sooo many levels. It’s absurd to think that these vulnerable kids being “taught” by a sub par teacher using this bit ‘o drama to anchor in a point about the evils of slavery would NOT be affected in ways UNINTENDED. Clearly her stupidity is in thinking that she can just wipe away the evils of slavery by doing this stunt, without some dire affects not pre-thought out. I feel strongly that a good percentage of these kids WILL take away a message she didn’t intend. She is a linear thinker with no chance of having a clue.
Report Post »sickoftalking
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:42pmI think kids know that slavery is bad without being taught — So, I don’t think this teaches them anything. Its like teaching that killing puppies is bad.
But they do need to know a correct account of why it happened to be able to judge history well. Too many people today have really simplistic ideas like “slavery happened because white people were racist”, and jump from there to the idea that white people are more evil than everyone else and owe the rest of the world something. Well, no it didn’t. Racism did play its role in the whole tragedy, which (obviously) should be acknowledged, but there’s a lot more to discuss in order for people to fully understand and appreciate what was happening.
Report Post »kschmud
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:22pmShe could have shown them a scene from the miniseries “ROOTS”
Report Post »sonseeker
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 9:17amOh no…everyone is so fragile they must be protected from everything. I think it was a good lesson.
Report Post »martyw
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:19pmwith real money???
Report Post »BIGJAYINPA
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:28pmLet me get this straight. This “teacher’ is obviously the product of a “teachers” course of certification taught at an “accredited” school of “highter” learning. She has taken courses both in her major and courses to certify her to teach the children from said institutes of highter learning. Since she teaches in the public system may we also assume that she is either a member in good standing or a wannabe member of the Teachers Union. Let us make one further assumption that she is a flaming liberal. I make this assumption because I think someone with conservative values would also be SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT A MOCK SLAVE AUCTION IS ON HELLUVA STUPID IDEA!!!!!
Report Post »USAMama
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:43pmAs a “white person” I am extremely offended by this! Why are we constantly “profiled” as racist, rich, decendants of slave owners? Like none of us are “immigrants.” My family came over from Ireland in the early 1900′s… they were very poor and NEVER owned slaves! If my child were in a class and portrayed as a slave owner simply because she is a white American I would be livid, just as the black students should not be portrayed as slaves simply for being black. I am sure many black families in America have come from other countries since slavery was abolished and NEVER had slaves in their families. We are told never to profile, unless of course its to profile the “typical white person.”
Report Post »joe conservative
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:43pmWe need to get these teachers out of the classrooms. I’m sure this teacher would really enjoy the white privelege conference in Minnessota. Look at the teachers in Wisconsin and what they did with their students. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF5CL4gmeOw
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:45pmOnce again the idiocy of our teaching and schooling system is shown for all the ugliness and sheer levels of ineptitude (in not getting rid of the bad teachers and admin staff) to be declared.
Report Post »parlayer
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:32pmI know that women sell them self’s, even to another race. That’s current, Slave auctions are not!!
Report Post »calamari12
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:59pmIt’s an honest portrayal of what happened. I participated in a fake auction that was almost exactly the same situation only it was the white kids being sold to the “minority”students in my class. I don’t understand the problem.
Report Post »exdem
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:06pmIf progressive teachers continue to open racial scars and convince students of color they are somehow victims of whitey even to this day, they will be able to insure a voting base for themselves. They are just training future Union thugs to convert America to communism. We need new standards for teaching not to mention new teachers.
Report Post »exdem
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:09pmBlacks can put slavery behind them but the progressives won’t let them.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:04pmThese are the people who are making DEMANDS of TAXPAYERS?
Report Post »hifi74
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:33pmYa know in a strange way I am ok with this, IF afterwards the morale of the story was to show that even though it is part of our history it is not the way people are to be treated. If not then there was no need for the activity.
Report Post »Patriot Z
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:03pmi disagree a bit there big. while it could have been executed a little better, live reinactments are the best source for learning history. i had to learn to love history cuz my idiot teachers back in the day just had us memorize dates and places. it was boring and nearly killed it. same with science and math. history isnt nice..it can be gritty at times. the same parents complaining about this are more than likely the same ones letting their kids play violent video games and watch shows on tv. To me it makes no sense to dumb down actual historical events while promoting killing, rape, criminality etc on a daily basis through everyday media
Report Post »jackrorabbit
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:54pmWait a minute, she is teaching the truth. All of her student are slaves to the debt that DC has created.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 12:25amDumb TEACHER!!!
Report Post »standunited
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:27amWhy would anyone feel that needs to be taught to kids at this age, they’re already taught every day to treat each other equaly, this is a way for a teacher to teach her persoanl agenda and show how bad “whitey” is. I am from a mixed marriage and my wife has told me repeatedly over the years how she never realized how unfair things could be for a white man in this country. How is anyone going to be able to realize and live the whole “all people created equally” when someone is always pointing out slavery, racism, and usually some bogus lie of inequallity somewhere…..all inequallity needs to stop and all the race baiters need to go away, and anyone who wants to whine about things from many decades ago, get over it..get past it and move on to better days…I‘m tired of everything being white’s fault
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