This is not what teachers are supposed to do, and in fact, this is kind of the opposite of a teacher’s role. A teacher at Anthony Aguirre Junior High handed out fake certificates, including one labeled ‘most likely to be a terrorist’, to kids, while other teachers laughed. It’s just a joke, don’t be so sensitive, yadda yadda yadda.
And if that wasn’t appalling enough, another teacher also handed out fake awards to their kids, including “most likely to blend in with white people” to a black student.
Did they think that was a compliment? Because that would be all kinds of fucked up, too.
The school administration has clammed up — they say these teachers will be ‘disciplined’. I have no idea what that means, nor does anyone, and it does no one any favors to fail to be transparent about these sorts of problems.
It sounds to me, though, like there are some teachers at that school who are not suited to their profession and need to find new jobs.
When I read about this I literally shook with rage. Professional teachers? Those assholes aren’t fit to set foot in a school. All I can hear in my mind’s ear from the viewpoint of any of these shocked kids is their sinister ‘HAR HAR HAR!’. I have a modest suggestion: they should be fired and banned from applying to teach at any school for life.
Jesus Fuck. Our so-called educational system is already insanely fucked up, and it’s going to get worse. What chance do children have when bigoted, punching down assholes are the ones teaching? This hardly gives all the good, hard working teachers incentive to stay in a job where they are treated like shit, and paid the same.
Children should be considered a national resource. What I’m seeing here is adults who are actively causing and promoting mentally and emotionally scarring children. This is beyond disgusting. That said, I’d be willing to bet that none of these teachers will lose their jobs, or even be seriously disciplined. Bigotry runs deep.
The BBC’s story on this incident (Teacher disciplined over award) notes, at the end, another distrubing thing which happened recently in Texas: Ahmed Mohamed — the boy who made a clock and was arrested — had his discrimination lawsuit thrown out (‘Clock boy’ discrimination case thrown out by Texas judge):
I find that last quote rather odd, as the judge seems to say there was “unequal treatment”, immediately after effectively saying Ahmed could not have been treated differently.
I’m fairly certain the teacher, Stacy Lockett, who handed out the “Most Likely to Blend…” award was African-American after some quick google sleuthing. Being of mixed-ethnicity, you get the overt form of bigotry where you catch shit from white people because of your dark skinned parent and ethnic-sounding last name, but you also get treated to a more subtle form of bigotry where the other side also gives you crap because you don’t carry the right set of stereotypes, 99% of which were foisted on you by white folks in the first place. The former definitely pisses you off more, but the latter makes you feel like you don’t fit in with any-fucking-body.
nich:
So fucking what? I’m mixed, and I don’t look it, and it is unbelievable, the shit you’ll get from people if you let it slip, or bother to be open about it. No, it’s not fuckin’ fun. That said, look at Sydney Caesar’s face. Does she look happy? Amused? Appreciative of the subtleties of bigotry and mixes? Anything like that? NO. She’s a child who is obviously not white, and who does not look impressed over being handed an award that says “hey, you might get white enough inside one day to matter!”
Personally, I’d fucking expect a person of colour, mixed or no to have more fucking sense than that. It’s abuse, plain and simple.
“This may offend some of you, but I don’t care.”
Erm. Wow. I would be completely unsurprised to hear that from one of the arseholes who work in my office (#notallcolleagues) but from a teacher? To students? Fuck.
Hey, teacher… 1) leave them kids alone. 2) if you know it’s going to offend your students, why the fuck are you doing it? You’re undermining your own authority. These kids have to trust what you’re telling them! You have to be a source of knowledge, someone who will teach them how to learn throughout the rest of their lives. This shit makes you unqualified for that. You have officially failed as a teacher.
Holy crap, that has the AVID logo on it. AVID is a program aimed at helping kids who are from groups that are historically less likely to succeed inn college (minorities, kids with low income, kids whose parents never went to college, etc.) to learn the skills they need in middle school in high school so they can go on to do well in college. http://avid.org/
And the teacher wins the ‘most likely to be fired due to creating a national scandal award.’ Who am I kidding, they’ll get a slap on the wrist at best. I wished they’d release the arsehole’s name.
Not a shred of human decency. That’s a horrible thing to do to a child in any setting, but in a SCHOOL!? Beyond reprehensible.
Yes, welcome to Texas where this teacher is not bounced on her ass out of the district but given a “talking to.”
Texas, Number One in producing dumb asses.
@Doc Bill
Excuse me? I’m from Florida. We are number one in producing dumb asses. Step aside number two.
Caine #2:
Yep, that’s what I got loud and clear as well. Personally I think that’s the whole point of scumbag nonsense like this. They spread the damage out from on high. They hope that some go along with it and grow up to be racist assholes. They hope their victims react in ways that further their ugly stereotypes. For example, because some kids have to question everything the teacher says they’ll have to put more effort in to get the same things out of the class. If they don’t do as well as kids that don’t have to worry about that, now they fit stupid stereotypes.
How are you a grown-ass adult who has to function in day to day society and you think it’s ok to do this? I just literally do not understand how you can grow into an adult and not learn not to do these things?
Yes, those teachers should be fired.
Out of a cannon. Into the sun.