03-26-2004, 04:15 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2004, 05:11 PM by Hammerskjold.)
I read (online anyway) some schools already have banned these things. However some of them I actually agree with. One teacher said they were disrupting the class because kids kept trying to snap these things. (Symbols or not this is annoying I agree.) I can see the same thing if someone kept trying to do yo yo tricks in class or bouncing a tennis ball. I still think it could have been re-worked into a more general, 'if you're in class you pay attention.' Heh I can't believe I actually have to write that, but hey I remember I was a kid once too.
>But let's say instead of directly saying the racial slur and picking fights, the kid wears a t-shirt with the slur written on the front and back. It's still the same problem, isn't it? Now let's say instead of the t-shirt actually having the slur, it just has a big swastika on the front. I don't know that there is really much difference.
For me it can be the age range and the context. A kid wearing a swastika on a shirt, is not always the same as someone studying visual symbols (all swastikas, including the pre-nazi ones) from history. That's the problem I see with zero tolerance type policy. It mostly covers the school's own end, and has the potential to throw the baby with the bathwater so to speak. A grade school kid doesn't need to be lectured for 3 hours straight about the historical meaning of the swastika, but I think there is something incomplete if someone simply says,' nazis wore this symbol, therefore its bad because nazis are bad.'. Maybe it's just me, but if I ever have a kid I'd like them to learn that not every bad people wear recognizable badges\uniforms.
>But, what does it mean for a school board to address racism? They can't control what happens with these kids after class, so they can only really try to keep the issue from interfering with the learning environment as much as possible.
That's an excellent question. I wish more schools and parents ask that themselves.
There was a recent example of a high school near my area that I think was quite bold. This happened around February, with Black History month iirc. Instead of the usual bring a costume\food\songs or dance from other countries and culture, the school re-created an experiment. (Unfortunately I forgot who originated the experiment, but she's fairly well known. I might have to google it or search it on pbs.org later.)
At the start of the school day, each student was given 2 different coloured ribbons at random. Say green and red. The greens would have to sit at a designated place in class, drink from designated water fountains, and get different treatments from teachers. If a green raised their hands to answer, the teacher was more likely to ignore them. Greens and Reds were not allowed to sit at the same table in certain places. Certain areas of the school was designated as a neutral zone, if students feel overwhelmed they could go there.
Now I don't see this happening at every school, even this one had major reservations bringing up the idea to the parent\teacher meeting. Fearing some parents\students might not get it, or take it too far. Fortunately it went without trouble.
>To adress the deeper problem really has to be the responsibility of the parents. And to all you parents out there I can only say "Good luck with that!"
With that I totally agree. It does start at home. And if I ever have kids, I can picture my parents laughing at me when karma comes around. ;)
Ah here it is. http://www.magenta.nl/EyetoEye/contraste.html Although I don't agree with everything she says especially in her earlier days, I think anyone has the potential to be a racist. Colour is only secondary. I agree with her last sentence, 'We learn to be racist, therefore we can learn not to be racist. Racism is not genetical. It has everything to do with power.'
>But let's say instead of directly saying the racial slur and picking fights, the kid wears a t-shirt with the slur written on the front and back. It's still the same problem, isn't it? Now let's say instead of the t-shirt actually having the slur, it just has a big swastika on the front. I don't know that there is really much difference.
For me it can be the age range and the context. A kid wearing a swastika on a shirt, is not always the same as someone studying visual symbols (all swastikas, including the pre-nazi ones) from history. That's the problem I see with zero tolerance type policy. It mostly covers the school's own end, and has the potential to throw the baby with the bathwater so to speak. A grade school kid doesn't need to be lectured for 3 hours straight about the historical meaning of the swastika, but I think there is something incomplete if someone simply says,' nazis wore this symbol, therefore its bad because nazis are bad.'. Maybe it's just me, but if I ever have a kid I'd like them to learn that not every bad people wear recognizable badges\uniforms.
>But, what does it mean for a school board to address racism? They can't control what happens with these kids after class, so they can only really try to keep the issue from interfering with the learning environment as much as possible.
That's an excellent question. I wish more schools and parents ask that themselves.
There was a recent example of a high school near my area that I think was quite bold. This happened around February, with Black History month iirc. Instead of the usual bring a costume\food\songs or dance from other countries and culture, the school re-created an experiment. (Unfortunately I forgot who originated the experiment, but she's fairly well known. I might have to google it or search it on pbs.org later.)
At the start of the school day, each student was given 2 different coloured ribbons at random. Say green and red. The greens would have to sit at a designated place in class, drink from designated water fountains, and get different treatments from teachers. If a green raised their hands to answer, the teacher was more likely to ignore them. Greens and Reds were not allowed to sit at the same table in certain places. Certain areas of the school was designated as a neutral zone, if students feel overwhelmed they could go there.
Now I don't see this happening at every school, even this one had major reservations bringing up the idea to the parent\teacher meeting. Fearing some parents\students might not get it, or take it too far. Fortunately it went without trouble.
>To adress the deeper problem really has to be the responsibility of the parents. And to all you parents out there I can only say "Good luck with that!"
With that I totally agree. It does start at home. And if I ever have kids, I can picture my parents laughing at me when karma comes around. ;)
Ah here it is. http://www.magenta.nl/EyetoEye/contraste.html Although I don't agree with everything she says especially in her earlier days, I think anyone has the potential to be a racist. Colour is only secondary. I agree with her last sentence, 'We learn to be racist, therefore we can learn not to be racist. Racism is not genetical. It has everything to do with power.'