Racism or Eduction - Teaching Using Mock Slave Auctions

[pearl]

Why was that? Besides the disappointment of the darker skinned children being essentially banned from a classroom party, did the teacher think that skin color separated the Egyptians from the Hebrews (both of whom were Semites)?

Had to do with discrimination. And since there were no Jews in a Catholic religion class...
They were not banned from the party, but from partaking of the goodies. What they experienced was an empathy for those today who are discriminated against. Drove the point home better than any strictly cognitive lesson.

 

[Soandso]

Reminds me of Jane Elliot's blue eye brown eye experiments. Those were also very controversial back in the day. Honestly, they probably still would be for many people

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

Had to do with discrimination. And since there were no Jews in a Catholic religion class...
They were not banned from the party, but from partaking of the goodies. What they experienced was an empathy for those today who are discriminated against. Drove the point home better than any strictly cognitive lesson.

At the end of the day, the reality was that these were still all just children and that a classroom party had taken place. I wonder how many children felt resentment and humiliation in not being allowed to partake of the goodies that they saw their lucky (dare I use the word "privileged"?) classmates allowed to have on the basis of their skin color? Such resentment and humiliation teaches a different kind of lesson -- one that often leads to dangerous repercussions later in adult life. I think we all should be paying closer attention to this, rather than inventing simulation "empathy" lessons that may possibly have the opposite of their intended effect.

 

[Revoltingest]

A problem with teaching is that lectures can be quite boring, especially at that age level.

I skipped many lectures back in the day.
Any time a book would provide the same
info, I'd read it instead.
Yeah, I fell asleep once in class.
Dint want a repeat performance.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I think we are at the stage that much of the mainstream is afraid to challenge 'excessive woke' demands for fear of being called the 'R' word themselves.

Even I sometimes won't bother responding to a topic on this forum because I don't need the emotional aggravation.

I'm confused. Which side of this are you seeing as excessively woke?

 

[George-ananda]

I'm confused. Which side of this are you seeing as excessively woke?

The side wanting the teacher sacked is the ‘excessively woke’ side. From the link:

"that the teacher’s reenactments in the two classes had a profoundly negative effect on all of the students present — especially the African-American students — and the school community at large."

But what prompted me to reply more than this particular slave case was the general OP question:

This raises the question; why does society have to walk on eggshells?

 

[George-ananda]

I'm confused. Which side of this are you seeing as excessively woke?

The side wanting the teacher sacked is the ‘excessively woke’ side. From the link:

"that the teacher’s reenactments in the two classes had a profoundly negative effect on all of the students present — especially the African-American students — and the school community at large."

But what prompted me to reply more than this particular slave case was the OP question:

This raises the question; why does society have to walk on eggshells?

 

[pearl]

I wonder how many children felt resentment and humiliation in not being allowed to partake of the goodies that they saw their lucky (dare I use the word "privileged"?) classmates allowed to have on the basis of their skin color?

These feelings were the point. Going forward, in preparation to Mosiac covenant with God and the liberation of His people and Jesus' teachings on justice. And, by the way, those who did not share in the goodies, enjoyed them the following week.

 

[jbg]

Cosplay in the classroom. No doubt a fun distraction, but I question the kind of "insight and perspective" it provides. I do believe that lessons should be fun, but I don't think that the entertainment factor should be the main focus of the lesson.

Regardless, dressing up in order to share soap-making recipes wasn't the sort of controversial role-playing (such as conducting mock slave auctions) that this topic was about, I think.

Usually I agree with you but not here. Children will remember a lesson taught that way a lot longer than they will a chalk and blackboard or textbook lesson.

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

Usually I agree with you but not here. Children will remember a lesson taught that way a lot longer than they will a chalk and blackboard or textbook lesson.

I never questioned whether children will remember the lesson. I questioned only how they will remember that lesson.

Teachers attempting to recreate history in the classroom by teaching how people of the past made soap or cornbread or other benign things (as mentioned in another posting in this thread) is not anywhere even close to being on the same level as subjecting children to humiliating mock slave auctions.

But don't take my word for it. Please listen to this ten-year-old boy who experienced it:

Narrator: "Nikko says it got worse when the so-called 'masters' were told to feel the students playing slaves to see if they were worth buying."

Nikko: "They got to look in your mouth and feel your legs and stuff to see if you were strong and stuff."

Narrator: "And people were doing that to you?"

Nikko: "Yeah."

Nikko's mother: "He felt degraded, he was hurt. Kids picked on him later."

This was one child who spoke out about how this made him feel. Please try to imagine the many other children who don't speak out about such "lessons" because they view their teachers as adult authority figures not to be questioned, and because they also fear being picked on by their classmates.

This child isn't even my own, and yet I hurt for him and find myself angry at his teacher for allowing this.

If there is a lesson of empathy to be learned here, then that lesson is that we need to empathize with the living, breathing child in front of us, and we should not ever place any child in a position where other children will be permitted any kind of authority over him.

 

[Subduction Zone]

This article, Mount Vernon schools dismiss 'mock slave auction' teacher, seek 'breach' in hiring process (link), about the firing of a teacher for holding a mock "slave auction", and about her hiring in a nearby school, New Job for NY 5th-Grade Teacher Fired Over Mock Slave Auction Sparks Protest (link), focuses on the use of demonstrative history techniques. It seems that the uproar cost her her new job as well as that of the official hiring her. She now tutors.

This raises the question; why does society have to walk on eggshells? Nothing she was teaching wasn't true.

My immediate feeling on reading the title was that it was not necessarily racist, but it is such a touch topic it might as well be. No matter how pure her motive it is likely to be misinterpreted.

Sadly it is still going to be eggshells for quite some time.

 

[jbg]

I never questioned whether children will remember the lesson. I questioned only how they will remember that lesson.

Teachers attempting to recreate history in the classroom by teaching how people of the past made soap or cornbread or other benign things (as mentioned in another posting in this thread) is not anywhere even close to being on the same level as subjecting children to humiliating mock slave auctions.

But don't take my word for it. Please listen to this ten-year-old boy who experienced it:

Narrator: "Nikko says it got worse when the so-called 'masters' were told to feel the students playing slaves to see if they were worth buying."

Nikko: "They got to look in your mouth and feel your legs and stuff to see if you were strong and stuff."

Narrator: "And people were doing that to you?"

Nikko: "Yeah."

Nikko's mother: "He felt degraded, he was hurt. Kids picked on him later."

This was one child who spoke out about how this made him feel. Please try to imagine the many other children who don't speak out about such "lessons" because they view their teachers as adult authority figures not to be questioned, and because they also fear being picked on by their classmates.

This child isn't even my own, and yet I hurt for him and find myself angry at his teacher for allowing this.

If there is a lesson of empathy to be learned here, then that lesson is that we need to empathize with the living, breathing child in front of us, and we should not ever place any child in a position where other children will be permitted any kind of authority over him.

Feeling the "slaves" is beyond the pale. Holding a mock auction, just fine.

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

Feeling the "slaves" is beyond the pale. Holding a mock auction, just fine.

Pardon? What do you think people did in the original slave auctions? Tell the prospective buyers to mind their boundaries?

Any kind of lesson about slavery that doesn't teach how enslaved people on an auction block were touched and felt up like livestock to see how "fit" they were is just a sanitized farce that trivializes the harsh reality of slavery. And, if the teacher's intent was to depict the harsh reality of slavery, then using children as props is not the way to do it.

"Holding a mock auction, just fine." I give up. Good night.

 

[VoidCat]

Feeling the "slaves" is beyond the pale. Holding a mock auction, just fine.

You do realize these are children right? And that a mock auction would if to be historically accurate would involve feeling the person,looking at their teeth, and such? A child should not be subjected to being physically degraded like that.

 

[VoidCat]

On the whole I tend to agree, actually. I think children learn more by reading or taking notes in class, and then writing to internalise what they have read or heard, than by the time-consuming play-acting of clunky scenarios

Cosplay in the classroom. No doubt a fun distraction, but I question the kind of "insight and perspective" it provides. I do believe that lessons should be fun, but I don't think that the entertainment factor should be the main focus of the lesson.

Regardless, dressing up in order to share soap-making recipes wasn't the sort of controversial role-playing (such as conducting mock slave auctions) that this topic was about, I think

I'm a teacher...I dont agree with mock slave auctions because of the fact it's racist and it causes students to be degraded. However play acting can be a useful way to get kids learning. In my college classes for early childhood education we've been learning about play and the benefits of using it in lessons. Play acting is a form of dramatic play and can do loads when it comes to teaching. 5th grade however is not early childhood(early childhood is infant to 8 years old) so rules may be different by that age i dont know. Again i don't think these lessons of mock slave auctions have any benefits and cause harm to children. But i don't want folk thinking play doesn't involve learning because it involves loads of learning maybe even more at times then book learning.

This might be off topic tho for the thread so if you want me to explain farther benefits of play and learning I'd have to start a new thread i just wanted to point that out

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

I'm a teacher...I dont agree with mock slave auctions because of the fact it's racist and it causes students to be degraded. However play acting can be a useful way to get kids learning. In my college classes for early childhood education we've been learning about play and the benefits of using it in lessons. Play acting is a form of dramatic play and can do loads when it comes to teaching. 5th grade however is not early childhood(early childhood is infant to 8 years old) so rules may be different by that age i dont know. Again i don't think these lessons of mock slave auctions have any benefits and cause harm to children. But i don't want folk thinking play doesn't involve learning because it involves loads of learning maybe even more at times then book learning.

This might be off topic tho for the thread so if you want me to explain farther benefits of play and learning I'd have to start a new thread i just wanted to point that out

@VoidCat, you have convinced me of the benefits of benign play-acting for children's lessons.

I'm also happy (and relieved) to see that you, as a teacher, realize that there is nothing benign in having children re-enact slave auctions. (Or death camp imprisonment during the Holocaust, too, for that matter.) Any attempt to make such horrific events such as slavery or the Holocaust "kid friendly" for playtime is abhorrent.

I'm interested to read more about your teaching experience with age-appropriate play and learning. I also apologize for earlier having taken a dim view of role-playing in the classroom. I'm sure that view was influenced by this topic of the inappropriateness of mock slave auctions.

Yes, please do start a topic on using play for learning in the classroom. You sound like a teacher with a lot of experience (and kindness), and I'm willing to learn from what you say.

 

[VoidCat]

. You sound like a teacher with a lot of experience (and kindness), and I'm willing to learn from what you say

Actually i just started my career and work as a daycare teacher. Im still in school working for my associates. I started teaching back in September. It's just my college classes and my work seem to see play as a good thing to help kids learn. Still wish for me to start said thread even tho i dont have like years of experience?

Edit: Im also not a lead teacher im a floater teacher i get put where im needed in the classroom

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

Actually i just started my career and work as a daycare teacher. Im still in school working for my associates. I started teaching back in September. It's just my college classes and my work seem to see play as a good thing to help kids learn. Still wish for me to start said thread even tho i dont have like years of experience?

I am still interested in reading about your recent experiences as a daycare teacher.

While I have teaching credentials and some teaching experience, I eventually decided on a different career path for myself -- in the field of librarianship rather than public school-teaching. I get the joy of placing a book in a child's hands, and that's fulfillment enough for me.

 

[VoidCat]

I am still interested in reading about your recent experiences as a daycare teacher.

While I have teaching credentials and some teaching experience, I eventually decided on a different career path for myself -- in the field of librarianship rather than public school-teaching. I get the joy of placing a book in a child's hands, and that's fulfillment enough for me.

Ill start the thread later. Right now doing college classwork cleaning the house and getting ready for work.

 

[jbg]

Pardon? What do you think people did in the original slave auctions? Tell the prospective buyers to mind their boundaries?

Any kind of lesson about slavery that doesn't teach how enslaved people on an auction block were touched and felt up like livestock to see how "fit" they were is just a sanitized farce that trivializes the harsh reality of slavery. And, if the teacher's intent was to depict the harsh reality of slavery, then using children as props is not the way to do it.

"Holding a mock auction, just fine." I give up. Good night.

Maybe I need to educate myself on what such a "mock" auction is. I would not think, however, that a school presentation of H.M.S. Pinafore would should the real brutality of piracy. I guess some sanitizing is needed.

I'm a teacher...I dont agree with mock slave auctions because of the fact it's racist and it causes students to be degraded. However play acting can be a useful way to get kids learning. In my college classes for early childhood education we've been learning about play and the benefits of using it in lessons. Play acting is a form of dramatic play and can do loads when it comes to teaching. 5th grade however is not early childhood(early childhood is infant to 8 years old) so rules may be different by that age i dont know. Again i don't think these lessons of mock slave auctions have any benefits and cause harm to children. But i don't want folk thinking play doesn't involve learning because it involves loads of learning maybe even more at times then book learning.

This might be off topic tho for the thread so if you want me to explain farther benefits of play and learning I'd have to start a new thread i just wanted to point that out

I tend to believe that for lower than college age demonstrative learning is important. But see above.