A fifth grade teacher in Massachusetts has been placed on paid leave after a series of incidents including holding a mock slave auction, using a racial slur, and calling out the student who reported the slur

A fifth-grade teacher in Massachusetts has been placed on paid leave after a series of incidents including holding a mock slave auction, using a racial slur, and calling out the student who reported the slur, a school official said.

Officials did not name the teacher at the Margaret A. Neary Elementary School in Southborough, a town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Boston.

District Superintendent Gregory Martineau told parents in a statement this week that he first learned about the incidents from parents in April.

He said the first incident — a mock slave auction — took place in January during a history lesson on the economy of the Southern colonies.

“The educator asked two children sitting in front of the room, who were of color, to stand, and the educator and class discussed physical attributes (i.e., teeth and strength),” Martineau wrote.

…

In the second incident, in April, the teacher was reading aloud from a book and used a slur, which the district later discovered does not appear in the book, officials said. Martineau told parents in his statement that dehumanizing words such as slurs should not be spoken by employees or students.

  • SayYes2Depress@slrpnk.net
    1·
    1 year ago

    Grew up in Mass. I remember one year I had to go to a multi-night field trip called nature’s classroom. One the things we learned about was the underground railroad. They lined us up in rows of 2 and walked us like we were slaves while calling us negros and made whip cracks. They warned us that it would be Intense beforehand and a few kids cried who were allowed to fall out. It was intense but it was eye-opening of just a fraction of what slaves went through.

    This however clearly had a bias of the participants color, did not get approval or suggestions from other staff. Or have a place for students to disengage from participation if they were yo troubled by it.

  • Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de
    0·
    1 year ago

    If you are a teacher in any grade, i offer for free to hear your Black history ideas or slavery explanation experiments. I will tell you if you should do it or not for free. Ask away.