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Case: Angry Parents When I hired Ashley last year as the 5th grade teacher at my school, I had great expectations. She was a recent graduate of a good teacher education program. When we met for the job interview, she talked to me about her passion for teaching for social justice. She was a very promising young black teacher. This year she and the other 5th grade teachers (three experienced White teachers) planned an activity to use in a lesson on inequalities in society. As part of this activity, they decided to separate their black and white students into two different groups. Black students were given privileges. They could play games, watch videos, have a longer recess while the White students were told to put their heads down and sit quietly at their desks. The purpose of the activity was to show the students how inequalities in society can lead to hostile feelings in people toward each other. The teachers discussed this activity at the end of the school day and thought that it was successful in each 5th grade classroom. The very next day I received phone calls from a lot of parents asking to meet with me because they were angry about this activity. All the parents who called were White. I set up a time to meet with the parents but I realized something interesting when I looked at the list of the parents. The ones who called and wanted meet with me were parents of Ashley's students. Some of them implied on the phone that they wanted her fired. However, the other 5th grade teachers who had done the same activity in their classrooms did not get a single complaint. I have to think about a way to respond these parents and explain to them that their reactions may be biased. I do not know how to go about this without making them more upset. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) 2 suggestions. 1) I think that it could have been elaborated more in the activity, such as splitting up the students in not only white/black sides, but also if they are a boy/girl, or other differences the class may have. 2) Im sure the students went right home and told their parents their teacher tried to make them feel as her ancestors may have felt. The parents need to be explained the purpose of the lesson, and stress that it was not to make the kids feel any differently about each other, but it is an important part in history they need to be aware of. |
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