As we all know, the election is getting closer and closer every day. In high anticipation for this election, my home school (Field) decided to show a video about the presidential candidates that was taped from a Nickelodeon program. After my fifth graders watched the video, my mentor teacher gave the directions of writing the prompt of "Who would you vote for and why? If you do not know who, why don't you know and what are some resources you could use in order to educate yourself further?"
After the students write, my mentor teacher and I were collecting the papers and a student of mine says loudly, "Hey Mrs. Clancy (my mentor), You know how I know who my dad is voting for?" My mentor teacher replies with, "How?" "Because my dad has this picture of Sarah Palin sitting in a chair while Barack Obama is shining her shoes." After I overheard this, I looked at her in astonishment, and I was interested in what her response was and she said, "Sit down____" She said the students name.
If you were in this situation what would you say? I had such a blank stare at the student because I did not how to handle this situation? Any ideas if this situation or something similar happens??
5 comments:
I don't think the student realized what that poster was actually demonstrating. Yes, his dad is Republican but I don't think he realized how degrading that poster really was. Therefore, I probably would have handled the situation in a similar way because I wouldn't want to draw any more attention to him or what he said. We had a student tell another student that Obama is a terrorist and my teacher handled it the same way as your teacher. She told the student to sit down and continue researching the topics rather than debating candidates. So, I would want to talk with the child but I would probably ignore what was said and move on just because politics is a touchy subject and I don't think he realized the meaning behind the poster.
I would have to agree with Audra. I don't think the student really understood what the poster meant. I probably would have also asked the student to come over to me quietly. I would ask him what he thought about the poster at a time where he wasn't around the other students. I would just like to see his opinion of the student so I could see a little into how his family may have taught him about the election. I would have to say I would also kind of ignore the topic. I wouldn't want to make a big deal about it unless the student kept repeating it and it became a problem with the other students in the class. I think students have the right to learn about the election process but I am not too sure how much they may really know. Since politics is a sensitive subject it may be best to leave it alone until something got worse.
I am absolutely astonished that not only the father of your student would have such a horrible drawing, but that he would be sharing it with his son! It disgusts me how ignorant and blatantly racist people can be, and I know you feel the same Kelly. Field is a diverse school and chances are there are students in his class that black or not would be really offended from that comment! There are many students that are black or multi-racial at Field and this student is around them on a daily basis. I hope that he didn’t understand how horrible what he said was, and as a teacher I would be shocked too.
I feel like it would be hard for me to think quickly after hearing such a comment, but thinking about it now I would take the time to talk about it as a class. It might be a sensitive subject for the student and as a teacher I would be careful to not put his father on the chopping board. I would talk about how there are many drawings and cartoons that are politically incorrect and often racist. I would explain that although we do have the freedom of speech or the freedom of the press, that sometimes people take advantage of this freedom and it hurts and angers people. I would explain why Obama shinning Palin’s shoes is offensive (and the history of why), and allow students to ask questions or share thoughts afterwards.
Molly, I agree with you. I think it is important to talk about how these politcal cartoons are not correct. Students are influenced by their parents and if their parents are the ones that are giving kids this type of racist images, then I think it is the job of the teacher to show them that their parent's views are not always right. This is a toughy subject, and I think it depends on how the teacher handles it. As a teacher you need to make it as light as possible. However, students have the right to know that these drawing and cartoons hurt others feelings. I agree with Molly, I think I would have a classroom discussion on this topic because students do need to come out of that "box" they live in at home.
I am in disbelief that there are such racist representations in today’s society. My friend’s mom said that we will know how racist our country is with this year’s election. When I heard this comment, my naive self believed that we are not racist and that we have come a long way. Although we have come a long way, the truth of the matter is that racism still exists. I understand that racism still survives in the world, but I am truly shocked that there is such a picture.
I truly do not know how I would handle the situation in the exact moment. I think it is impossible to know. Not only is it an extremely sensitive subject, but it is important to handle the situation in a way not to put the father in a negative spotlight. Thinking about it, if I was put in the situation, I would use the comment as a teachable moment. The student probably does not understand that the picture he is describing is racist. I think it is important to explain the significance of the picture. Many students are still young, naive, and innocent and need their teachers to guide them in the right direction.
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