General Discussion

janterry

(4,429 posts)

27. Why does this have to be news?

Thu Jan 11, 2018, 11:40 AM

Jan 2018

I mean, perhaps the teacher is a bigot and needed to be called out nationally and humiliated.

Or, perhaps she should have used the word 'rationalize' and didn't - for whatever reason - when she gave the assignment.

The truth is that we don't know what was said in that classroom and what instructions the teacher gave. Perhaps for weeks she had talked about the evils of slavery and just messed up that word on the assignment. If so, then a pointed convo with the teacher and perhaps the principal would be enough.

We don't know really what happened in that classroom - and it does no good to pretend that we do.

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Highlight:

Idiot Teacher Asked 4th-Graders to Give 3 Good Reasons for Slavery [View all] WhiskeyGrinder Jan 2018 OP

Wow. A teacher encourages critical thinking! ollie10 Jan 2018 #1

Bigotry immersed in critical thinking ismnotwasm Jan 2018 #2

Looking forward to your curriculum on taking a critical thinking approach to whether murder is WhiskeyGrinder Jan 2018 #3

Ooooh, you know people actually do that right? zipplewrath Jan 2018 #8

Yes, exactly. In college. WhiskeyGrinder Jan 2018 #9

Yeah, that's my point of view zipplewrath Jan 2018 #10

Could have even been appropriate but as a discussion... Baconator Jan 2018 #75

Excellent response malaise Jan 2018 #20

*dodges the jerking knee* Baconator Jan 2018 #74

A good teacher can teach critical thinking countingbluecars Jan 2018 #4

Who said the teacher rationalized anything? ollie10 Jan 2018 #36

As I said, countingbluecars Jan 2018 #37

Maybe there are....do you have any better ideas? ollie10 Jan 2018 #39

One example I used with my fourth graders countingbluecars Jan 2018 #71

Great! ollie10 Jan 2018 #73

fucking fourth grade? puhleese. shanny Jan 2018 #60

are you implying the teacher had sex with the students? ollie10 Jan 2018 #64

your concern is noted shanny Jan 2018 #65

Seriously, is the F word necessary? ollie10 Jan 2018 #67

Fuck forums with fucking censors that don't fucking allow the glorious... moriah Jan 2018 #72

Using the F word like that is the surest way to make you look stupid ollie10 Jan 2018 #77

No... not really. The best way to look stupid is to LanternWaste Jan 2018 #78

So you are into the logical fallacy of personal attacks instead of refuting arguments. Well done! ollie10 Jan 2018 #79

No personal attacks. So not well done, maybe rare.. or medium rare? LanternWaste Jan 2018 #81

so is that why you were driven to simply call the teacher stupid? ollie10 Jan 2018 #82

The teacher exercised less caution than they should have, certainly. moriah Jan 2018 #86

I agree with much of what you said ollie10 Jan 2018 #90

Did you not recognize the reference to a certain video? moriah Jan 2018 #83

It's not just about kids.... ollie10 Jan 2018 #85

Actually, I usually use fark in spoken language, and "fsck" written. moriah Jan 2018 #88

I understand zipplewrath Jan 2018 #6

Teaching critical is good, but not by telling children Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #7

It isn't clear that what was done zipplewrath Jan 2018 #12

Follow the link to the actual assignment Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #14

That's not "telling them" zipplewrath Jan 2018 #15

Law student equals grade school student? mac56 Jan 2018 #16

No zipplewrath Jan 2018 #18

Yes because we all know there are good people on both sides countingbluecars Jan 2018 #17

There's no "good" defense zipplewrath Jan 2018 #21

I was a fourth grade teacher for many years. countingbluecars Jan 2018 #22

I don't think was appropriate for this grade and age zipplewrath Jan 2018 #29

You are not a fourth grader. Fourth graders will read it literally Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #24

Well, and that would be part of the lesson I presume zipplewrath Jan 2018 #26

Your hope is contradicted by the language the teacher chose. Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #91

Kinda zipplewrath Jan 2018 #92

+1 uponit7771 Jan 2018 #76

Unless we have the full context of the lesson.... moriah Jan 2018 #25

And probably there are better ways zipplewrath Jan 2018 #28

Exactly. And if the lesson taught in the classroom DID immediately... moriah Jan 2018 #32

Smells of standardized testing zipplewrath Jan 2018 #34

standardized testing is a way to limit academic freedom ollie10 Jan 2018 #53

it would have been better d_r Jan 2018 #49

These are 4th graders, 9 or 10 year olds. AJT Jan 2018 #31

They still teach time tables? Blue_Adept Jan 2018 #51

4th grade is too young exboyfil Jan 2018 #35

Thank you for your pedagogic perspective gratuitous Jan 2018 #40

and maybe it would be best for all involved if you didn't personally attack those you disagree with ollie10 Jan 2018 #41

What was the personal attack? gratuitous Jan 2018 #42

saying it was best I am not a teacher now ollie10 Jan 2018 #43

You're engaging in flamebait arguments in this thread. Paladin Jan 2018 #46

I was trying to sincerely advocate for critical thinking in schools ollie10 Jan 2018 #47

Oops, I forgot to say "Spelling and punctuation counts"; my bad gratuitous Jan 2018 #56

I was being facetious.... ollie10 Jan 2018 #59

Why not have an exercise titled "Give 3 reasons why breast cancer is a good thing" Eliot Rosewater Jan 2018 #52

I think the question should have been phrased differently Drahthaardogs Jan 2018 #57

I agree that would be a better way to phrase it ollie10 Jan 2018 #62

One good reason Cartoonist Jan 2018 #5

While that was used to support slaveholding Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #11

I was being flippant. nt Cartoonist Jan 2018 #13

This message was self-deleted by its author Iggo Jan 2018 #45

Wisconsin? Not Mississippi? Aristus Jan 2018 #19

Name three good reasons for the Holocaust; lets spark debate... brooklynite Jan 2018 #23

Exactly Phoenix61 Jan 2018 #38

Why does this have to be news? janterry Jan 2018 #27

+1 zipplewrath Jan 2018 #30

This fits into the current outrage bait model of internet news. Oneironaut Jan 2018 #84

As a black educator IluvPitties Jan 2018 #33

The assignment is a black educator? Iggo Jan 2018 #44

It entirely depends on the lesson the "homework" was based on. moriah Jan 2018 #70

Depends on what is meant by "good." Straw Man Jan 2018 #48

I'm just wondering MichMary Jan 2018 #50

I like the assignment, but don't think it's age appropriate. skip fox Jan 2018 #54

Is this statement from the article diverse? ollie10 Jan 2018 #55

Aw. Iggo Jan 2018 #61

I just read the whole thread to see if this bothered anybody else. Croney Jan 2018 #68

So many better ways an assignment like this could have been done... Blue_Tires Jan 2018 #58

"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." PassingFair Jan 2018 #63

You're right of course. skip fox Jan 2018 #66

I lulz'd. after 15+ on DU, I just knew someone would defend this load of poo. KG Jan 2018 #69

I have to wonder if this isnt just a poorly worded question? Oneironaut Jan 2018 #80

Maybe a better question would be "what positive contributions did the expulsion and extermination of SweetieD Jan 2018 #87

Pretty complex question for fourth graders... TCJ70 Jan 2018 #89

I agree zipplewrath Jan 2018 #93