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KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) — School officials say there will be no more Civil War-related student dress-up activities at a Georgia elementary school after its "Civil War Day" sparked conflict among students, parents, and others.
Kids are typically just more open about the racism they hear and sense around them. Additionally, kids often haven't been programmed with the appropriate social filters to know what's not appropriate to say in certain contexts.
Adults learn to say things where they are not likely to get into trouble. So, if they are no witnesses, it's often fair game.
At work a number of years ago, people openly referred to Obama using the N-Word, and this was in a government facility requiring a security clearance.
Even few years, at differing employers, some white person in isolation will tell me to "Go back to China", even though I'm not Chinese (apparently, all of us "Asians" are the same), was born in this country, and have had ancestors here longer than them.
Actually, it's probably worse what you might hear from the non-whites when they are in isolation, or near isolation. I remember in college, a certain Asian group living in one country would openly (at least while I was around) refer to another Asian group living in that country as "slaves".
Whites and most minorities in the USA are constantly saying negative things about other groups, it's they usually don't say it openly.
Sounds like the district turned a teachable moment into an easy way out. Though I sympathize with the mother's pain, the results seem like yet another history rewrite attempt.
Sounds like the district turned a teachable moment into an easy way out. Though I sympathize with the mother's pain, the results seem like yet another history rewrite attempt.
How are they attempting to rewrite history? Studens do not to be dressed as people from the Civil War to learn about the Civil War.
Even from just the thread title, I thought Civil War dress up day sounded like a horrible idea, especially for minority students? Why be so specific on the time period? Why not have an "American History Day" where students can dress as Famous Americans from any time period?
This incident happened in fifth grade, they're not even learning about the Civil War. Not because they're trying to rewrite history, but because they learned about it in fourth grade. Fifth graders in Georgia are learning about the 20th century up through 9/11. Why are they dressing up in Civil War costumes? What purpose did it have in regards to their learning? Since it's their final year of a three year study of American History, the "American History Dat" makes much more sense as they can demonstrate what they've learned the past few years.
Sorry for my lack of clarity. I didn't mean the lesson attempts to rewrite history. I meant the controversy that led to the lesson's demise is like trying to erase historical facts, sad as they may have been, from ever happening.
"We don't like how you teach history, so stop it!"
I can't see how a civil war dress-up event could have turned out well, especially not in a Georgia elementary school that's likely to have a diverse student body.
Why don't we have a crusades re-enactment, or holocaust re-enactment? I'll sign up to play the jews hidden in the basement! How does anyone think that'll go well?
Pulling this off would have required basically making light of the event, or at best focusing on a very particular episode, making it kind of like a play, with everyone assigned roles. Some roles would have to be left out.
Sorry for my lack of clarity. I didn't mean the lesson attempts to rewrite history. I meant the controversy that led to the lesson's demise is like trying to erase historical facts, sad as they may have been, from ever happening.
"We don't like how you teach history, so stop it!"
It has nothing to do with how they teach history. This happened with fifth grade, they weren't even studying the Civil War. They learned about the Civil War in fourth grade, as will future fourth grade students. This does not change anything about what they learn, or how they learn it. No one is pretending like the Civil War never happens, or changing the facts.
Even if they were learning about the Civil War, what lesson does dressing in Civil War costumes teach?
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