āAll the black kids were slaves and all the other people were white,ā says Dawn Peterson, a parent of one of the studentās who participated in the lesson.
ya.. that's going beyond reasonable. If a reenactment of an historical event is traumatizing to someone, they need to seek professional psychological help.
Meanwhile, the person claiming to be traumatized will go home and play Grand Theft Auto or watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
Maybe if this kid had learned history as it was she wouldn't have been traumatized.
Maybe if kids weren't coddled by a helicopter society, she wouldn't have been traumatized by reality.
Maybe this is a lesson that will stick. Lots of times the most meaningful things have some angst attached.
Buck up, don't get your panties in a twist, learn from it - you'll be stronger for it.
And to think because of one (edited), the school is going to have discussions about continuing the Reenactment. Now that's sad!
Oh my, I just watched Roots and all the slaves were black and all the slave holders were white. It must of have been hard for Alex Haley, Lavar Burton, et al to cash their pay checks.
It looks like there have been many incidents of parents being upset with reinactments in other states too. Unless you know what was involved it's hard to say.
Personally, I wouldn't want my child to play a part as a slaveowner either!
Read all you want about history, but putting yourself, playing out a part, as a child, not so sure.
Or slave hunter/catcher either. It depends on how this was done, which we absolutely don't know, were the "slaves" chased through the woods by the "slave catcher"?
Based on the bit of video, I don't have enough information to form an opinion on if a 11-12 year old is a "spoiled brat with zero coping skills", a "snowflake", or anything else.
"Bailey told her mom they were chased through the woods, threatened and told to sing for their freedom.
"They were told to hide several different times, to lie about who they are, steal food,ā mother Dawn Peterson said.
Peterson says she knew nothing of this activity, and now wants her money back and a promise from the school that this will never happen again. "
If the students and parents were aware of the event beforehand and chose to participate that is one thing. But for a sudden surprise event with no notification it's totally different. Even the salves who experienced the actual events knew what they were getting into.
"Bailey told her mom they were chased through the woods, threatened and told to sing for their freedom.
"They were told to hide several different times, to lie about who they are, steal food,ā mother Dawn Peterson said.
Peterson says she knew nothing of this activity, and now wants her money back and a promise from the school that this will never happen again. "
If the students and parents were aware of the event beforehand and chose to participate that is one thing. But for a sudden surprise event with no notification it's totally different. Even the salves who experienced the actual events knew what they were getting into.
The balance is edging ever closer to a reset of some form or fashion. It seems that too many people are demanding that they never be exposed to anything that might offend or upset them. There was nothing on the Certificate of Live Birth that guaranteed them any sort of a life without disappointment or a life safe from offense and strife. Life is about what you make of it, if you're always looking for stuff to cry about then, well... that's what makes you happy.
But what are you willing to let YOUR child be exposed to,disguised or presented as an educational experience.
We're talking about young children here.
I've been reading about other of these "experiences of reenactment as a history lesson " can be quite upsetting to some kids. You don't need to "feel" scared to learn something.
In some cases the kids don't even know they will be part of something, they are just thrust into the "experience".
Everything on here either has to be "my" way or the highway it seems. You either totally agree or disagree. There is no grey just black and white.
How many of us here had a reenactment of the underground railroad to learn about it? I didnt. Was it really necessary to teach this way? If you did have a reenactment why not put the white kids as slaves and black kids as slave hunters? It might create a sort of empathy or it might not.
Ok so one kid was allegedly traumatized. Maybe it was a ploy for attention and maybe not. [some of]You guys may need to back up a bit and think about the whole picture.
We don't know the extent of this child's traumitization though. Did she just not like being forced to be a participant, or has she been waking up from night terrors as a result of her experience every night since?
Not your kid not your problem?
I'm long removed from the school system, do you have a choice to exclude your child from Shines example of sex Ed, or portions of it?
Upon further thought, if I were black, no way would I ever be ok with my child playing a slave "game" but that's just me.
Why? We changed the world so that wouldn't happen again. Should 11 year old kids have a dose of what it was like in a trench in WWI or WWII being hit with mustard gas? Dying in a gas chamber at Auschwitz? Should there be reenactments of something like that so it's a "dose of reality".
I think its important to relive as much history as you can to understand where you come from and thus where you are going.
I've wore the slave bracelets ,sat in the bilge of a sailing ship, hopped a freight, plowed behind horses and used a outhouse.
I am not traumatized I am educated.
There is an excellent article titled Classroom simulations: proceed with caution | Teaching tolerance
(I am unable to link) that may better explain what it puts a child through as part of a "learning" experience.
so this is not the first time this school has done this, annual thing, so everyone should have been prepared. I used to take cotton bolls in and have students separate the lint from the boll and the seed . Don't recall anyone being upset about that. Of course I got in a lot of trouble from admin around then. Trying to run off/ fire the teachers that had been there awhile so they could hire inexperienced teachers for less money. I was also told not to use the word Yankee because we had some and they were offended.
LOL Ive never met a yankee that didn't see it as a point of pride.
Of course when I was In Alaska it was great fun to refer to my Yankee friends Maine home as "one of those itty bitty southern states.
Of course Id refer to your home in the same way........
I think the "I'm offended" movement (and the counter "I don't care if you're offended") Has gotten so strong we don't even listen to the situation anymore before we roll our eyes and move on.
Schools and other places have disclaimers and permission slips for everything else (at least in my home state) was there anything like that in this instance that warned how intense a situation this could be?
The reenactment should definitely not stop, but they should consider much more care and warning for those participating.
Why were the White students not slaves also? Every race, ethnic group, religion, or nationality have been the subject of slavery.
I'm of Austrian descent. My "people" were enslaved by the tens of thousands by the Turks. Before the turks it was probably the Romans or the Tribe the other side of the mountain. Slavery was, and is, still happening today.
I have to agree the slaves and hunters should have to change paces for a second run.
Something Ive learned from similar situations, You don't wanna be in the second group of slaves.
Current reenactment based on very real events. No matter how you try to say it slavery is a current issue, and will most likely always be one.
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