Today a kid wrote White Power on the whiteboard and drew a clansman.

[Catshrink]

This totally shocked me! I immediately erased it then wrote him an administrative referral to the Asst. Principal. The kid told me he was just joking, I told him this isn't anything to joke about.

When I told the Asst. Principal about it he said "That's a hate crime." I'm so glad he's as adamant about this as I am. He said he'd probably assign the kid some community service time just to make an impression.

I want to say it's unbelievable, but sadly, it isn't. Sigh. Another day in the life of a newbie teacher.

[Valjean]

1. It's not appropriate ...

It's not appropriate, but it's not a hate crime either. The kid was probably trying to get attention or testing his boundaries.

Drawing a picture of his black classmate strung up by a noose ... That's a hate crime. A burning cross made from broken pencils ... That's a hate crime.

I once had a kid make a Nazi symbol out of masking tape on furniture. It was inappropriate despite his insistence that it was also a religious symbol. That wasn't a hate crime, it was just stupid.

[Catshrink]

3. Yeah... I agree with you.

It was totally inappropriate. I was a bit surprised when Tom (the Asst. Prin.) called it a hate crime. But at least he's taking it seriously. There's no way I could let it go -- that would be tacitly condoning it. Stupid kid.

[solinvictus]

2. From another perspective...

If it were a black kid, hypothetically, who wrote "white bitch" in a white girl's notebook, should it have been handled the same way? Unfortunately, a friend's daughter had this happen in a local school until she finally gave up because the administration would do nothing about it. They caught the kid harassing the girl, but nothing happened and of course, the kid's wonderful and involved parents refused to stop her as well.

[Lostmessage]

4. What is a whiteboard?

I have never heard of one before.

[Catshrink]

5. It's like a blackboard, but is white and uses dry erase markers

i.e., no chalkdust!

[Lostmessage]

10. I haven't been to school in 20 years

Thanks.

[LincolnMcGrath]

6. What if they drew a Cross and wrote Jesus Saves!

[bleedingheart]

11. I'd write underneath it..

Sinners and redeems them for valueable cash prizes....

[ConcernedCanuk]

17. LOL reminds me of a sign I saw 30 years ago - -

.
.

On one side of the street, yup,

There was a Church with the "Jesus Saves" sign

and across the street ?

Was a Loblaws store

anyone remember their logo back early 70's ?


right

"
LOBLAWS Saves You MORE "

[Catshrink]

20. Good one!

[cally]

7. I'm sorry this happened to you

However we define it, this is obnoxious and an act filled with hate. Are you African American or caucasian? It is still wrong, but if I was the administrator I would act much more assertively if this happened to a new AA teacher.

[Catshrink]

9. Nope -- I'm caucasian.

Three students in the class are of Asian descent and we have many Native Americans in the school because we are very close to a Native American community. Even if the school were 100% white, this isn't acceptable.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Sounds overly reactionary to me

"hate crime" - it's just a teenager.

Obviously, I don't know the context, and we have no information here about the kid, so I'm making my comment with very, very, very little actual data.

But it's not unusual for a teenager to do something "provocative" just to get attention, to test the waters, or to help define him/herself.

I'd rather go the route of compassion than just condemn him as a hate-crime-ist. Seems no different to me than if a freeper principal would have labed a kid wearing a Howard Dean button as an "insurgent" or "communist".

But that's just me, speaking with almost no data, and prefering compassion and understanding and cutting people some slack to knee-jerk liberal "branding" and "labeling".

but of course, if this kid has repeatedly been vocal about the purity and righteousness of the KKK, then the reaction against him is totally appropriate.

(and either way, obviously his behavior needs to be reported and dealth with somehow - I'm just not convinced it's worthy of calling a 'hate crime' and possibly ruining this kid's career and getting all jingoistically hot-and-bothered with excitement that 'hey, we found another one!')

[madrchsod]

15. most schools now have

a really strict rules about gang shit. white power is the same as any black or latin gang shit. there`s schools in chicago that went to uniforms to rid the schools of gang colors in the-grade schools-k thru 8.

[Zomby Woof]

12. reminds me why I left teaching

More power to you for doing a noble job where the greatness of the rewards can be as bad as the setbacks like you had today.

[Catshrink]

14. Hey thanks...

The important thing to me is that the administration backed me. Tom will talk to the kid and emphasize the inappropriateness of what he did. Depending on the kid's reaction, he may get a couple hours of community service.

Never a dull moment, that's for sure! I do like getting up in the morning to go to work. The kids are fun and their energy pumps me up. Maybe I am nuts. But after 20 years in industry, barely able to drag myself out of bed in the morning, this is such a welcome relief! This is totally cool.

[Zomby Woof]

24. there is where you're lucky

Having admin back you up. A friend of mine teaching up in WA state has the same problem I once had - a superintendent that makes Chalmers look like a caring genius.

I love teachers and care about education, but I have no regrets leaving it behind. :-)

(I have other ways of reaching the masses, lol)

[madrchsod]

13. some dumb assed white boy

in my daughters class wrote "gd" on the blackboard. the guy thinks he`s a "pimp". our high school is over 93% white, ya, he`s really pimp`n alright. i just noticed-my daughters teacher is a newbie too,but she didn`t say anything-i don`t think she knew what gd stood for

[Catshrink]

16. I'm pretty naiive... what does gd mean?

The only thing I can think of is "god damn." But, I have a feeling it's more than that.

[bleedingheart]

18. he couldn't spell "god"??

what does gd stand for..I am getting old....

[bubblesby2002]

19. What does gd mean

never seen it before

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. Yeah, I love when I leave Harlem, where I live,

and go back to, say, my almost all-white hometown in WI, and see the stupid white kids dressed "urban" and "gang-style." And here I'm not talking the ones who just wear hiphop or rap clothing, but the ones who wear the stuff, and ALSO cop the 'tude of the 'hood. I just want to walk up to them and say, "You know, you are such a fake. Not only are you not convincing, and not only do you look utterly pathetic, and not only do you look totally untough to the point I want to laugh at you, but if you were to wear that in MY neighborhood - which really IS a 'hood - you would be picking glass out of your teeth for a week from the bottles shoved in your butt by a bunch of kids who are about a million times more serious and real than you because they really are poor and live in a crack- and meth-infested neighborhood and who probably do know someone who was murdered in a bad drug deal and who'd go have a plate of fried chicken wings and fried rice from the local chinese eatery after they spent 1.5 seconds utterly smiting you and your "'tude".

I don't understand the fake stupid white-kid "Oh, I'm tough 'cuz I'm dressing like a kid in the 'hood" meme. Sure, they scare the elderly and the unworldly in my hometown, but their 'hood-poseur-status so laughable, I don't get why they feel they need to do it. There are other ways of dressing like a hooligan that are specific to the culture of my hometown, and yeah, they'd still look like idiots, but at least they'd look legitimate.

Sorry, that was maybe longwinded, but I've been wanting to say this for like 10 years.

[Catshrink]

25. Gee, Rabrrrr, do you know this kid? You've described him perfectly.

He and his friends do look ridiculous. Punk-lite.

[arcane1]

26. ah, pimps & whores, the roles our kids aspire to nowadays

Paris is right :evilfrown:

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. I am so glad for teachers like you. Thank you for bringing it to

the principal's attention. Too much of this crap gets passed off as kids goofing off. They get it from somewhere and, if they're getting it from home, I say how lucky we are for teachers and administrators who might just make the difference in a child's life.

Good for you Cat!!

Hugs,Laura

[Catshrink]

22. Aww shucks....

Thanks, Mrs. Grumpy. And from a Packer Backer! I'm blushing.