Pro-Slavery Assignment Angers Parents

[Kadie]

Oct 3, 2007 5:11 am US/Pacific

Pro-Slavery Assignment Angers Parents


(CBS) CALDWELL, N.J. Two New Jersey middle school teachers are in hot water after assigning students a controversial project on slavery that's angered parents.

Over 100 sixth graders at Grover Cleveland Middle School in Caldwell spent several days last week taking part in an assignment where they used terms like "build a plantation" while completing their "Lap of Luxury" social studies project.

The project instructed students to create an advertisement defending the use of slave labor to run a newly built plantation in South Carolina. Students are told to come up with a '"catchy" name for the plantation and give three reasons why slave labor is the "best idea" and to add illustrations.

One student, who is not being identified because of his age, read to CBS what he wrote for the assignment: "Slave labor is the way to go because slaves aren't paid, so all money is profit."

Parents are astonished by the assignment's nature.

more...
http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_276081210.html




:wow:

[BlooInBloo]

1. lol! Did you hear about the crossword puzzle the teacher gave to her students?

One of the clues was something like "offensive term for black people". The answer was, of course, "nigger".

:rofl:

[Eric J in MN]

2. I'm guessing the teachers don't like slavery,...

...but were trying to help the kids understand why it existed.

It existed because it was good for the slave owners.

[SmokingJacket]

5. Sixth grade might be a tad young for that assignment, though. nt

[Trillo]

3. Sounds like boardroom prep. n/t

[NMMNG]

4. What the &%$!

I'd like to know what the rationalization for this was.

[kestrel91316]

6. Next you know they will be having them "learn" how killing the Jews

was such a great deal because some of the Nazi wives got to tote around these ultra-cool purses made out of dead Jews' skin.

I have no words.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Yup, and there will always be those, like in this thread, who will defend them...

... on grounds of it's-theoretically-possible-that-no-malice-was-intended.

[hedgehog]

10. Don't laugh - last year my daughter had to write a pro-Nazi newspaper

for her history class. Somewhere along the line, assigning students to write fictional you-are-there accounts took over from actually teaching history.

Why spend all the time finding original documents for the students to read and different accounts for them to discuss when you can have the kids make up shit and grade them on their "staining paper with cold tea to make it look like parchment" technique?

[frankenforpres]

8. interesting assignment

to look at issues from a different value system in a hostorical context could be a good learning tool


i dont think it was a pro slavery assignment

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I believe it is extremely inappropriate for this age group

[Union Thug]

11. The student was dead on and summarized capitalism perfectly...

Slavery is good because it means more profit for the slave owners!!!

Remember, conservatives are all for just about anything if it means PROFIT -

Slavery - just fine!
Hiring armies of goons to attack peaceful strikers - GREAT!
Destroying the earth for short term monetary gain - PERFECT!


Bizzaro assignment, in poor taste, and certainly an example of extremely poor judgement, but at least one student seemed to get it.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. I can see this being quite effective in teaching the wrongs of slavery — *IF*

the instructors featured the "ads" in class discussions and let the kids dissect them. Often, trying to find good in something bad further emphasizes the bad.

But it's moot since the principal has killed the assignment.