Students sold at "slave auction"...

[Magpie]

10-year-old examined, sold at mock slave auction
By QMI Agency

An Ohio elementary school missed the point of a teaching opportunity when it allowed 10-year-old students to feel each other and evaluate each other's worth in a mock slave auction.

According to a report from 10tv, the local television station, the American history class at a Gahanna, Ohio, elementary school was divided up in "masters" and "slaves" to illustrate the inequalities of slavery.

"The masters go to touch people and do all sorts of stuff," 10-year-old Nikko Burton told the television station. "They got to look in your mouth and feel your legs and stuff and see if you're strong and stuff."

Burton's mother complained to the school, who told her that the mock auction is part of the state-approved curriculum.

"He felt degraded, he was hurt and the kids picked on him later," she said.

But while the school has apologize, Nikko hopes for an apology from his teacher.

"It was kind of mean and she should have said sorry."

Isn't "feeling degraded" kind of the point of the exercise?

Although I think it'd be better if they divided the class into slave and master, and then, after letting them play those roles for a bit, made them swap places. That way every student gets the whole "slave" experience. And the "slaves" get revenge.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I think allowing the kids to touch and feel each other took this too far, in my own opinion. I can understand the point of the exercise, but I think it should have been hands-off. And honestly, as someone who had massive self-esteem issues in school due to bullying, I don't think I would have appreciated the lesson taught here if I was the one being labeled "not good enough". I had that stamp on my forehead for a very long time as it is.

 

[disneylovin24]

I dont see the problem with that. I am a huge history nut and I think that is a good way to really show kids what slavery was like and all. I think it is all about teaching and I personally think it was a great way to teach the kids.

 

[debster812]

When DS was in 4th grade, they did something similar. The kids with February birthdays were slave owners, and all the other kids were slaves. DS is 13 now, and STILL talks about it. It was only for 1 day, and a note came home to parents explaining the whole thing, so if you chose to opt out, you could keep your child home that day.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Isn't "feeling degraded" kind of the point of the exercise?

Although I think it'd be better if they divided the class into slave and master, and then, after letting them play those roles for a bit, made them swap places. That way every student gets the whole "slave" experience. And the "slaves" get revenge.

I don't think they should have been allowed to look in the mouth or touch any part of the body, but only go up and look closely at the students.

Of course, the teacher could explain while they were standing there what really would have happened, and I think it would have helped them to understand more of how it was, without other students touching them.

 

[eliza61]

Outside of the touching, I love it!! Sorry, as a Black person I hate and despise how tv and the movies portray slavery and Lord help me if I see or hear one more person tell me how some "slaves" were happy and treated well... The fact that they were slaves pretty much means they were not treated well.

Opps sorry, I got caught up.

Anyway. I think the intent was excellent, just tweak the approach a bit.

 

[happygirl]

I don't have any problems with this exercise at all. I think the evaluating each other was a great way to show the kids the how the slaves must have felt. It a shame how great idea's that this teacher had get critized

 

[hereyago]

The touching part, um no that would tick me off. But the example itself, as long as everyone did it, I would have no problem. it strikes me funny that the parent would contact the news about something that the school nor the teach had control of, they didn't make the curriculum.

And honestly, going to the news, hilarious. Other kids did it, but because your special snowflake felt degraded-um that is how slaves felt-then let's call the news. And you know the 10 year old will have some people teasing him because His Mommy did all that.

 

[bellebud]

ONLY if the students then all switched places (as another poster mentioned) do I think it's a good idea and OK. Otherwise, no, I don't like it at all.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

I would have made sure that if there wasn't going to be a role switch, the kids who normally get picked on would be the owners.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Sorry, but I think this goes too far. Kids should be focusing on learning history, not finding out firsthand what it feels like to be humiliated by their classmates. I'm sure many of them already know what that feels like.

 

[hereyago]

Lord help me if I see or hear one more person tell me how some "slaves" were happy and treated well... The fact that they were slaves pretty much means they were not treated well.

Who says stuff like that? That is crazy!

I mean honestly, that' s like if someone said to me, Oh the Indians were glad to give up their land and live on reservations, someone would get their feelings hurt real quick, since I am part Indian.

 

[bellebud]

I would have made sure that if there wasn't going to be a role switch, the kids who normally get picked on would be the owners.

I get your idea, but hard for the teacher to know sometimes... that's why switching would have been a great lesson for all. The way they did it, and a kid who is normally picked on was by chance a 'slave', and a bully got to be a 'master', that just added fuel to the fire on the playground, etc. Not a good idea. The teacher could/should have thought 2 steps ahead and adding switching to the lesson. That would be great then!

Maybe it's not too late for the school to do that.

 

[skater]

There is zero chance I would allow this if I had a choice. It shows no common sense. The exercise could have worked without the touching.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

And honestly, going to the news, hilarious. Other kids did it, but because your special snowflake felt degraded-um that is how slaves felt-then let's call the news. And you know the 10 year old will have some people teasing him because His Mommy did all that.

It's not the ten-year-old's fault that slavery existed. You can think that getting picked on and being upset by it makes a child a snowflake, but you're wrong. Very, very wrong.

Sorry, but I think this goes too far. Kids should be focusing on learning history, not finding out firsthand what it feels like to be humiliated by their classmates. I'm sure many of them already know what that feels like.

Exactly. I was one of them. It affects me to this day.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Sorry, but I think this goes too far. Kids should be focusing on learning history, not finding out firsthand what it feels like to be humiliated by their classmates. I'm sure many of them already know what that feels like.

I agree

 

[hereyago]

It's not the ten-year-old's fault that slavery existed. You can think that getting picked on and being upset by it makes a child a snowflake, but you're wrong. Very, very wrong.



.

Did I say that is why a snowflake is? No I didn't. I was bullied myself. but at the same time, this kid was NOT the only kid to do this exercise. And actually read an article you will find out he refused to participate and sat back down at his desk. There was another African American kid in the class and he was a master.

He didn't participate. That should have been the end of it. You don't like the curriculum? homeschool or challenge the powers that be. But this kid wasn't "singled" out to be a slave.

And you know what? i applaud him actually for going: this isn't something I am comfortable with doing, I will just not participate and perhaps take that zero on my principles. but his mom going all out, please.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I suppose the exercise could have been done without the touching aspect, but it wouldn't have bothered me regardless. You buy a horse you check it's teeth and you feel its legs for heat. You ask intimate questions about its breeding history. You put it through paces to make sure it's balanced right and not lame. If I were in this scenario, I probably would have put the "slave" kid on a lease and made them run around in a circle while I watched their stride. Would that be an acceptable option? Not touching, but forcing exercise?

 

[lustergirl]

Outside of the touching, I love it!! Sorry, as a Black person I hate and despise how tv and the movies portray slavery and Lord help me if I see or hear one more person tell me how some "slaves" were happy and treated well... The fact that they were slaves pretty much means they were not treated well.

Opps sorry, I got caught up.

Anyway. I think the intent was excellent, just tweak the approach a bit.

That was the south's way of justifying slavery: to say they were treated well.

 

[plutotek]

I don't see a problem w/the touching, as long as the teacher is right there, and there were rules for the exercise.

There is a video from the 60s where a teacher divided the class based on eye color, brown or blue (don't recall where green fell in as there were only 2 classes) and the experiment went on for a couple of days, if I recall correctly. It was a demonstration in racism, and was very interesting to watch. The key element, though, was the teacher swapped roles between the groups (blue was better than brown, then vice versa).