tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post7651814079501675376..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Black Lives Matter Day of Solidarity in SPSMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30791998111695609532016-10-15T12:25:41.332-07:002016-10-15T12:25:41.332-07:00I think this thread's comments are pretty full...I think this thread's comments are pretty full with a lot of passion and expression. <br /><br />I'll put up another thread the day of the event for readers to give feedback on what they see at their schools.<br /><br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-70909291966245037922016-10-15T12:12:15.125-07:002016-10-15T12:12:15.125-07:00You do realize that the whole Greenberg incident h...You do realize that the whole Greenberg incident had nothing to do with white and black? The family had a girl who was upset to learn about sexism. And the way he taught about woman's issues probably could have been presented better. What girl wants to learn about some of the offensive ways woman are portrayed? Teahcernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-63078508930348582602016-10-15T12:12:02.849-07:002016-10-15T12:12:02.849-07:00I think any teacher who causes harm should be pers...I think any teacher who causes harm should be personally sued. <br /><br />2cents Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-67630316883138896672016-10-15T12:09:12.638-07:002016-10-15T12:09:12.638-07:00Are you really comparing the life of a fetus to th...Are you really comparing the life of a fetus to the life of a black child?Teachernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-73069289177949774952016-10-15T11:48:40.103-07:002016-10-15T11:48:40.103-07:00What's What, my understanding is this is mostl...What's What, my understanding is this is mostly being organized by SEE but supported by SEA. <br /><br />Est makes the point I made in the thread; I think this is a slippery slope for the district about what message appears on teachers or students t-shirts. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61896590830660081562016-10-15T11:22:47.723-07:002016-10-15T11:22:47.723-07:00Est said "(I'm confused as to how pastin...Est said "(I'm confused as to how pasting a NYT article into the comment section is the same thing as commenting, NP. Why use someone else's intellectual property instead of summarizing your points in your own words?)"<br /><br />I am happy to use my own words - and have - but I also think that article was very well written and sums up a lot of the issues and experiences that many people have had and which are relevant for this discussion. BTW, I also quote Shakespeare, Einstein, Kant and other thinkers when appropriate - lots of people use outside sources to affirm or support a point of view. We see that a lot when disussing HCC and Cogat testing on this blog too. -NPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5599991896616271912016-10-15T10:53:03.744-07:002016-10-15T10:53:03.744-07:00No matter how well-intentioned the staff, and how ...No matter how well-intentioned the staff, and how committed to equity, and how well-crafted the lessons, there is the risk of a teacher getting Greenberged by the white fragility of just one family. Teachers know this.<br /><br />open earsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85580836082207850222016-10-15T10:44:22.158-07:002016-10-15T10:44:22.158-07:00@ TechyMom, my thoughts exactly. Thank you!
Remov...@ TechyMom, my thoughts exactly. Thank you!<br /><br /><i>Removing service for gifted kids isn't putting out the fire. It's setting a fire in the house down the street in the name of equity. </i><br /><br /><i>Gifted kids, teens, and adults are also an at-risk population, with high rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide. They are frequent targets of bullying, which makes these problems worse. 2E kids have an even harder time. Let's reach for equity by putting out the fire, raising people up, not by setting another fire, pulling more people down.</i><br /><br />ex-HamiltonianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37707733430446027812016-10-15T10:35:08.151-07:002016-10-15T10:35:08.151-07:00"Sorry you wasted your time discussing the di..."Sorry you wasted your time discussing the difference between all lives matter and black lives matter. What ARE the selfish teachers thinking?"<br /><br />What do you mean by this?Estnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25220548389276258692016-10-15T10:32:20.852-07:002016-10-15T10:32:20.852-07:00"The difference between a BLM shirt and FLM (..."The difference between a BLM shirt and FLM (fetal lives matter) shirt is that while there are actual blacks in the classroom to support, there is not, usually, a fetus in the classroom to support."<br /><br />Keep trying. You just have to stop fixating on BLM and start looking at the bigger picture. Pro-Lifers consider fetuses to be people. Are there people in the classroom to support? Are there people missing from the classroom because of abortion? <br /><br />As I said, every teacher shilling political opinions to children thinks they are right and their issue is a moral imperative. They also believe that they are so righteous and important that they are entitled to degrade education to serve their own personal propaganda campaign.<br /><br />(I'm confused as to how pasting a NYT article into the comment section is the same thing as commenting, NP. Why use someone else's intellectual property instead of summarizing your points in your own words?)Estnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85094922138231764892016-10-15T10:05:43.814-07:002016-10-15T10:05:43.814-07:00I woke up this morning thinking about the burning ...I woke up this morning thinking about the burning house analogy. I agree with it. I want to put out that fire.<br /><br />Here's the thing though... Removing service for gifted kids isn't putting out the fire. It's setting a fire in the house down the street in the name of equity. <br /><br />Gifted kids, teens, and adults are also an at-risk population, with high rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide. They are frequent targets of bullying, which makes these problems worse. 2E kids have an even harder time.<br /><br />Let's reach for equity by putting out the fire, raising people up, not by setting another fire, pulling more people down. A street with all the houses burning may be fair, but it's not good.TechyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650916001250022778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48557804986742198212016-10-15T09:53:30.532-07:002016-10-15T09:53:30.532-07:00Dear All,
I hope you don't mind the long post...Dear All,<br /><br />I hope you don't mind the long post - I was trying to reprint a recent article (link below) from the NYT which I hopes sheds some light on why the teachers are and SPS are doing what they are doing with BLM. <br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/opinion/sunday/only-white-people-said-the-little-girl.html?mabReward=CTM&src=rec&recp=19<br /><br />Everything we do (or don't do) is a political act. We just don't recognize it. -NPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-67351023138599877662016-10-15T09:49:28.571-07:002016-10-15T09:49:28.571-07:00The difference between a BLM shirt and FLM (fetal ...The difference between a BLM shirt and FLM (fetal lives matter) shirt is that while there are actual blacks in the classroom to support, there is not, usually, a fetus in the classroom to support.<br /><br />Sorry you wasted your time discussing the difference between all lives matter and black lives matter. What ARE the selfish teachers thinking?seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20096447081417745192016-10-15T09:48:51.445-07:002016-10-15T09:48:51.445-07:00So as I mulled how I could have handled the incide...So as I mulled how I could have handled the incident at the playground and how I will handle it the next time — because, sadly, there will be a next time — I rejected the idea of simply talking to the parents.<br /><br />Instead I will interrupt the children as they play, or study, or swim in the pool. I will do this for three reasons.<br /><br />First, the children being groomed to be racist need to learn that acting on their racism has consequences, the least of which is that they will be met with resistance. The children have to see that people will stand up to them and call out their ignorance.<br /><br />Second, all the white children in earshot also need to see that resistance and be taught that standing by silently is an endorsement.<br /><br />And most important, I have to model for my children ways for them to confront racism without going all scorched earth. They need to see from their parents how to speak to ignorance, wield their dignity and push back against individual and systematic efforts to define, limit and exclude them.<br /><br />Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter<br />Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world.<br /><br /><br />Enter your email address<br /> Sign Up<br /><br />Receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.<br /><br />SEE SAMPLE MANAGE EMAIL PREFERENCES PRIVACY POLICY<br />During the walk home from the playground, my wife, my son and I talked about race while our 2-year-old daughter listened from her stroller.<br /><br />NYT continued<br /><br />My son nodded and said, “Yes, sir,” the way a 5-year-old does. It wasn’t our first conversation on the subject. My wife and I have been very deliberate in our attempt to introduce him to concepts of race and history. The goal is for him to be confident, keen, yet still open-minded about those around him — a goal many adults are still striving for.<br /><br />It’s clear that someone in that little girl’s life is pursuing a different goal.<br /><br />We don’t have a choice but to talk to our son about Ferguson, Eric Garner, workplace frictions, Baltimore, Charlotte, Alton Sterling and on and on. And yet I mourn each of those conversations. With each degree of awareness comes a corresponding loss — of silliness, of whimsy, of childhood.<br /><br />Topher Sanders reports on racial inequality for ProPublica. -NPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-66534039215530447942016-10-15T09:47:40.272-07:002016-10-15T09:47:40.272-07:00Thanks, @Est. Maybe the best plan of action is to ...Thanks, @Est. Maybe the best plan of action is to go to school just like every other day and support your students by teaching them the planned academic lessons for reading, math, science, etc., so they can grow up to be informed, productive members of society.<br /><br />outofcontrolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62902210818906502252016-10-15T09:46:28.299-07:002016-10-15T09:46:28.299-07:00I turned to the parent closest to me, who hadn’t h...I turned to the parent closest to me, who hadn’t heard the exchange.<br /><br />“Who is that child?” I asked.<br /><br />The dad told me the girl’s name and pointed out her mother. The mom was standing about a dozen feet away in a group of other moms talking about how the kids were adjusting to kindergarten.<br /><br />I tried to imagine a productive confrontation, but couldn’t get beyond my opening line: “Excuse me, can we talk about the racist trash that just came out of your daughter’s mouth?”<br /><br />I told the dad next to me what had happened. He didn’t know what to say, because honestly, who really does? He unfortunately did what a lot of white people do in these moments: He tried to explain it.<br /><br />“Really?” he said. “That’s not her personality.”<br /><br />In the end I did nothing.<br /><br />I agonized over it, of course. My wife and I have since had several discussions about what we could have done, what should have been said, and to whom. At one point I decided that the thing to do would have been to bring the matter directly to the parent. But leaving the children out of it didn’t seem right.<br /><br />I recalled a moment from my childhood in Hawaii. One of my best friends, Dominic, was white. He was from a big family and being at his house was like stepping into an ’80s sitcom. I was over there all the time. Dominic’s dad was my mom’s boss on the Air Force base.<br /><br />But one day, when I asked my mother if I could go to Dominic’s, she said no. She said the same thing the next time I asked, and the next. After a few weeks, I gave up.<br /><br />It wasn’t until I was an adult that I heard the story. Dominic’s family was having a party. We kids were probably in front of the Nintendo or running around the yard. The parents were inside, talking about the New York Knicks’ full name, the Knickerbockers. “Their real name should be the New York Nigger-bockers,” Dominic’s mom said, with a laugh.<br /><br />My mother, the only black person at the party, gathered her things, found me and told me it was time to go.<br /><br />I don’t blame my mother for not explaining. But I would have benefited from knowing what had happened.<br /><br />Two years later, my mother and I moved to Montgomery, Ala. I walked into the halls of Alabama’s public schools completely unprepared for the racial dynamics that would meet me there. It was an intense couple of years as I received a middle-schooler’s crash course in racial truths.<br /><br />Sitting here today, with the string of black men dying on camera at the hands of government agents who are often not held accountable, and with a major presidential candidate who passively, if not wholeheartedly, accepts the admiration of the K.K.K. and other white supremacist groups, I must make a different decision from my mother.<br /><br />My son has watched too many boys and men that look like him die before his eyes on television. We don’t shield him from those images.<br /><br />“What happened, Daddy?”<br /><br />I explain.<br /><br />“What did he do wrong?”<br /><br />His mother and I exchange looks. I try to answer. Best I can. He pauses, then he’s back to his Hot Wheels races.<br /><br />-NPUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14938901746304066151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86085404683492934582016-10-15T09:44:36.868-07:002016-10-15T09:44:36.868-07:00Part 2 from NYT article
How have you handled raci...Part 2 from NYT article<br /><br />How have you handled racist comments — whether it’s on the playground, at work or in the home?<br /><br />The garbage that came out of that child’s mouth meant nothing to him. Yet. It marks the beginning of what is likely to be a gradual process. One day he’ll wonder why, when he plays with a certain group of friends, he is always the villain. Similar inquiries will follow, until he has his own system of recalibrations and adjustments.<br /><br />I knew a moment like this would happen eventually. I just didn’t think it would happen at age 5 on the playground.<br /><br />And what of the little girl? She, too, is a casualty in this — infected by racism before she can even spell the word.<br /><br />It would be easy to dismiss the whole exchange as kids being kids. She’s young enough that she hasn’t developed the filters to catch what she’s being taught at home. There’s a direct line from what she’s learning to her mouth. I thought about all the time my son spent with this child in his day care class. What else had she expressed to him, or to the other students about him?<br /><br />Besides the idea that, just by virtue of her complexion, she is more entitled to something as simple as spinning on the playground.<br /><br />Who will she become when she grows up? Will she be a prosecutor, a manager at a tech firm, a politician? Systemic racism apparently begins at the playground.<br /><br />I was still processing the incident while my son and his friends ran over to the slides.<br /><br />-NP<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71353924452395025062016-10-15T09:42:30.364-07:002016-10-15T09:42:30.364-07:00From the NYT - Only White People
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. ...From the NYT - Only White People<br /><br />MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — Few things are more awesome than listening to kids playing on the playground. There’s magic in that mix of laughter and exhausted breaths — giggle, pant, giggle.<br /><br />Just the other Saturday at Maplewood’s Memorial Park, I was watching my 5-year-old playing with his friends from day care. The kids have just started kindergarten and are now split up among four schools. Some industrious mom had the idea to get them together again.<br /><br />It was a great idea. It was also the moment when I saw the messy birth of my son’s otherness.<br /><br />They were playing on one of those spinning things — you know, the one where kids learn about centrifugal force and as a bonus get crazy dizzy. They were having a blast.<br /><br />“Only white people,” said a little girl.<br /><br />I heard it, but I wasn’t quite sure that’s what I heard.<br /><br /><br />“Not you, you’re black,” said the girl, reaching out to touch my son. “You’re not white. Only white people can play.”<br /><br />What to do? How to do it? What to say? How to say it?<br /><br />I couldn’t escape the searing historical parallels of a little white girl telling a little black boy — my son — what he can and cannot do because of his skin color.<br /><br />My instinct was to go over and drop science on her and all of the other little children.<br /><br />But then my systems kicked in. My automatic scary-black-man recalibration systems. The infinitesimal adjustments that black men employ not only to succeed in school and at work, but also to help us keep it 100, stay woke, all while trying to make white folks feel comfortable enough to keep us around.<br /><br />Whether it’s turning down your Kendrick Lamar when the white woman gets on the elevator or flashing those disarming smiles at white women you pass at night on the sidewalk, black men learn to present safeness.<br /><br />Why do I always have to make white people feel comfortable at the expense of who I am and my mood and my music and my thoughts?<br /><br />Walter Scott — and every other unarmed black man killed by police officers — is why.<br /><br />To support a family is why.<br /><br />If I scared the white people at the playground with my reaction, what would be the impact on our little family in Maplewood? Would we be on the next email thread for a play date? Would the other families talk about my son’s angry dad?<br /><br />I made all these calculations in the five seconds after he was told he couldn’t play because he was black.<br /><br />Then I noticed my son. When the little racist girl reached out to touch him, he moved out of the way and laughed. He kept right on playing.<br /><br />-NP Part 1Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30099751713859952062016-10-15T09:36:48.648-07:002016-10-15T09:36:48.648-07:00@Little Birdie wrote:
*I wonder how many parents w...@Little Birdie wrote:<br />*I wonder how many parents would be supportive if they knew threats were being launched at our schools and children". <br /><br />I am angry at the people who threatened the John Muir school community and who are threatening our children today. Thye are completely out of line. I am not angry at the people planning a peaceful protest. If we followed your logic, we would never have had a civil rights movement in this country nor any other challenges to the prevailing viewpoint. -NPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16660002387021013662016-10-15T09:13:40.358-07:002016-10-15T09:13:40.358-07:00I have been reflecting on reasons why BLM was chos...I have been reflecting on reasons why BLM was chosen as the slogan over a different or specific slogan to support our African American kids at school. We have been thinking about elementary an middle school age students and schools in this thread. Isn't this event involving the entire district so high schools and high school students as well? I think the slogan of BLM may be most powerful for teens, many of whom are aware of the political group. By connecting the slogan to a real political movement, it may serve to better engage black teens in school than a different slogan.<br />-M Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17071453949637526502016-10-15T08:48:09.881-07:002016-10-15T08:48:09.881-07:00"Est compares the wearing of a BLM shirt by a..."Est compares the wearing of a BLM shirt by a publuc employee to the wearing of a WWJD shirt by a public employee, yet of course these two shirts aren't similar at all. One, the WWJD shirt is expressly prohibited because it preferences one religion over another, which isn't right for a person on a position of power. The other says that yes, black lives matter."<br /><br />If SPS teachers can wear BLM shirts to proselytize for a political organization, then why can't teachers somewhere in the Bible belt wear "Fetal Lives Matter" t-shirts? Such shirts just say, yes, fetal lives matter, right? It's neither political nor religious, really. Just a statement of fact and it should not bother you to send your middle school child to a school where 90% of teachers had them on. Hmmm? What if "most" of the parents and teachers agree? <br /><br />People who are in love with their own opinions never understand this. If teachers who love BLM want to push the boundaries of professional dress so that they can advertise their cause, then it sets a precedent that everyone else can too.<br /><br />When I go to work, I dress in neutral clothing. My lessons are informative, but carefully non-political. Everything is catered to the people I work with and for: children. My job is not about me and my own self-gratification. What kind of selfish adult would use a captive elementary school class as a political soapbox? <br /><br />As far as what individual schools are doing, my school cannot figure out WHAT to do. Staff were flummoxed at the meeting we had. We are being asked to produce a plan, but we were still in the discussion stage regarding whether the BLM slogan is appropriate at all. One naive teacher said, "Maybe we could just do a day with the slogan All Lives Matter", and it needed to be explained that that would be considered racist and incendiary. So, that's where we are. We are sure to waste more time on this divisive and confusing political issue.Estnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11211749999020953612016-10-15T08:34:28.355-07:002016-10-15T08:34:28.355-07:00Is the event being organized by SEE, Seattle Equit...Is the event being organized by SEE, Seattle Equity Educators, or SEA, the Seattle Education Association? SEE, not to be confused with SEA? Or both? <br /><br />-what's what?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60446276273161287482016-10-15T08:27:59.097-07:002016-10-15T08:27:59.097-07:00Reprinting for Anonymous (no anonymous commments -...Reprinting for Anonymous (no anonymous commments - give yourself a name):<br /><br />"How about this visual:<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/04/a-teen-was-brutally-beaten-after-making-pro-police-statements-his-mom-says-its-a-hate-crime/<br /><br />"The high school student was beaten after making pro-police comments on Facebook. The school had been on lockdown after threats of violence. SPS needs to wake up and understand the implications of not just allowing, but encouraging BLM messages in classrooms."<br /><br />Little Birdie, the SCPTSA participates in many non-district events. There's no big secret there. So if their Board voted to support this, then their participation at any event linked to it is no surprise.<br /><br />I am aware that BLM has received funding but this?<br /><br />"In other words, who actually fund Black Lives Matter and therefore are responsible for the violence, deaths, and injuries of BLM protests?"<br /><br />No. I do not believe, in any way, shape or, form, that anyone is funding BLM to foment violence or injuries. And, if you have solid proof that is the goal, then bring it forward. "Confrontational tactics" is very in keeping with the civil rights movement. <br /><br />Elementary teacher, thank you for that update about activities that day. I'll have to ask if there will be media availability as I would like to visit several schools.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-34179151044980605012016-10-15T08:17:01.925-07:002016-10-15T08:17:01.925-07:00Since you brought up Garfield, Rufus, it's imp...Since you brought up Garfield, Rufus, it's important to make the distinction between students exercising their free speech rights (generally accepted as long as schools don't consider it a disruption), and teachers using their position in the classroom to further a political agenda (generally not accepted in a public K12 classroom). While many people would fully agree that black lives matter, they would draw the line at public school teachers using their position to support BLM, the movement, in the classroom. Violent and hateful acts have been perpetrated in the name of BLM, and students are not in a position to discern the good from the bad when all they see is a t-shirt. It further muddies the water that some renegade teachers thrive on the media attention for their causes. Not only do parents have to wonder what political message teachers are sending their children, but they now have to wonder what the negative attention may mean for the safety of their children at school. What kind of threats are being sent to the school board? Threats of litigation, or threats of violence? We don't know! Thanks to the organizers, unwanted attention has been brought to our schools. <br /><br />-concerned parentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-13481507804250308382016-10-15T07:50:40.202-07:002016-10-15T07:50:40.202-07:00@seattle citizen. I'm a teacher. I support dec...@seattle citizen. I'm a teacher. I support decreasing the achievement gap. I support having a day to draw attention to the achievement gap. I support focusing on black children specifically (your burning house idea). I don't support wearing BLM t-shirts. BLM is a political organization. Why couldn't SEA have come up with something else for people to wear to support addressing the achievement gap? BLM tshirts are divisive when what I think we really want is people coming together. I read the letter from Nyland about no pressure to wear shirts.Yeah, right (sarcasm). It's not like that at my school, what about your school?<br /><br />@Melissa, district is requiring schools to turn in what they are planning on doing on Wed. I don't think lesson plans have to be turned in, but the district is tracking school activities. <br />Elementary TeacherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com