Teaching moment squandered
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85135)
Shingle Springs, California
May 19, 2010 11:00am CST
Here I am, venturing into the political arena again...
A lot of you have already read about and commented on the incident where some students came to school on Cinco de Mayo wearing an American flag on their shirts. They were sent home from school for their "inflammatory" behavior. This morning's paper had an editorial on the subject that I thought had an interesting twist, so I'd like to share it with you:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/19/1636248/teaching-moment-squandered.html
Please read the article before commenting. What do you think about the suggestion that the school could have used this opportunity to make their students think and discuss and defend their points of view instead of just sending them home?
2 people like this
7 responses
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
19 May 10
Should the school have spent the entire day focusing on this activity and wouldn't that have interfered with the normal operation of the school and the rights of the students who preferred to learn that day? The celebration of Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with the problem of illegal immigration so I see no reason to have student spending the day debating that.
These boys wore those tee shirts...and the headbands that weren't mentioned in the article...in order to provoke. This particular group gathered together as a show of force in an active attempt to provoke a specific group of students. This is wrong no matter how many flags are draped over it. The students wearing red, white and green were recognizing a legitimate holiday and their heritage. The tension in this country is not and should not be directed at LEGAL immigrants from Mexico and they should not be denied the right to take pride in their culture without fear of confrontation by others. Students should not be allowed to intimidate or provoke other students in our schools...even if they are wearing the red, white and blue while they're doing it.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 May 10
They may have worn those t-shirts in order to send a message. But as long as they weren't doing anything other than that, I see no reason to have sent them home. And I don't see why the school organizing a discussion would have done any harm.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
20 May 10
I live in south Florida and I've seen a few variations of the "I'm Cuban" tee shirts which have popped up recently. One said "and I was born here".
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98944)
• India
20 May 10
Spalladino - just a thought - the day is Cinco de Mayo - there are many government offices in the United States that have not hoisted the flag of another nation just because the day is Cinco de Mayo - or removed their flags from there! And all these officials are grown ups! Was it was not obligatory on their part to do something in honor of their neighboring country!
But it was obligatory on the part of kids, after all kids are so mature in their thinking that they beat adults with their maturity!
My take is even if the kids did it to provoke - which in the first place should not have been seen like that by latinos, as it is they who are in another country, and not the other way round - it was done innocently - in the sense they couldnt have anticipated such things.
Its one thing to respect another country's national flag in my country, it is entirely another thing to expect my national flag to do disappearance act in order to give prominence to a foreign flag. It is not some UN premises - it is the USA!
I think Rodriguez erred!
With illegal immigration being made such an issue - and children exposed to it from parents, friends, media, and net, it is natural that their minds are seeing it as wrong - and they feel they are standing up for right! Children only understand right and wrong like black and white! They dont reflect much! They dont understand half the implications of illegal immigration - you'd be surprised many of them wouldnt even know what it means - other than it is something wrong that latinos are doing!
If children assume, it is their parents or media that are responsible! There is no way they are going to spend their time analyzing it at the moment. So using Cinco de Mayo as an opportunity for teaching is a bit difficult to digest. But yes, with so much noise all around about this incidet, the school may need to re-establish bonding between the kids - and hold some other event for fostering tolerance.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 May 10
yeah or they could even have ignored it. I don't see anywhere in the news articles about this incident that it was in any way causing any ugliness between the kids.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
19 May 10
Good article. I agree. The school mishandled it. What should have happened is they left both sides alone. Let the kids that wanted to wear the american flag shirts do it..let the kids that wanted to celebrate cinco de mayo do it. It would have done more to teach the kids tolerance. Each side allowed to express themselves. That is what our country is able. Free speech. As the guy who wrote it said...there is nothing in the constitution about a "right" not to be offended or upset about what someone says. It was a great teaching moment.
The school blew it big time.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 May 10
I think they could have either 1) left the kids alone or 2) turned it into a teaching moment. Unless it was starting to get ugly, I do not see the point in asking the kids to remove their bandanas and/or turn their shirts inside out or in sending them home.
@vandana7 (98944)
• India
19 May 10
Hi Dawn, I differ from the writer! :(
I think the kids are exposed to too much of illegal immigration and consequences stuff! In all probability they dont understand much of it, except something is bad, and that bad is associated with latinos.
Wearing the T Shirt - not innocently - hey - they are just kids! They cant be thinking more than what adults can, can they? I dont think they did it to provoke anything. They just wore something casually! The matter would have gone unnoticed but for the role that Assistant Principal played.
I am of the opinion that the kids are in their rights to wear what they want, and that the assistant principal erred in bringing so much of focus to the issue!
These kids have to grow a little more to understand what the word tolerance means.
I also think in the present stage and environment - the kids would not learn much! Instead, the losers might harbor more anger and hatred!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 May 10
They may have intended to send a message, but it doesn't sound as if there were any confrontations or nastiness going on. I think the school overreacted.
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
19 May 10
I don't really care for the suggestion, but if he'd done that...ok. But the administrator made a HUGE mistake in sending the boys home... I wouldn't be surprised if the administration doesn't get a teaching moment by the time this is all said and done. It's not done...
My mom's neighbor hung out the Mexican flag the week of Cinco de Mayo. My Mom's response...she hung the American flag all week. Boy was she p*ssed about that foreign flag flying in her neighborhood.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 May 10
He shouldn't have sent them home. A teaching moment would have been OK or leaving them alone would have been OK.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
19 May 10
This article is so well crafted. Of course a teaching moment was missed. So silly to send them home. Dear Lord in heaven. Total stupidity on behalf of decision maker. All this action did was to create alienation. I'm tired of alienation: Walks off fuming
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 May 10
Yeah, down with alienation.
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