Here is a link to the story with more information from the Columbus Dispatch.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/04/official-apologizes-for-in-class-slave-auction.html?sid=101

School Sorry For Making Black Student 'Slave'
Class Randomly Divided Into 'Masters,' 'Slaves' For Social Studies Lesson

GAHANNA, Ohio -- The mother of a black Ohio fifth grader assigned to play a slave for a social studies lesson says the school should be more sensitive.

Principal Scott Schmidt of Chapelfield Elementary in Gahanna called Aneka Burton to apologize for what happened to her son, Nikko, on Wednesday. Columbus station WBNS-TV reports Schmidt said no harm was intended.

Ten-year-old Nikko says the class was randomly divided into "masters" and "slaves" and that the only other black student got to be a master. Burton says her son refused to take part in a simulated slave auction and was sent back to his desk.

Burton says she appreciates the apology, but the exercise was inappropriate.

The school district said in a statement Thursday that officials acted promptly once the concern was raised.

___

Information from: WBNS-TV

So there are only two black kids in the class and one was a slave and the other master? Sounds like one black kid just isn't as liked as the other. But in all seriousness I'd like to hear more on what really went on in this class but from the article since is says there was a "slave auction" I just don't understand why have 5th graders doing this exercise. I agree with the mom that the exercise was inappropriate.

Not sure where the teacher was going with that lesson but the mothers response is typical of where our society is.

Tough to know without more details, but generally, if the auction exercise itself was a good idea, then assigning students randomly is fine.

We had to go through the whole process of being slaves in 5th/6th grade. Went to a camp for a week and had to be auctioned off, partake in cotton picking etc, then escape via the underground railroad and hide in nasty ass places. It was a very real simulation. I dont see whats wrong with the excercise, but if the whole group isnt on one side (Slaves or Masters), you cant be dumb enough to put the black kid as a slave.

Here is a quote from the Columbus Dispatch as told by the child and his mother.


"At first, I didn't care," he said. "But after people were bidding on people, it kind of made me a little mad and stuff."

He said he became even angrier when students playing prospective buyers were told to feel the muscles of the students playing slaves.

"They took the bigger ones first," Burton said, recounting what her son told her.

"They looked in their mouth to see who had stronger teeth. And whoever was the strongest that's who they sold first."

I love it, get over it black people the slave shit was long ago

that doesn't make what happened here right.

teacher is to blame though. i know it wasn't meant to be offensive, even if all the kids were white it doesn't make it right.

You have to wonder if this is really about race or are they pissed because the boy was not chosen first.

j_crazy;699545 wrote:that doesn't make what happened here right.

teacher is to blame though. i know it wasn't meant to be offensive, even if all the kids were white it doesn't make it right.

I bet if all the kids were white we would not have heard about this story.

This is far from over because the story in the Dispatch states that a reporter was at the house when she recieved the call from the school wanting to apologize.Was that just a coincidence?

shouldn't be about race if one black kid was a master...

The whole exercise is just plain stupid...look how much time was wasted on it in some cases, but we hear complaints of how badly we suck ass globally in math and science. Should we also have a Hitler/Jew lesson too? Ride a train and walk to the chamber?

It's bullshit.

It must not be that stupid considering that is all you hear out of blacks when they are asked to do something they don't like or when they don't get something for free.Talk of slavery will never die as long as some blacks don't get everything they think they are entitled to because of slavery but they forget that their own people sold them.

password;699571 wrote:It must not be that stupid considering that is all you hear out of blacks when they are asked to do something they don't like or when they don't get something for free.Talk of slavery will never die as long as some blacks don't get everything they think they are entitled to because of slavery but they forget that their own people sold them.

Yeah, because, ALL black people are like that!

password;699571 wrote:It must not be that stupid considering that is all you hear out of blacks when they are asked to do something they don't like or when they don't get something for free.Talk of slavery will never die as long as some blacks don't get everything they think they are entitled to because of slavery but they forget that their own people sold them.

...and bought them.

Bigred1995;699573 wrote:Yeah, because, ALL black people are like that!

You said it.

...sounds like a dumb exercise by the teacher to begin with.

Maybe next week she can separate the boys and girls into "pimps and whores" .

Bigred1995;699573 wrote:Yeah, because, ALL black people are like that!

Never said all black people.You should read it again and see where I said some.Let me guess and say that you must have had some great,great,great uncle that had a great ,great grandmother that knew a guy who had a 3rd cousin that married a guy that knew a guy that had been told that he had a great aunt that dated a guy who knew a slave from Tupelo who worked in a bakery.

4cards;699604 wrote:...sounds like a dumb exercise by the teacher to begin with.

Maybe next week she can separate the boys and girls into "pimps and whores" .

I think that is called Football players and Cheerleaders in todays society.

I'll say it for sleeper.


only in Ohio !

There's a lot wrong with this exercise, one black kid being a slave and one being an owner is not part of what's wrong, though. To me the most flooring thing is a teacher advocating and allowing 5th graders to "squeeze muscles". That's a disaster waiting to happen as soon as one student touches another inappropriately.

Like most other professions, there are some incredibly stupid people that teach.

I don't have a problem with it. This is a way to teach kids what slavery was actually about, and how badly the slaves were treated. It's a shame that teachers can't teach without some parent wanting to run their mouth.

Seems he was more pissed about not getting picked. This could have just as easily been kids picking kickball teams.

september63;699672 wrote:Seems he was more pissed about not getting picked. This could have just as easily been kids picking kickball teams.

Yeah, as if being a slave isn't already bad enough for the self-worth, no one ever talks about the slave that got bought last.

ytownfootball;699565 wrote:The whole exercise is just plain stupid...look how much time was wasted on it in some cases, but we hear complaints of how badly we suck ass globally in math and science. Should we also have a Hitler/Jew lesson too? Ride a train and walk to the chamber?

It's bullshit.

In sixth grade we had a lesson very similar to the one in this story but it was about the Holocaust and Jews. Four students were chosen at random (I was one of them) and we wore yellow dots on our clothes the enitre week at school. We had to sit at a seperate lunch table, could not go to the gym after lunch to participate in the activities, had to sit by ourselves in all of our classes and other similar things. It was actually a really good learning experience and a great lesson. While it was primarily about the Holocaust, we also got the perspective of regular students in our class that were teased, bullied and/or outcasts.