At the University of Kansas, Andrea Quenette, a white teacher at the University, was suspended because she confessed to using a racial slur during a discussion with her class. She was suspended by the university because five people complained because of this incident. Quenette claims that she never wanted to hurt or offend anyone as she was leading an open conversation about an issue affecting the campus and the world. Obviously this shocked some students and one said that the classroom completely shut down after the incident occurred. The racial slur she used wasn't addressed to anyone in the classroom but just as an example of bad language.
Words can be helpful and hurtful. Yes, Mrs. Quenette was teaching a lesson which led into a racial discussion, but that doesn't mean that it's okay to use a racial slur in class. In the past, these terms were used constantly but those were different times when each race wasn't treated equally. A teacher should really think about what they're saying before it comes out because they have to be aware of who they are presenting their information to and how it could affect them. Similarly, in the Liberator, Garrison presented his beliefs in a very straight-forward manner with lots of uncompromisable ideas, but Douglass's ideas were strong but presented much more subtly. Several Americans either loved or hated the Liberator and I think that's the way it always is no matter what one says. To avoid the issue of an argument between people, people should always think through what they say and make sure they have a two-sided view rather than a one-sided view.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/white-academic-suspended-for-using-racial-slur-in-classroom-a6746001.html
Many teachers these days are seen as role models so when one uses an offensive racial slur it can really affect the students. It's better that it was in a college setting because they were old enough to know what was right and what was wrong about what she said. If it had been in a more Elementary setting it would have been a larger threat to the shaping of the children. I hope the University deals with this accordingly.
ReplyDeleteShelby Linker, 8th period
I agree. A lot of teachers, now that the language has modernized, think they can get away with talking and speaking their opinion in front of a class as if they were a bunch of friends. However, a teacher is there to teach, and one prime rule across the board for all education is to try to be the least biased you can be.
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