Re-enactment of Brown shooting rapped

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An unidentified sixth grade teacher at Brantley Elementary School in Selma, Ala., was reportedly suspended, after she instructed her students to re-enact the Michael Brown shooting in class, according to The Selma Times-Journal.

The teacher was outed, after Jessica Baughn posted on the town’s Facebook page that her son, Jimmy Griffin, and his classmates were made to act out the disturbing turn-of-events surrounding the Brown case. The boy also reportedly told his mother that the White students in the class got to take on the roles of the police force in Ferguson, Mo., where Brown’s murder took place.

http://newsone.com/3047227/brantley-elementary-school-al-mike-brown/

What think? Is there anything wrong with discussing this type of current event with sixth-graders? Is this attitude over-protective? Or do you agree with Ms. Baughan's complaint?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 3 • Views: 1,554 • Replies: 14

@Lustig Andrei,

Discussing the incident is one thing, having the students reenact it, crosses the line as far as I am concerned.

Since there are as yet still a number of unknowns regarding this case, it is premature to start doing reenactments as they could be wrong in part, or entirely and cause more tension and unrest than already exists.

Further, it appears to have been made worse by having the white students portray the cops. This can lead to more distrust and loathing of not only the police force; but, white folk in general.

2 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

I think the parents should already be discussing this with the kids ... but I don't see anything wrong with doing it at school as well.

1 Reply

@Sturgis,

Sturgis wrote:

Discussing the incident is one thing, having the students reenact it, crosses the line as far as I am concerned.

Since there are as yet still a number of unknowns regarding this case, it is premature to start doing reenactments as they could be wrong in part, or entirely and cause more tension and unrest than already exists.

Further, it appears to have been made worse by having the white students portray the cops. This can lead to more distrust and loathing of not only the police force; but, white folk in general.

I agree with everything said above. I also think that letting the white students roleplay as the cops is more of a fantasy wish-fulfillment thing rather then trying to teach them about the negative consequences and the racial components of these events. Flipping the roleplay scenario around where the white students play the victim and the black students play the cops might seem like a innovative exercise in empathy creation but that too even is a bad idea.

0 Replies

@Sturgis,

Sturgis wrote:

Further, it appears to have been made worse by having the white students portray the cops. This can lead to more distrust and loathing of not only the police force; but, white folk in general.

I thought this was the best part - reflects reality pretty well.

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

I think the parents should already be discussing this with the kids ... but I don't see anything wrong with doing it at school as well.

Discussing the event at school should be an imperative. Reenacting the events? Should be discouraged.

0 Replies

@ehBeth,

Thanx for your input, ehBeth. I find myself agreeing with you more than anyone else on this thread.

0 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

I think everybody in this country...student and non-school citizen alike...ought to be giving this happening a HUGE amount of attention, because we are close to the breaking point on this kind of thing.

We do not need more white versus black crap going on in our country...and if anyone thinks stuff like this cannot spiral out of control, I suggest you look at the history of race problems during the last forty years.

Places like Watts, Newark, Harlem could erupt in tremendous violence if this kind of thing continues to happen. And there could even be a reverse kind of situation, where police officers will be afraid to enforce laws against blacks because of possible consequences.

Rodney King had it right when he said, "Can't we all just get along?"

I wish the teacher well...and I hope no matter how it works out, that the students learned something from the dissonance that erupted just in the attempt to deal with it.

Once again: We are getting close to a breaking point on this. EVERYONE...black and white...has got to contribute to keeping things cool.

0 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

I think this kind of role playing could be beneficial for everyone -- the public and the police.

I've made Mo watch the old ACLU videos about how to handle yourself in a police stop or interrogation and I occasionally quiz him on it to make sure he remembers what he's learned. I think if all kids had to watch such videos, and have these types of conversations, that fewer people would get hurt.

It's time to bring back civics classes where kids are taught about their Constitutional rights!

I'd be fine if his class a lesson like the one in this school if they asked questions like "How do you think this happened?", "What could have been done differently?", "What might have changed the outcome?", etc.

3 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

Its OK; no problem.
Thay have a right to discuss anything. That 's free speech.

David

0 Replies

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

I'd be fine if his class a lesson like the one in this school if they asked questions like "How do you think this happened?", "What could have been done differently?", "What might have changed the outcome?", etc.

I'd hope something like this would be part of the lesson plan.

Kids need to learn real-life stuff. Sooner rather than later.

1 Reply

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

I think this kind of role playing could be beneficial for everyone -- the public and the police.

I've made Mo watch the old ACLU videos about how to handle yourself in a police stop or interrogation and I occasionally quiz him on it to make sure he remembers what he's learned. I think if all kids had to watch such videos, and have these types of conversations, that fewer people would get hurt.

It's time to bring back civics classes where kids are taught about their Constitutional rights!

I'd be fine if his class a lesson like the one in this school if they asked questions like "How do you think this happened?", "What could have been done differently?", "What might have changed the outcome?", etc.

I think this is really very good, in that vein:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZf6_jK3Zs
I hope that your whole family n naborhood will watch it

David

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@ehBeth,

boomerang wrote:

I'd be fine if his class a lesson like the one in this school if they asked questions like "How do you think this happened?", "What could have been done differently?", "What might have changed the outcome?", etc.

ehBeth wrote:

I'd hope something like this would be part of the lesson plan.

Kids need to learn real-life stuff. Sooner rather than later.

Yes, indeed; including safe and competent firearms handling
and defensive battle tactics.

0 Replies

@boomerang,

Great post, boomer. I agree with everything you said.

0 Replies

This whole thing has become such an emotional issue that people simply don't seem to be thinking straight. Here's a children book illustrator being chided for broaching the subject on Facebook:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/08/23/children-book-illustrator-takes-heat-for-ferguson-drawing/L2yOrdGqkBS6owlBqiVWVJ/story.html

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Re-enactment of Brown shooting rapped

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