Ohio Teacher Put on Leave After Lynching Remark to Black Student

[SummerMadness]

Ohio Teacher Put on Leave After Lynching Remark to Black Student

An Ohio teacher who told a black eighth grader that his friends would "lynch" him if he didn't finish his work has been put on leave, the school district said, calling the student a "hero" for standing up to her.

The 13-year-old student, Nathan Bell, was chatting with his friends at Mason Middle School in Mason, Ohio, about 25 miles north of Cincinnati, on Dec. 4 when his social studies teacher became frustrated, his mother, Tanisha Agee-Bell, said in a phone interview on Sunday.

The teacher told Nathan, who was the only black student in the class, that "if he didn't get back on task, then his friends were going to form an angry mob and lynch him," Ms. Agee-Bell said. Nathan responded that her comment was racist, and the teacher, Renee Thole, "kept asking him why," Ms. Agee-Bell said.

I look at stories like this and say, "Really?" Then I remember, I'm not surprised by such behavior.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

That is a terroristic threat. Illegal in most states.

 

[rambot]

That's just really stupid word choice. My problem is not that this stuff gets said (stupid stuff falls out of mouths all the time), my problem is with the teacher's lack of ability to see WHY that could be seen as a problematic statement instead of just a good old humble apology and move on with the day.

 

[SummerMadness]

That's just really stupid word choice. My problem is not that this stuff gets said (stupid stuff falls out of mouths all the time), my problem is with the teacher's lack of ability to see WHY that could be seen as a problematic statement instead of just a good old humble apology and move on with the day.

And the thing is, the teacher was probably correct in telling the kid to sit down and finish his work... but then she started talking about lynching him. Where do you people come from? I thought that kind of thinking died in the past.

But then I remember this and it's not so far fetched:

 

[rambot]

And the thing is, the teacher was probably correct in telling the kid to sit down and finish his work... but then she started talking about lynching him. Where do you people come from? I thought that kind of thinking died in the past.

But then I remember this and it's not so far fetched:

Again though super terrible word choice that necessitates an apology and nothing more.

Unless you simply dont get it.

 

[DaisyDay]

That's just really stupid word choice. My problem is not that this stuff gets said (stupid stuff falls out of mouths all the time), my problem is with the teacher's lack of ability to see WHY that could be seen as a problematic statement instead of just a good old humble apology and move on with the day.

A teacher of American history no less.

 

[SummerMadness]

Again though super terrible word choice that necessitates an apology and nothing more.

Unless you simply dont get it.

I think it requires more than a simple apology, the school did right to require here to do extra training, but I will be satisfied when she can answer her own question, "Why is joking about lynching a black child not okay?" Simply saying sorry doesn't answer that question. This is not about having anyone fired as much as it has people truly learning from the experience.

 

[rambot]

I think it requires more than a simple apology, the school did right to require here to do extra training, but I will be satisfied when she can answer her own question, "Why is joking about lynching a black child not okay?" Simply saying sorry doesn't answer that question. This is not about having anyone fired as much as it has people truly learning from the experience.

I hate to say it but as a teacher i rarely consider race when i interact with my students. I see my kids as sweet thoughtful innocents. I dont see them as a skin colour. That said i have enough sense to know when and whatto say (ithink).
I think my point was that it would have been better if the teacher could ha e done that learning with the student when (as i understood) was challenging her.

 

[SummerMadness]

I hate to say it but as a teacher i rarely consider race when i interact with my students. I see my kids as sweet thoughtful innocents. I dont see them as a skin colour. That said i have enough sense to know when and whatto say (ithink).
I think my point was that it would have been better if the teacher could ha e done that learning with the student when (as i understood) was challenging her.

Ah, I see. Offered the apology then and there rather than double down and standing guffawed at a kid saying lynching him is not appropriate. Agreed.

 

[TerranceL]

I hate to say it but as a teacher i rarely consider race when i interact with my students. I see my kids as sweet thoughtful innocents. I dont see them as a skin colour. That said i have enough sense to know when and whatto say (ithink).
I think my point was that it would have been better if the teacher could ha e done that learning with the student when (as i understood) was challenging her.

I get what your saying, and lets give the teacher the benefit of the doubt for a moment, lets assume that they weren't thinking about the kids race, they still basically said, "your friends are going to form a mob and publically murder you". Obviously the teacher wasn't being literal but still, dont you think that's worth a bit more than just needing an apology from the teacher?

I dunno what do they usually do to teachers who screw up?

 

[rambot]

I get what your saying, and lets give the teacher the benefit of the doubt for a moment, lets assume that they weren't thinking about the kids race, they still basically said, "your friends are going to form a mob and publically murder you". Obviously the teacher wasn't being literal but still, dont you think that's worth a bit more than just needing an apology from the teacher?

I dunno what do they usually do to teachers who screw up?

Yeah. On another consideration yeah, more than an apology.

 

[TerranceL]

Yeah. On another consideration yeah, more than an apology.

As a teacher, what kind of punishment do you think would be fair? Presuming this is the first time said teacher has ever had an issue.

Personally if it wasn't the first time the teacher had messed up like this I don't see firing her as too much.

 

[Rion]

As a teacher, what kind of punishment do you think would be fair? Presuming this is the first time said teacher has ever had an issue.

Personally if it wasn't the first time the teacher had messed up like this I don't see firing her as too much.

If Ohio is like NY, she would be fired, but put in the Rubber Room.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I get what your saying, and lets give the teacher the benefit of the doubt for a moment, lets assume that they weren't thinking about the kids race, they still basically said, "your friends are going to form a mob and publically murder you". Obviously the teacher wasn't being literal but still, dont you think that's worth a bit more than just needing an apology from the teacher?

I dunno what do they usually do to teachers who screw up?

The thing is, she said it in front of other students. Racism aside, there are some people with bullying personalities that like to test their targets to provoke a weak response.She just picked on the wrong one and got what she deserved.

 

[Think like Christ]

But then I remember this and it's not so far fetched:

I think that when the President of the United States subsequently referred to some of these marchers as "very fine people" it did not help matters. In fact, I would be willing to bet those words made it worse, empowering the racists.

 

[Think like Christ]

Again though super terrible word choice that necessitates an apology and nothing more.

I think it would be appropriate for this teacher to take some sort of course about racism and how it's affects on various cultures in the USA. I'm guessing she is also clueless about the history of Chinese and Japanese immigrants, and the First Nations people.

This:

Ms. Agee-Bell said. Nathan responded that her comment was racist, and the teacher, Renee Thole, "kept asking him why," Ms. Agee-Bell said.

should not be considered an acceptable response in a public school imo.

 

[Think like Christ]

As a teacher, what kind of punishment do you think would be fair? Presuming this is the first time said teacher has ever had an issue.

Personally if it wasn't the first time the teacher had messed up like this I don't see firing her as too much.

She should be required to take a course on the history of various groups in the USA, including Chinese and Japanese immigrants, and the First Nations people.