Teacher accused son of racism

[Claireabella1]

Ive been a long time lurker but posted about something else earlier this week and really appreciated the advice I got, so here I go again. I received a call today from my son's school. It was the mentor for his year telling me that my son and another child had been placed in isolation for making racist comments towards a teacher and she was investigating. She said next step was to talk to all children in the class and also two other members of staff in the classroom at the time. I asked her what comment was made and it was vile. She told me my son was very upset and I knew in my gut he didn't do this, but was willing to listen and asked her to update me. She did (within half an hour) all children in class and the two other adults agreed what my son said was relevant and not racist (history class, talking about the plague, teacher called it 'black death' and DS said he'd heard of that, it killed lots of people) for context, hes12. Other member of staff said he took the comment as part of relevant classroom discussion. Mentor sounded embarrassed when she relayed this to me and apologised a lot, she admitted no racist comments had been made by anyone (DS air the other boy) she said teacher was confused and stressed. I asked if teacher would apologise to my DS and mentor said yes. She hasn't apologised and I'm fucking reeling. I think racism is a serious allegation and you can't just accuse someone of racism and then say 'whoops'I was stressed. I'm also worried that because they had to speak to the other children in the class things might become outrageous as they do in high school and my DS may suffer some backlash he doesn't deserve. I'm honestly fuming, he's the loveliest boy and has been through so much, this is so unfair to him.

Ergh this thread is giving me a headache

The fact that you are unwilling to post what was actually said leads me to believe that your son said something inappropriate but it has been minimised by all involved

Im pretty sure the OP has said the school have acknowledged the comment want even made in the first place.

So, to many black people, we comment all the time that some white people are more afraid to be called racist than to either call out racist behaviour, or acknowledge racist behaviour.

Sorry, I misconstrued the original comment (by reading 'subject' as 'object').

I completely agree with you.

And of course teachers (as any profession) can lie, they are human.

Yes, we've been through that. People tend to lie to get themselves out of trouble, not into it.

Just read this thread. Really glad I don't work in a school. Amazed at the aggressive witch hunting mentality of both the teachers and many who have posted on this thread.

Kids say all sorts of things all the time. Teachers also get it wrong all the time. But in this case the reaction to what was clearly a short, brief comment is insane and so is the desire to punish the teacher.

How did we get so hysterical ???

I'm confused by this thread but I think I believe the teacher in this situation!

Koala, it reminds me of the aboslute outrage over the white supremacists in Charlottesville, with people saying not us, those people are racist, I’m not racist I have black friends/family members/neighbours/co workers/I walked past a black person on my way to the bus and I didn’t hide my purse blah blah. But then the next sentence or conversation they’d rely on racist microagressions when dealing with non white people (oh you’re so articulate for a..., you must have done a lot to rise out of the ghetto, etc.). Or they’d suggest they don’t understand why some black people in the States have zero confidence in their own national anthem. It’s like, both are heavily related. But again, definitely another discussion for a different thread.

I think the only possible explanation is that the teacher is having some sort of breakdown. That would explain the "stressed" comments and the embarrassment on the part of the school.

I know many teachers, they have zero incentive to LIE about a child, in front of multiple witnesses.

We don't know that the teacher did lie in front of many witnesses. She may have only mentioned the 'vile comment' to one other member of staff in a flustered/stressful state, not even thinking that this would be checked out with the other witnesses - or that the boy would be put in isolation for the day. The matter probably escalated out of the teacher's control.

Today 09:35 bruffin

Bluffin
She is calling you a liar (That Did Not Happen)

oh! Thanks for clarifying.... it absolutely did happen, among a few other equally crazy things. Teacher was white, Bert, in case you're interested

I just don't understand why a teacher would do something so self destructive. Which is why I think along the lines of a misunderstanding or a breakdown of some sort. As I said, the embarrassment and so on from the school could support the breakdown theory.

I totally believe OP. The whole subject of race in diverse secondary schools can be a minefield, to the extent that the word 'black', in whatever context, becomes a trigger, especially for teachers who have suffered racism.

I once had a pupil berate me for racism for referring to 'blackboard'. (Seriously, this is not an urban myth.) I asked her what was wrong with what I'd said, and she said, 'You said black. That's racist.' Fortunately, the rest of the class leapt to my defence. She just wasn't very bright but it gets trickier when you're dealing with terms like 'black magic'. I had an Asian colleague who was investigated because she'd used the word 'negro', in the technical sense of not being caucasian or Asian. It is a very sensitive subject.

I agree that this teacher may well be more than a bit 'stressed'. Schools don't usually discuss a teacher's state of health with a parent. Quite rightly. I think this is a euphemism. She may well be on the hyper-alert and has dug herself a hole out of embarrassment. I'm not excusing, just explaining.

Op - if your son doesn't want to take it further with the teacher, I'd go along with that. We don't know exactly what was said during the sit-down. But I think asking for a written account, as you've suggested, and confirmation that it won't be on his record, will help you put the matter to rest.

The teacher could have made it an absolute priority to do what she could to rectify the situation and certainly seek the boy out and apologise.
I don't think I've read anywhere an answer to the previous q of how long do (or rather, his mother, by the sounds of it) has been waiting for an apology since being told the teacher would be apologizing. You can't just leave your own class early to track down one pupil elsewhere in the school at the end of a lesson. Nor can you find them easily at break in an average sized school. How do you know she hasn't tried and not caught up with him? Or is waiting until the next time she sees him in class. This is what I mean about not being able to make a considered comment based on the OP. There is a lot of relevant info missing, and what we do know isn't completely clear. Amd724 had it right when they commented that the start of this thread read like hysteria and outrage.

She may have only mentioned the 'vile comment' to one other member of staff in a flustered/stressful state

Correction, I should have written - She may have only made up the 'vile comment' to one other member of staff in a flustered/stressful state as I do believe the op's story - I don't believe that there were witnesses who stood by and said nothing at the time - they were probably not aware of the full accusation until later.

Yes, the op should take the matter further.

"to the extent that the word 'black', in whatever context, becomes a trigger, especially for teachers who have suffered racism."
I'm wondering if you have any evidence to support this?
And I'm not sure what the relevance of your anecdote is. A child in your class picked up a "Daily Mail" type meme of the "you can't say anything these days" type and was rapidly corrected by you and her classmates..........

Of course the benefi of making the complaint would be that the matter would be investigated by those who are in a position to question those involved.

Speculation (and political soap-boxing) on here can’t do that.

Exactly.

The situation is already serious. And it’s a situation that’s been created by the teacher. It’s not for the OP to agonise over.

Bertrand The relevance is that the class were learning about the Great Plague and then the words 'Black Death' were used, possibly by Op's son. The teacher picked up on 'Black', which is not racist in this context, any more than it is in blackboard. We don't know exactly what was said. I'm just guessing.

It was a black child and I don't think she was picking up on a DM meme. I think it came from home. I once told off a black child for being rude to the school librarian. 'Rude' as in stroppy and disrespectful and refusing to do what she'd been asked to do. But amongst what she said was a comment about the books being all about white people and therefore racist. Her father came into school to see me, all guns blazing, but fortunately ended up being as annoyed with his daughter as I was.

It ain't easy being a teacher.

My DS is 12 and he has just moved from a village school in the country to a multi-cultural secondary. At this age he hasn't really got much of a clue about any -ism's. I'd like to think that any faux pas he makes at school will be quickly rectified by a level headed teacher. A simple "we don't use the term........here, it is offensive". I am not talking about pulling my son up on blatant racism, I am talking an innocent mistakes like calling a board a blackboard or something similar.

Someone who is stressed out and accusing 12-year olds of racism, when they didn't do it, shouldn't be teaching children at all. I would have a very, very big issue with this.

"to the extent that the word 'black', in whatever context, becomes a trigger, especially for teachers who have suffered racism."
I'm wondering if you have any evidence to support this?

but then you do seem to be unwilling to accept anything anyone says that doesn't completely tally with your own experience, Bert, tbh