To be shocked at what happened at ds school today

[Thisismydilemma]

DS is in year 9 and told me that the teacher decided to choose places for the students to sit. (Normally they choose who they sit next to) Which is fine. However, what shocked me was that all the BAME dc were sat together in one row and all the white skinned DC were together in another row. When my ds asked why they had been segrated to the teacher, they told him to keep quiet aibu to raise this with the school?

[LolaSmiles]

I think it should be mentioned to to the town planning department - classrooms 3 metres deep by 20 metres wide are just not conducive to learning
Oh you are most misguided there.
It would solve a whole multitude of problems like having an ever expanding front row for all the requests from home to sit DC on the front row so they don't get distracted (heaven forbid they showed manners to their peers and teachers by behaving aged 14).
It also gives an ever growing back row for all the students who need to be sat at the back for any reason from Mercury going into retrograde through to finding the teacher's face triggering.

Nobody would have to have the middle seats again.

(Light-hearted obviously)

[username2020]

black and minority ethnic. (BAME)

Maybe the kids sat together because they wanted to sit together?

[Mayvis]

I find it difficult to believe that a year 9 class is usually allowed to sit where they want.

[Booboosweet]

Many factors go into a seating plan and I don't believe that the teacher deliberately set out to segregate students. Your DS had no right to question the teacher's seating plan. They should have been focused on their work.

[churchandstate]

LolaSmiles

😂

“Obviously we don’t condone Miles’ behaviour, but with that said, respect is a two-way street and I am sure you can appreciate that his behaviour problems would be best supported by a seat at the back, not ‘getting in his face’ and refraining from addressing him by name. We are very keen for Miles to do as well as possible in his GCSEs and would be disappointed if a personality clash were to stand in the way of that.”

👍

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

YANBU at all. Is that what Rosa Parks fought against segregation against black people. I can’t believe some of the replies on here. It’s quite worrying the amount of people who seem to think this is okay, and What are those daft faces about. If you’re going to say something be women or man enough to say it.

[TryingToBeBold]

@Raspberrytruffle did you say WIFE?! Surely she is more than that?!

I'm kidding. That thread made me laugh so much.

[Andsoitisjust99]

Even if I had done a seating plan by a very reasonable formula/system and it co-incidentally segregated children by race, I would notice and change it. It is very obviously going to be seen by the students as being classified by race! It’s totally unacceptable. I can only hope that the teacher did this (somehow!) without realising by a valid reason and will change it next lesson. It’s terrible!

[TryingToBeBold]

I wouldn't take this literally
Mainly because I dont know many classrooms that would only have room for 2 long rows of pupils..

[churchandstate]

Awwlookatmybabyspider

Rosa Parks resisted being told non-whites had to sit in specific areas of public transport, and give up their seats for white people. That isn’t the same as a seating plan in which several non-white people happen to be sitting together. What if they get on? What if that’s the best arrangement for the learning? Nothing to do with segregation.

[churchandstate]

It is very obviously going to be seen by the students as being classified by race! It’s totally unacceptable.

Perception and fact are two different things, and I wouldn’t change it if I felt it supported learning better than another arrangement. I would challenge the students to think outside their assumptions.

[justforthisnow]

I would very much welcome the OPs reply after such an interesting post.

[CatAndFiddle]

The teacher might have been given some daft instruction from SLT that all seating plans must now show a certain grouping e.g all pupil premium kids together, high ability next to low ability etc etc. There is always the latest "target group of the month".
Of course, this often has unintended consequences...as your dc has noticed.
Either that, or the surname thing, as a previous poster mentioned. The teacher might not have learnt their names yet, and an alphabetical seating plan can speed up the process.
It isn't a thing to get concerned about.

[LolaSmiles]

churchandstate
Spoken like a pro!

"Whilst we're talking about personality clashes, can we also raise the issue of DC being exempt from having their conduct challenged. We want to support DC but what you realise is that when they called Sean Speccy Sean they weren't being disruptive or unpleasant and I'm starting to see why DC feels there is a personality clash here. Sean's quite dorky and my DC needs to be sat near people who will give them validation and suitably appreciate them so if you could sit DC away from Sean that would be great because Sean's uncool, dorky existence within 6ft of DC essentially causes my DC to speak his mind. We're totally supportive but feel its important you realise that DC can't help but respond to other children and you labelling their behaviour bullying is most damaging to their esteem"

[betaboo]

Do you think they might be doing an exercise on discrimination ?

I have heard of this before, where they segregate the kids either by race, gender, hair colour etc. they kids are not aware that it it is a lesson.

exploringyourmind.com/blue-eyes-and-brown-eyes-the-jane-elliott-experiment/

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/secondary-education-resources/lesson-plan-ideas/lesson-6-discrimination

[TabbyMumz]

Shouldn't it be BAEM....black Asian ethnic minority?

[churchandstate]

LolaSmiles

I like how you went the extra satirical mile. 😂

[LolaSmiles]

betaboo
I've done that before but usually it's done by hair colour or something else and it's dealt with in the lesson (and other behaviour makes it done so Students will comment on it).

Church
Always happy to please.
Sometimes you've got to take a little bit of fun when you can

[Hecateh]

I wonder if this was done deliberately just to see if anyone says anything - or if they allowed themself to be divided and controlled in that way.

I once did something a bit similar (but not based on race) to demonstrate how easy it is to cause issues by dividing in this way.

I had a group of 12 adults, I looked at each of them closely and divided them into 2 groups (based on eye colour as it happens) then gave each of them different made up stereotypes relating to eye colour. It was fascinating - I only kept it up for about half an hour but by that time the group were so polarised it took some work to get them to realise it was all designed to help them appreciate how damaging stereotypes are.

[Witchend]

Teachers sort in all kinds of ways.
Alphabetically by surname:first name
Ability
Separating friends etc.

Although I have never known a teacher sort by popular/non popular yet. Reckon that would work?

[RainingFrogsAndHats]

Hmmm. Is it friday night, perchance?

[holidays987]

It sounds like you don't have much to go on. So it would be U to report it to the school at this point.

Are you in a big city? Where I am in London is very mixed culturally and this sort of thing could easily happen by coincidence. Sitting students in surname order etc.

[LolaSmiles]

Hmmm. Is it friday night, perchance?
Are you suggesting silly season is upon us perchance?

[TabbyMumz]

Are you sure it wasnt done by breastfed and non breastfed? Because I'm sure teachers can tell cant they?

[CTRL]

Unless the teacher was teaching something in regards to race - I would be shocked honestly!

I would be making enquiries about what happened and get the full story and take it from there