Teacher who assigned essay on why Jews were evil faces discipline
A teacher at an Albany, N.Y., high school asked students to argue why Jews were to blame for the problems of Nazi Germany. Many students refused to complete the assignment.
City School District of Albany Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard apologized at a news conference and pledged officials would personally express regret to Albany High School students who were given the assignment and their families.
"This assignment for some of our students at Albany High School was completely unacceptable. It displayed a level of insensitivity that we will not tolerate in our school community," Vanden Wyngaard said.
"I'm deeply apologetic to all of our students, to all of our families and the entire community," she said, appearing with representatives of the Anti-Defamation League and the United Jewish Federation (UJF) of Northeastern New York at the UJF office in Albany.
The teacher, who Vanden Wyngaard declined to name, was removed from class for now and faced disciplinary action.
"It can go anywhere from a letter of counsel, to a letter of reprimand, all the way through to termination. There is a broad spectrum," Vanden Wyngaard said.
A letter would go out to all families in the school district, she said.
Vanden Wyngaard first issued an apology through the Times Union on Thursday night after the newspaper reported the assignment on its website. She responded with "absolute horror" when a parent presented her with the assignment on Thursday.
The teacher gave three classes of 10th grade students a persuasive writing assignment as part of a class project to demonstrate how Nazis thought and showed their loyalty to the Third Reich before World War Two.
"You need to pretend that I am a member of the government in Nazi Germany, and you are being challenged to consider that you are loyal to the Nazis by writing an essay convincing me that Jews are evil and the source of our problems," the assignment instructions said.
One-third of the students refused to complete the task, which was assigned following a class review of Nazi propaganda and directed them to imagine that their teacher was a Nazi official, said Ron Lesko, a spokesman for the district.
Students were asked for an introduction, conclusion and a list of arguments and were advised, "Please remember your life (here in Nazi Germany in the 30s) depends on it!"
The mistake (?) here is in thinking that an argument can be made for scapegoating – for genocide – for the Holocaust. It seems this teacher thinks that Hitler is an historical figure who is worthy of any argument for the genocide he intended.
Click the link to read the rest.
13 comments:
You gotta give props to the 1/3rd of students who refused to do the assignment.
That is better than I would have expected.
Look at all the dumb basketball players who let that coach throw the ball in the faces. They wouldn't stand up for themselves, but these kids are standing up for their principles.
I totally agree with you. Just wonder about the other 2/3 who didn't say anything.
I wonder if any of them talked to their parents. Then, how many of their parents will now come forward.
This teacher better be fired.
What are the odds the teacher is a Muslim?
Or a Nazi supporter or an extreme far leftie.
Gonna be interesting to find out.
look deeper this is how you start the DE-sensitization when you want some other horrific plan to be aided. remember the targets printed up especially for homeland security? of 7 year olds holding guns? pregnant women standing next to a crib holding a gun? de-sensitization?
the left wants to start getting rid of someone soon. bitterclingers?
Could be. That's what it seems like.
yeah wierd how in the last few years its just a cascade of disparate events, stories, agendas, seem to be unfolding that taken alone are proof only that the left is hateful, lying, and desiring to push an agenda of distructiveness on us, but together show an odd disturbing seemingly coordinated desire to put all the ducks inna row for a final confrontation with anyone who oposses thier collective agendas.
The words of Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuit Order: "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man."
I've heard disturbing tales about some of the classroom discussions in elementary and junior high.
More about one of the students who actually followed through with the assignment:
"
Students in three sophomore English classes received the assignment earlier this week in preparation for reading Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's acclaimed memoir "Night," said Emily Karandy, 16. She said a lot of her classmates in honors English were upset at the assignment and felt terrible while working on it. She said she eventually wrote the five paragraph essay because she didn't want to hurt her grade.
"I was putting it off because I didn't want to think about it and I didn't want to say anything bad about Jewish people," she said. "We thought it would make more sense if we were Jews arguing against Nazis." Karandy said she felt "horrible" when she turned in her essay. Karandy also said her teacher — whom the Times Union is not naming — liked to challenge the class and she had never heard any racially charged remarks from the teacher.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Nazi-theme-draws-leave-4431448.php#ixzz2QOJyLJqB
"New York City Councilman David Greenfield has called for the resignation of the teacher, who has been placed on leave." link
Let me pose a question
If the teacher was white and gave the students an assignment where they were members of the KKK and had to justify hanging blacks from trees what do you think the reaction would have been? How long would it have taken Rev Al to organize a march on Albany and for the Governor to fire the teacher, the principal and the Superintendent? -Arnold D (comment at last link)
Albany NY High School stats
AHS school website
Note images on cover of AHS Course book
A quick scan of the faculty directory also hints at the possibilities
Thank you for the information anonymous.
I agree with you in regards to whether this had been about the KKK.
I don't feel that there is any crooked, weird angled way for anyone to justify this teacher's assignment.
And yes, I too believe she needs to be fired.
Why some people are defending her, I cannot fathom.
Trying to somehow, even in the imagination, to justify any type of evil behavior that has taken place in this world, is just wrong.
If this is the best this teacher can do, she needs to find another profession.
Compare and contrast: NYS Senator Felder (D) Calls for Immediate Removal of Teachers Involved in Slavery-Themed Homeword Assignment at Manhattan's P.S. 59
Some of the celebrated clubs at AHS:
Many AHS clubs rely on International Food Day as an important fundraiser. Some clubs offer food that reflects their culture and the purpose of their club, like Team Tibet, the Arab Student Union, the South Asian Student Union, the Black Student Union and the Korean Club, to name a few.
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