Student Humiliated By Mock ‘Slave’ Auction in School
A teaching moment on black history apparently left the wrong message for one elementary student in Ohio.
A history teacher at Chapelfield Elementary School apparently held a mock slave auction as a means of explaining the history of slavery to students. The class was divided into two sections: “Slaves” and “Masters”. There were only two African-American students in the classroom—one was assigned to be a “Master” and the other student, Nikko Burton, was told to be a “Slave”.
The 10 year-old was disciplined after he refused to participate in the re-enactment which involved pocking, prodding, and public humiliation.
I ended up being a slave,” Nikko told 10TVNews. “At first I didn’t care, but after people were bidding on people it kind of made me a little mad and stuff.”
The teacher told the students that they needed to touch the “Slaves” to see if they were worth being purchased.
“The masters go to touch people and do all sorts of stuff,” Nikko said. “They got to look in your mouth and feel your legs and stuff and see if you’re strong and stuff.”
His mother stated that she was firmly against the mock auction.
“He felt degraded, he was hurt and the kids picked on him later,” Aneka Burton, his mother, said. “I feel like that was totally inappropriate; it was racist and it was degrading.”
A spokeswoman from the school stated that the lesson is part of a state required curriculum in Ohio’s public schools. A school district representative apologized to the family over the phone, but the young student has yet to receive an apology from his teacher.
“It was kind of mean and she should have said sorry,” he said.
Watch the news report and share your thoughts. Do you believe the teacher owes students an apology?
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This is messed up. Making a slave auction a mandatory part of curriculum, and having students degrade one another only to make the point that slavery was horrible, and what slaves went through was horrible? The teacher is disgusting, and she needs to apologize to the student.
Of course the teacher needs to apologize. And it needs to happen in front of the rest of the class. Not by phone. Lead by example teacher.
I wonder about the “required curriculum” of this exercise. While it may be important to talk about how slaves were bought and sold purely as a reminder that something like that can never happen again, I see no value in making children participate in role play in this situation.
Contrary to popular belief…SLAVERY STILL HAPPENS EVERYDAY in Africa, Asia, Europe, and even the good ole’ U.S of A! That’s why interactive lessons like these are needed because in the addition to the horrors that much be learned from black slavery, the issue (i.e. child sex slavery, child soldiers) is still very relevant and affects millions of children close in age to the young students mentioned in this article.
True, however teachers can and should involve all students in role playing, not just African American boys. It would be interesting to see how children of other ethnicities feel while they are treated as a slave. The lesson can be effective provided the teacher models appropriate behaviors that all students should use during the activity. I also strongly believe that the teacher should apologize to the student in the classroom and take this opportunity to discuss racism, and the importance of bringing about change in this country. She most also be required to inform the parents of her error and sincere apology. As educators we must bridge the gap between parents and school. Teachers are in a position to reinforce positive and acceptable behaviors within all cultures!
Apologise for what? He felt degraded and humiliated? Well then it sounds like a successful lesson well taught. Now if he was the only slave and no whites were made into slaves than we have a problem. Other wise suck it up and think how the ancestors who really had to go through it felt.
OOOOH! What a FABULOUS idea! Are they going to reenact the concentration camps in Germany next? Or maybe the suffragettes being thrown into prison?
Oh, wait, how about a better idea: focus the lesson on, say, the people who were trying to make a difference? Maybe the people running the Underground Railroad: get the kids to plan out an escaped slave’s route north (bonus geography lesson!). And for the examination of how slavery feels, try getting the kids to read selected passages of Toni Morrison’s work and the work of other authors.
Yeesh.
@Sam slave auction is no mandatory curriculum. The teaching of slavery is