An Assignment of Slavery
Schools continue to enforce the torment on our children
Displaying a noose hanging should be considered a terrorist offense in this country. Those who commit such acts should be prosecuted as such. Beating up someone, especially near death, should be charged with assault or attempted murder. Breaking the law should not be a racial issue in this country. It should also not be overrated for more than it is. Those like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson should call a march and/or protest against the curriculum and teachers who hand out homework assignments as in this case sited here below. Why are we swatting at gnats and swallowing camels? America should insist these teachers be fired and replaced and if the board of education will not do so, we should replace the board members as well and call for their resignation. We vote for these public offices. It is up to us to vote them out and replace them with those that represent us without prejudices.
LAP OF LUXURY ASSIGNMENT
Click Here to view the original assignment in PDF format--->
GCMS_6th_Grade_HW.pdf
This assignment was given out on Thursday, September 20, 2007 and was to be turned in on September 25, 2007. This is the 2nd year this assignment has been given to the 6th grade students of Grover Cleveland Middle school. The two teachers who created this assignment, Dana Howarth and Beth Rutzle, at this time of this writing are still teaching the children! The original assignment is available here because unless you see it, you would think it was a hoax of some kind. Truly horrible and otherwise unbelievable in this day and time. Notice there is no room for alternatives to slavery. What about those plantation owners who were against slavery had several children and hired helped, and other ways that slavery Could have been avoided, yet the assignment leaves no room for options or alternatives.
Casey Shorter, the school's principal, claims he didn't find out about the project until after he spoke with a concerned parent. "Our intent was not to be insensitive. After reviewing the assignment and listening to feedback, from an administrative and teaching perspective, we determined it was insensitive and inappropriate. And we will eliminate it from the curriculum," he said.
Citing privacy issues, Shorter would not say what he's done about Dana Howarth and Beth Rutzler's actions, the two language arts teachers who created the controversial and offensive "Lap of Luxury" project. He adds this is actually the second year that the teachers have given the assignment.
This story did not even make the local front page news. You have to dig deep on their website to find the newspaper article:
http://wcbstv.com/seenon/local_story_275172255.html
The direct link also doesn't work most of the time. Go to http://wcbtv.com Click on the search tab and enter "slavery". Each time we've tried to find it, it keeps getting moved. The newspaper article, in its entirety, has now been added at the bottom of this page.
What can we do?
Call, email, send letters, contact the board of education, contact your local representatives. We MUST do something! The "curriculum" and other things the schools are teaching our children is another good reason why we should encourage homeschooling!
As of September 25, 2007, the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education has not issued a formal statement of any kind. However, the matter has been brought to their attention and is being discussed by the administration. You may direct any inquiries and requests for comment to:
NJ State Board of Education
Attn: Lucille E. Davy, Commissioner of Education
100 River View Plaza
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625
Phone: 609-292-4450
Fax: 609-777-4099
Caldwell-West Caldwell School District
Attn: Dr. Daniel Gerardi, Superintendent of Schools
Harrison Building
104 Gray Street
West Caldwell, NJ 07006
Phone: 973-228-6979
Email: dgerardu@cwcboe.org
Caldwell-West Caldwell School District
Attn: Mr. Barry A. Bachenheimer, Director of Instructional Services
Harrison Building
104 Gray Street
West Caldwell, NJ 07006
Phone: 973-226-7120
Email: bbachenheimer@cwcboe.org
Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education
Attn: Mary Davidson, President
Harrison Building
104 Gray Street
West Caldwell, NJ 07006
Superintendent of Schools
Phone: 973-228-6979
Email: mdavidson@cwcboe.org
Grover Cleveland Middle School
Attn: Principal Casey D. Shorter
36 Academy Road
Caldwell, NJ 07006
Phone: 973-228-9115
Fax: 973-228-7471
Email: cshorter@cwcboe.org
Local TV station website - dated Oct. 3, 2007
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Middle School Project Asks Kids To Defend Slavery
New Jersey Students Told To Create 'Catchy' Plantation, Illustrating Why Slave Labor Is Good
Two local middle school teachers are in hot water after assigning students a controversial project on slavery that's angered parents.
Over 100 sixth graders at Grover Cleveland Middle School in Caldwell spent several days last week taking part in an assignment where they used terms like "build a plantation" while completing their "Lap of Luxury" social studies project.
The project instructed students to create an advertisement defending the use of slave labor to run a newly built plantation in South Carolina. Students are told to come up with a '"catchy" name for the plantation and give three reasons why slave labor is the "best idea" and to add illustrations.
One student, who is not being identified because of his age, read to CBS 2 what he wrote for the assignment: "Slave labor is the way to go because slaves aren't paid, so all money is profit."
Parents are astonished by the assignment's nature.
"It's really offending," said Tyiesha Hameed, whose child is one of the only eight black students who attends the school. "There's so many other ways and tools to show our kids how to learn and teach them in reference to slavery."
One question parents and officials are asking is whether the 11- and 12-year-olds even understand the lesson which was given to them.
"The students have to use their creative spirits to create justification. That gets the mind pretty worked up, and it embeds some things in their process that will be there for forever," said James Harris, president of the New Jersey NAACP chapter.
Casey Shorter, the school's principal, said he didn't find out about the project until after he spoke with a concerned parent. "Our intent was not to be insensitive. After reviewing the assignment and listening to feedback, from an administrative and teaching perspective, we determined it was insensitive and inappropriate. And we will eliminate it from the curriculum," he said.
Citing privacy issues, Shorter would not say what he's done with Dana Howarth and Beth Rutzler, the two language arts teachers who created the controversial "Lap of Luxury" project. He adds this is actually the second year that the teachers have given the assignment.
END
The website (wcbstv.com) did not include the assignment. We received the assignment, from a different source, in PDF format, of what was actually given to the students. (Link provided above)
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