Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, June 2, 2010
Life The Seattle School District Responds
Posted by Dominic Holden on Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 4:37 PM
As Charles Mudede has written, a Seattle public school teacher recently kicked his daughter out of class because her hair product (an olive-oil lotion) sickened the teacher. The girl was removed from an advanced placement class, where she was the only black student, and moved to a lower-placement class with more black kids. KIRO television reported part of the story over the weekend. The school district declined an interview request from Mudede because he is the student's father and attorneys are involved. But two school district attorneys agreed to speak to me.
"The district agrees that it is not acceptable for a teacher in our district to ask a student to leave a classroom for the reasons that this child was asked to leave,” says Kevin O’Neill, senior assistant general counsel for Seattle Public Schools, the attorney who is handling the case of Mudede’s daughter.
The district’s position, in a nutshell, is that the teacher erred by kicking out the student, but race wasn’t a factor and an investigation is underway. However, O’Neill also says he doesn’t know what exactly happened or “the reasons that this child was asked to leave.” Until the investigation is complete, he says, it’s unclear what was offensive about the hair product that reportedly made the teacher sick, why the district hadn’t done anything for three days, whether an incident like this had ever occurred before, whether anyone had spoken to the teacher about the incident, whether school district rules prohibit any cosmetics, or what current or future steps are required for the investigation.
But he insists race was not a factor. Any allegations of racial insensitivity or negligence are “wholly untrue,” O’Neill says, “because, well, because the district would not tolerate employment of a teacher that has racial animosity towards a student.”
How can O’Neill—who doesn’t even know if anyone has talked to the teacher or what is occurring in the investigation—be so certain about this one aspect? “Based on preliminary information I have, it is clear that the removal of the student, as inappropriate as it was, had to do with a health issue and not a racial issue,” he says. “To the extent of the health issues, what was said to the child, the circumstances, that is a matter that is still under investigation. Based on our preliminary investigation, it isn’t a result of racial animosity, as far as I understand.”
- Sickening: The offending hair product
The parents reluctantly got involved after school hadn’t taken action for three days.
“What I understand is that the principal wasn’t aware the student was sent into another classroom,” says Faye Chess-Prentice, a school district attorney who handles personnel issues and was interviewed separately. “She said she was unaware of it. That might be why there is a delay, but that is just an assumption on my part.”
2
Stick it to 'em Charles! The teacher needs to somehow show in a blind test, a observable reaction to the product, but not to other cosmetic products, or state the real reason the child was asked to leave.
3
I just made a pie crust with olive oil. It's one of my favorite foods. How can anyone not like olive oil? I use Napoleon olive oil.
Most people are idiots because they think "Extra virgin" green olive oil is the best. But it's not. Regular yellow olive oil is!
The Seattle School System is in a shambles...and they probably use Canola oil which is why everyone there is fat. Therefore, you have a good case.
4
@3 - Actually most people use "Extra Virgin" Olive Oil because of additional health benefits.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-an…
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-an…
5
"'The last thing you want to happen to your daughter is for a teacher to faint or vomit at the mere sight of her.'"
Zing! Great quote!
Zing! Great quote!
6
The teenage version of me would have though it was pretty fucking cool to make a teacher faint or vomit whenever I was in the room.
8
I highly doubt one child in a classroom of 20 or 30 is enough to make a teacher feel ill - if it is, what does the teacher do when they are out in public? walk around holding their nose? Also, it could just be a coincidence - eat some bad food, feel gross, and because of your own racial insensitivity, blame it on a kid. I might find the teacher's story more believable if she had sent the girl home, or to the principles office, or to the washroom or something, but to put the kid in a class, where there are more children of color.... yeah. that implies there was some racist thinking going on.
9
God, have you ever spent a day with adolescents? They smell to high heaven. Just how could ANY hair product smell so bad as to overpower the sickly ripe aroma of surging pubescence?
Seriously!
Seriously!
12
slightly o/t, but when i get migraines pretty much any intense odor makes me physically ill, including smells i otherwise enjoy. there is absolutlely no way i could provide "medical proof" of this if someone demanded it, but it happens. this is a really long way of saying the evidence charles and his wife seek probably does not exist, even if the teacher is telling the truth.
13
It seems like they could have anticipated interview questions better (especially given Charles' public posts) and prepared for it. I suppose these are better answers than "I don't recall."
14
Thank God I got out of school before Axe Body Spray came on the scene. Though the spray-on deodorant and cheap colognes of all the guys too scared to shower after gym, coupled with the ladies and their copious amounts of "body spray" and hair products.
15
Sorry, I really feel for your girl, and kids should not be subject to whatever bias or issue the teacher was having in such a manner, this is most definately worth an investigation, BUT...
That isn't cooking olive oil, it's a hair product. Google reviews for it, you'll find complaints of the smell and warnings to those with odor sensitivities. (Walgreens has the ingredients posted for that product, which contains DMDM Hydantoin [a formaldehyde releaser] and a host of perfume agents. What, did you thing "organic" actually still meant something?)
Regardless, I hope this gets settled with as little stress to the child as possible. She's not at fault.
That isn't cooking olive oil, it's a hair product. Google reviews for it, you'll find complaints of the smell and warnings to those with odor sensitivities. (Walgreens has the ingredients posted for that product, which contains DMDM Hydantoin [a formaldehyde releaser] and a host of perfume agents. What, did you thing "organic" actually still meant something?)
Regardless, I hope this gets settled with as little stress to the child as possible. She's not at fault.
16
I should add, those nasty chemicals are common in beauty products, I wasn't attempting to be conclusive, just saying it's entirely possible the teacher is telling the truth, regardless of how she handled the situation.
Also, "think", not thing.
Also, "think", not thing.
17
This is not surprising.
Liberals from lily white Seattle
are totally hip with the
idea of negroes,
and are totally comfortable
lecturing Southerners
on how they should
treat their negroes,
but when faced with the prospect
of an actual negro
in their classroom
(or neighborhood)
could easily become ill.....
Liberals from lily white Seattle
are totally hip with the
idea of negroes,
and are totally comfortable
lecturing Southerners
on how they should
treat their negroes,
but when faced with the prospect
of an actual negro
in their classroom
(or neighborhood)
could easily become ill.....
18
I don't think the teacher was being intentionally racist, I think she (might have) smelled something she didn't like, was already pissed about SOMETHING, and her inner racist (that everyone has) took over, and she assumed it was the girl with the different (black) hair. Everyone, without exception, has some race-based emotions: it's how you handle those emotions that classifies you as a racist or not. And she handled her emotions TERRIBLY. She could have sent the girl to the nurse, to the principal, anywhere... but she sent her to another, lower-placement class. I'm sure she felt better once her class was nice and white again, but she knew right away that she handled it poorly.
19
"but race wasn’t an issue"
Good to see Holden has to carry Mudede's water now…..must be tough being the only black guy in lilly white land especially when they have to clean up your mess.
Good to see Holden has to carry Mudede's water now…..must be tough being the only black guy in lilly white land especially when they have to clean up your mess.
20
"How can O’Neill—who doesn’t even know if anyone has talked to the teacher or what is occurring in the investigation—be so certain about this one aspect? "
How can you be so uncertain?
How can you be so uncertain?
21
Why isn't Charles 'Tawana Brawley' Mudede blogging on this?
I mean, you allowed him to publicly accuse a teacher of being a racist with zero evidence, zero reporting but now, all of a sudden, Holden has to carry his water for him? Is that how it works at Stranger when a black man steps in it?
I mean, you allowed him to publicly accuse a teacher of being a racist with zero evidence, zero reporting but now, all of a sudden, Holden has to carry his water for him? Is that how it works at Stranger when a black man steps in it?
22
I am so glad that Charles and family spoke up about this. Lots of smells annoy/irritate/cause me migraines. I'm Black. If I were a teacher with a medical condition that prevented me from smelling certain smells, I would alert students/parents at the begining of the year as to my medical condition. To kick a student out of AP class and into the lower level class based on supposed offense of a hair product is racist. Intentional/unintentional-- who the fuck cares? The teacher is a racist whether or not she knows it is inconsequential.
23
The offending product, Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion, contains dimethicone, an ingredient The Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database rates as a high hazard for allergies/immunotoxicity. SCCNFP (The Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products Intended for Consumers), 1999 claims dimethicone is a known human immune system toxicant.
Did any of the parents research the toxicity or hazard potential of the ingredients in Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion prior to launching a suit? Does the teacher/respondent wear fragrance, or does s/he require a fragrance-free environment?
Some people do have chemical sensitivities. I worked with someone who could not abide aldehyde. Another person had an olfactory sensitivity and could not be in the same room with someone eating cooked fish. I'm working with someone now who needs extra ventilation in the room if bleach in any quantity is used.
Did any of the parents research the toxicity or hazard potential of the ingredients in Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion prior to launching a suit? Does the teacher/respondent wear fragrance, or does s/he require a fragrance-free environment?
Some people do have chemical sensitivities. I worked with someone who could not abide aldehyde. Another person had an olfactory sensitivity and could not be in the same room with someone eating cooked fish. I'm working with someone now who needs extra ventilation in the room if bleach in any quantity is used.
24
Oh, btw the way, I just emailed links to Charles defamatory posts to the SPS Office of General Counsel where O'Neill works: koneill@seattleschools.org and Kevin O'Neill.
Probably best they know what the teacher is being accused of in public don't you think?
Probably best they know what the teacher is being accused of in public don't you think?
25
Way to go Charles. You have managed to become part of the type of story you make your living on. I guess your life work is done now and we will not have to hear anything from you again? I can only hope.
27
"contains dimethicone, an ingredient The Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database rates as a high hazard for allergies/immunotoxicity. "
What kind of balsamic should one use with it?
What kind of balsamic should one use with it?
28
I also have gotten instant migraines from strong smells that could be considered “minority” smells (the strong, spicy perfume many Somali ladies wear, foods that contain nam pla, to name two). So I have had to have conversations with a few people where I work because it really was a case where several times I had to leave work and take a sick day to recover in bed, in the dark, with a trusty bucket next to me, just because someone used the upstairs microwave instead of the one in the lunchroom, or drenched themselves in perfume as had been the custom back home (where they perhaps had not had the opportunity to take a shower as regularly as they could and did in the US).
But I never, ever would have sought to have them removed from my area as my primary solution. I just spoke to them when it was appropriate and asked them to keep me in mind. They saw that many strong smells made me ill, most of them liked me as I liked them, so the problem slowly got resolved. I also started keeping some Vick’s vapor rub in my desk and now, when microwave popcorn burns or there is some other strong, harsh smell when I’m feeling migraine-y, I swab it inside my nose.
It goes both ways, too – I recently bought a floral perfume which I apply as one small squirt. Most people who catch a whiff seem to love it -- I’ve had strangers chance me down in public to find out what it is -- but my closest officemate at work doesn’t like it (she doesn’t like the smell of fresh flowers, either) so I don’t wear it at work anymore, unless she’s on vacation.
But I never, ever would have sought to have them removed from my area as my primary solution. I just spoke to them when it was appropriate and asked them to keep me in mind. They saw that many strong smells made me ill, most of them liked me as I liked them, so the problem slowly got resolved. I also started keeping some Vick’s vapor rub in my desk and now, when microwave popcorn burns or there is some other strong, harsh smell when I’m feeling migraine-y, I swab it inside my nose.
It goes both ways, too – I recently bought a floral perfume which I apply as one small squirt. Most people who catch a whiff seem to love it -- I’ve had strangers chance me down in public to find out what it is -- but my closest officemate at work doesn’t like it (she doesn’t like the smell of fresh flowers, either) so I don’t wear it at work anymore, unless she’s on vacation.
29
Yeah, I'd hate to have to prove my migraine triggers because it's largely subjective but yeah you can't take your shitty day out on the kid.
30
@28: Nicely put, and it accords with my take on the whole situation as well. Whether the teacher is lying or not about the sensitivity, she tried to put the entire burden of the problem on an innocent child who certainly wasn't attempting to make the teacher ill. If the teacher really was becoming ill, it would have been a lot better to excuse herself rather than march the kid out of the classroom. And while that would be humiliating for any child, the fact that it's the only black kid in the room makes it a racial issue for the child EVEN IF it really truly wasn't for the teacher. If.
I'm not a Charles fan at all really, but I think he's absolutely right to pursue this.
I'm not a Charles fan at all really, but I think he's absolutely right to pursue this.
31
@22 "To kick a student out of AP class and into the lower level class based on supposed offense of a hair product is racist."
Having an aversive reaction to a hair product does not make someone a racist. However, jumping to conclusions about a teacher's attitude simply because she's white is racist.
Let go of your biases, prejudices, bigotry, and hate - they are doing you wrong.
Having an aversive reaction to a hair product does not make someone a racist. However, jumping to conclusions about a teacher's attitude simply because she's white is racist.
Let go of your biases, prejudices, bigotry, and hate - they are doing you wrong.
32
Um ... can't comment on the perfume content of this particular product compared to others in the class but dimethicone is in almost all conditioners unless you specifically go looking for one without "cones" (they make hair shiny but also more prone to breakage). Finding ones without is a big pain in the butt, and in general the more expensive the product the higher the cone content. Almost any girl in that class and probably a lot of the boys, not to mention the adult staff in the school, are wearing hair care products that contain dimethicone. Sure, she could have migraines, she could be pregnant, etc. but the way she handled the issue was at a MINIMUM racially insensitive, and most likely does reflect some racial bias. I've never heard of a teacher behaving in such a manner, I would bet that the teacher has never kicked any little blond girls with strong perfume or a ton of hair care product out of class, and if anyone had dared to single me out, humiliate me, and then toss my little blond butt out of an advanced placement class for something so trivial I am sure my mother would have presumed it was for some other reason (socioeconomics, race, strong personal dislike) and the teacher would likely have been vaporized to a fine bloody mist by the force of her fury.
33
Um ... can't comment on the perfume content of this particular product compared to others in the class but dimethicone is in almost all conditioners unless you specifically go looking for one without "cones" (they make hair shiny but also more prone to breakage). Finding ones without is a big pain in the butt, and in general the more expensive the product the higher the cone content. Almost any girl in that class and probably a lot of the boys, not to mention the adult staff in the school, are wearing hair care products that contain dimethicone. Sure, she could have migraines, she could be pregnant, etc. but the way she handled the issue was at a MINIMUM racially insensitive, and most likely does reflect some racial bias. I've never heard of a teacher behaving in such a manner, I would bet that the teacher has never kicked any little blond girls with strong perfume or a ton of hair care product out of class, and if anyone had dared to single me out, humiliate me, and then toss my little blond butt out of an advanced placement class for something so trivial I am sure my mother would have presumed it was for some other reason (socioeconomics, race, strong personal dislike) and the teacher would likely have been vaporized to a fine bloody mist by the force of her fury.
34
"Well, we really have no idea why the teacher kicked the girl out, BUT IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE!"
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
35
" racially insensitive"
Let me guess, it was 'new racism', the kind of racism that can't be proven or denied? Or maybe it was 'unintentional racism' or 'benign racism' because goddammit, I may not have actual evidence of racism, but I know it's here, there and everywhere!
Let me guess, it was 'new racism', the kind of racism that can't be proven or denied? Or maybe it was 'unintentional racism' or 'benign racism' because goddammit, I may not have actual evidence of racism, but I know it's here, there and everywhere!
36
@30: "If the teacher really was becoming ill, it would have been a lot better to excuse herself "
Really, you think that having the teacher leave and stop instruction for the entire class is a better solution than asking one odorous child to leave?
You're probably right - better to screw over the entire class than risk being accused of racism.
Really, you think that having the teacher leave and stop instruction for the entire class is a better solution than asking one odorous child to leave?
You're probably right - better to screw over the entire class than risk being accused of racism.
38
How about jumping to conclusions based on her behavior?
However, jumping to conclusions about a teacher's attitude simply because she's white is racist.
How about jumping to conclusions based on her behavior?
39
"How about jumping to conclusions based on her behavior?"
Exactly, anytime any white person tells a black person to do something, it must be racist.
Exactly, anytime any white person tells a black person to do something, it must be racist.
40
Sorry:
Exactly, anytime any white person tells a black person to do something that they even vaguely don't understand, don't like, question, feel uncomfortable with, it must be racist. I mean, black people aren't like us so they can't be expected to live by the same rules.
Exactly, anytime any white person tells a black person to do something that they even vaguely don't understand, don't like, question, feel uncomfortable with, it must be racist. I mean, black people aren't like us so they can't be expected to live by the same rules.
41
I'm still waiting for any proof of the racism that Charles alleged. I don't think I'm going to get it.
You know, there are going to be a lot of moments in her life, Charles, when she's the only black person around, and bad things will happen to her periodically. I can't help but wonder if she won't pick up her father's tendency to blame racism at the drop of a hat, and how unhealthy that's going to be.
I got treated like shit by teachers when I was in school, too. I'm glad you weren't my dad.
You know, there are going to be a lot of moments in her life, Charles, when she's the only black person around, and bad things will happen to her periodically. I can't help but wonder if she won't pick up her father's tendency to blame racism at the drop of a hat, and how unhealthy that's going to be.
I got treated like shit by teachers when I was in school, too. I'm glad you weren't my dad.
42
This little girl is lovely, has great hair & smells good. I know her family and I also have kids in this program (plus my own immune issues). Regardless of whether or not the teacher was having racist feelings, no one is mentioning how the girl felt about being singled out. Also, I'm fairly certain that all the other children made an unconscious note to themselves about why they weren't moved to the other room.
43
" anytime any white person tells a black person to do something that they even vaguely don't understand, don't like, question, feel uncomfortable with, it must be racist"
You forgot 'inconvenienced' by a white person. THat is always racism.
You forgot 'inconvenienced' by a white person. THat is always racism.
44
@36: No. What I said was that she should not have burdened an innocent child with this kind of humiliation over her own illness. If I were to get the shits or start puking while at work, I wouldn't try to pin it on some random client: I would go home. And I said that race was an issue for the child even if it wasn't intended as such by the teacher.
Your willful obtuseness is staggering here. It doesn't MATTER if the teacher hates negroes: she responded to the alleged problem in a completely inappropriate way. And in a way that reinforces racial biases. Again, that's true whether or not there was a thought bubble next to her that said "Jeeze I despise those darkies. They smell bad." Even if the only thought that passed through her mind was "God I can't stand that smell, get that kid out of here!", the way she (allegedly) handled this was disastrously inappropriate, and even the district's lawyers admit that. Get your head out of your rectum.
Your willful obtuseness is staggering here. It doesn't MATTER if the teacher hates negroes: she responded to the alleged problem in a completely inappropriate way. And in a way that reinforces racial biases. Again, that's true whether or not there was a thought bubble next to her that said "Jeeze I despise those darkies. They smell bad." Even if the only thought that passed through her mind was "God I can't stand that smell, get that kid out of here!", the way she (allegedly) handled this was disastrously inappropriate, and even the district's lawyers admit that. Get your head out of your rectum.
45
"no one is mentioning how the girl felt about being singled out."
Boo fucking hoo....jesus christ, welcome to the real world.
"I'm fairly certain that all the other children made an unconscious note "
Really, and no doubt you have proof of that charge?
Boo fucking hoo....jesus christ, welcome to the real world.
"I'm fairly certain that all the other children made an unconscious note "
Really, and no doubt you have proof of that charge?
46
"It doesn't MATTER if the teacher hates negroes"
See, you don't even have to be racist in Seattle to be called a racist. All you have to do is convenience a black kid, and whammo, you're a bigot@
Now good luck defending yourself!
See, you don't even have to be racist in Seattle to be called a racist. All you have to do is convenience a black kid, and whammo, you're a bigot@
Now good luck defending yourself!
47
Charles, I suspect your daughter is a perfect little angle and can do no wrong. The teacher is no doubt evil to the core and hates not only girls, but intelligent Black girls that use Olive Oil hair care products. Greasy haired boys would be able to remain in the class regardless of race or stupidity.
I think there is FAR FAR FAR more to this story than one parent's perfect little angle being kicked out of class for having Oily hair. We're not being told everything.
At this point in time we have only one view point, the parent's. And his girl can do no wrong.
I think there is FAR FAR FAR more to this story than one parent's perfect little angle being kicked out of class for having Oily hair. We're not being told everything.
At this point in time we have only one view point, the parent's. And his girl can do no wrong.
50
Charles, why is Holden blogging for you? Did the editors at the Stranger not trust you anymore?
Holden must be a racist, I mean, he's treating you like a child not letting you even blog this story anymore.
News at 11: White editors at Stranger deny token black man the right to blog for himself on story he first 'reported'.
Holden must be a racist, I mean, he's treating you like a child not letting you even blog this story anymore.
News at 11: White editors at Stranger deny token black man the right to blog for himself on story he first 'reported'.
51
@47: Except for the whole part about the school's legal counsel saying the district doesn't condone what the teacher did, and thinks the concern about the odor was mishandled.
@46: I'm not accusing the teacher of being a racist. I'm saying that if the events transpired as reported, she is not qualified to work with children. And yes, I'm also saying that, if you have one child in your classroom of 40 or so who is visibly different from all the rest and is 9 years old and learning to navigate the waters of being a minority, then singling them out for humiliation may not be racially motivated, but it sure is racially insensitive.
But my main point is that singling out a child for humiliation because they smell weird is a very, very bad way of handling the fact that you smell something you don't like.
@46: I'm not accusing the teacher of being a racist. I'm saying that if the events transpired as reported, she is not qualified to work with children. And yes, I'm also saying that, if you have one child in your classroom of 40 or so who is visibly different from all the rest and is 9 years old and learning to navigate the waters of being a minority, then singling them out for humiliation may not be racially motivated, but it sure is racially insensitive.
But my main point is that singling out a child for humiliation because they smell weird is a very, very bad way of handling the fact that you smell something you don't like.
52
Again, regardless of her motivation, if the teacher is that sensitive to smells, she should be in a different profession. Teachers have very little control over the environment they work in. Sometimes they get stuck with classrooms that are too hot, or too dark, or right next to the bathroom or cafeteria, or whatever. They need to adapt to that, and they need to adapt to whatever smells the kids bring into the classroom with them, which includes not only hair product and things like body spray, but laundry detergent and fabric softener. Unless the school allows her to send home a note to parents asking them to wash their children and their clothes in fragrance free, natural products, she needs to just deal.
And if she did have a migraine or stomach bug, or whatever...well, that's what subs are for. Even if it came on during the school day, they can call a sub in. Her version of the story (as told here, since we haven't heard from her firsthand) just doesn't wash.
And if she did have a migraine or stomach bug, or whatever...well, that's what subs are for. Even if it came on during the school day, they can call a sub in. Her version of the story (as told here, since we haven't heard from her firsthand) just doesn't wash.
53
" then singling them out for humiliation may not be racially motivated, but it sure is racially insensitive."
So we should treat black kids with kid gloves, not set them to the same standards, let them think every slight to them is racist...basically infantilize them so when they get out into the big wide world they are destined to failure.
Great idea; you can see the successes of that thinking all around us.
So we should treat black kids with kid gloves, not set them to the same standards, let them think every slight to them is racist...basically infantilize them so when they get out into the big wide world they are destined to failure.
Great idea; you can see the successes of that thinking all around us.
54
@53: If you'll read a little further down, my point was that this was a shitty way of treating any child. It's just made worse by the circumstances. But, and please read closely here:
It's a shitty way to treat any child.
Any person, for that matter. I wouldn't treat you that way, and you deserve it for fuck's sake.
It's a shitty way to treat any child.
Any person, for that matter. I wouldn't treat you that way, and you deserve it for fuck's sake.
55
@38: "How about jumping to conclusions based on her behavior? "
Unless it's based on racist behavior (and an aversion to a smell is not racist behavior), calling someone a racist simply because they are white are you are black is indeed an act of racism.
Unless it's based on racist behavior (and an aversion to a smell is not racist behavior), calling someone a racist simply because they are white are you are black is indeed an act of racism.
56
Yeah I'm not giving the teacher much benefit of the doubt. Isn't demoting a child to a lower class level an awfully *permanent* consequence for an issue that could have easily been fixed by at least the next day?
58
@17 "Posted by is there anything more nauseating than a Seattle Liberal?"
Sorry Teabagger, these are your people.
Sorry Teabagger, these are your people.
59
@ 48 - Good Lord, I don't know how you can wade through this thread. It's bad enough this happened at all, but now you have to read all this bullshit. I'm real sorry this happened to your kid. If it was my kid, I'd be livid too.
60
" I don't know how you can wade through this thread."
Yes, how can anyone not simply assume she was a racist?
Yes, how can anyone not simply assume she was a racist?
61
For what it's worth, I think I'd be enchanted to think of my child as a perfect little angle. There's something "Little Prince"-ish about it.
As for the rest of the story, Charles, your writing drives me mad sometimes. But this is some shit. How often bewildered kids are made to suffer because of "grown-ups" being jerks. This teacher was clearly in the wrong (I've spend a lot of time in both K-5 and 6-8 classrooms, and the idea that one could pick out a single offending chemical in the shifting sea of odorific crap kids plaster on themselves these days is absurd. I have no doubt that something, some chemical sensitivity, got to her. It's the instant zeroing-in on the one kinky-haired kid that's the giveaway.
As for the rest of the story, Charles, your writing drives me mad sometimes. But this is some shit. How often bewildered kids are made to suffer because of "grown-ups" being jerks. This teacher was clearly in the wrong (I've spend a lot of time in both K-5 and 6-8 classrooms, and the idea that one could pick out a single offending chemical in the shifting sea of odorific crap kids plaster on themselves these days is absurd. I have no doubt that something, some chemical sensitivity, got to her. It's the instant zeroing-in on the one kinky-haired kid that's the giveaway.
63
You guys are all smart and good at school and all right?
I need a word.
What's a word for when, you click on a file in windows, and like you just want to edit it in Notepad or some fast shit, but then it brings up a giant goober like Visual Web Studio and puts in like a thousand formating options and like once it starts loading you can't stop it ever...no matter how many times you click on the little black 'x' in the upper right.
What's the word for that?
I need a word.
What's a word for when, you click on a file in windows, and like you just want to edit it in Notepad or some fast shit, but then it brings up a giant goober like Visual Web Studio and puts in like a thousand formating options and like once it starts loading you can't stop it ever...no matter how many times you click on the little black 'x' in the upper right.
What's the word for that?
64
Lorran @ 43: For the win.
2pearls @ 42: The girl's feelings have been commented on numerous times in the other comment threads on the same topic.
2pearls @ 42: The girl's feelings have been commented on numerous times in the other comment threads on the same topic.
66
Can't we all agree that hair products in general (AXE, I'm looking at you) smell pretty bad, but that rarely do they justify any action beyond a wrinkled nose? But I'd say this teacher's not a racist; this teacher's just a colossal crank.
67
No doubt she is acute to the nth degree, but it seems deliberately obtuse of you to underline such an oblique point.
Charles, I suspect your daughter is a perfect little angle and can do no wrong.
No doubt she is acute to the nth degree, but it seems deliberately obtuse of you to underline such an oblique point.
68
Charles, so sorry your little girl has to endure this. Stick with it (and I know you will)!
Do any of you commenters know the difference between an "angle" and an "angel" (or am I missing some fine point--as I admittedly do a lot around here)?
Do any of you commenters know the difference between an "angle" and an "angel" (or am I missing some fine point--as I admittedly do a lot around here)?
70
i don't care if the teacher does has a chemical sensitivity. she doesn't get to put that student in another class. SHE HAS TO DEAL WITH IT OR FIND ANOTHER JOB. or wear a mask. if she has any issues with chemical sensitivity or anything other such problems that should be in her file and noted when she was hired and discussed then - not now that she's being a racist pig and trying to lie about why. this is so clearly racist and it really, really, really pisses me off that it's being stated as unequivocally NOT racist. i call bullshit on the entire thing and i feel badly for the young girl who has to find out what her school is really like in this way. they better get their shit together! this country is UNBELIEVABLE. it's 2010 people. this outdated concept of white people being superior to any and every other race is pure crap. again i am amazed at seattle. it wants to be a metropolis. it's just a highly segregated, provincial town that needs to get its head out of its ass!
71
Ugh.
As both a former grade school teacher and now "medical person," I can say that:
1) Charles is a bit ridiculous to demand 'medical evidence' that his daughter's hair/hair product created the teacher's nausea. Malaise and nausea are subjective, and there's really no medical test that "proves" someone is experiencing it. The best you'll be able to do is establish a prior history of nausea in association with smells, but linking it to just one person or product is not really possible in any definitive way.
2) I once asked a child to leave class because he had drenched himself in cologne. I wasn't about to vomit, but he reeked so badly that it completely disrupted everything. Think "stink bomb" level of intensity. I'm just saying it happens. I didn't send this kid to another classroom (because that would have been just as disruptive to those students), but I did send him to the phys ed department to take a shower. He admitted he overdid it (first time with cologne).
The only other smell that makes me literally want to heave is betel nut (bad experience). Fortunately that's not in the classroom much.
3) Getting a substitute requires work and advance notice. The teacher can't just run out of the classroom and leave everyone unsupervised. Each child needs to be in a place where there is an adult watching over them. It's a tough call. Do you send your ENTIRE class into the classroom next door because you feel sick? You're completely destroying that teacher's lesson plan, you're sending kids into a room where there's no place to sit, and you're probably violating the fire code. Do you just walk out and leave all the kids in the room alone? Nope, that's not safe either.
In other words, I can understand why this woman might have decided that the least disruptive thing to do was to place this child in another classroom (where presumably nobody else was bothered by her hair product). The fact that there were more black children in that classroom was unfortunate but probably purely incidental - I doubt she deliberately shopped around for the classroom with the most black kids in it. Obviously a lot of people think she made a bad decision, but a lot of the other options aren't controversy-free either.
4) I wonder if Charles is helping improve his daughters self-esteem (not to mention that of the other kids, white and black, in that school) with all this fuss, or if he's just making things worse with all this coverage.
5) The school will do everything possible to both throw the teacher under the bus and save face simultaneously, while denying any specific wrongdoing. They love the word 'inappropriate' because it's so vague. I know, I know - it doesn't make sense and it never works, but that's how they operate.
6) Maybe everyone should just give each other a little benefit of the doubt in this case, shake hands and apologize for all the drama and hurt feelings (BOTH SIDES), and try to be adults and put this episode behind them with some lessons learned. It might be a great thing for the kids to see.
More...
As both a former grade school teacher and now "medical person," I can say that:
1) Charles is a bit ridiculous to demand 'medical evidence' that his daughter's hair/hair product created the teacher's nausea. Malaise and nausea are subjective, and there's really no medical test that "proves" someone is experiencing it. The best you'll be able to do is establish a prior history of nausea in association with smells, but linking it to just one person or product is not really possible in any definitive way.
2) I once asked a child to leave class because he had drenched himself in cologne. I wasn't about to vomit, but he reeked so badly that it completely disrupted everything. Think "stink bomb" level of intensity. I'm just saying it happens. I didn't send this kid to another classroom (because that would have been just as disruptive to those students), but I did send him to the phys ed department to take a shower. He admitted he overdid it (first time with cologne).
The only other smell that makes me literally want to heave is betel nut (bad experience). Fortunately that's not in the classroom much.
3) Getting a substitute requires work and advance notice. The teacher can't just run out of the classroom and leave everyone unsupervised. Each child needs to be in a place where there is an adult watching over them. It's a tough call. Do you send your ENTIRE class into the classroom next door because you feel sick? You're completely destroying that teacher's lesson plan, you're sending kids into a room where there's no place to sit, and you're probably violating the fire code. Do you just walk out and leave all the kids in the room alone? Nope, that's not safe either.
In other words, I can understand why this woman might have decided that the least disruptive thing to do was to place this child in another classroom (where presumably nobody else was bothered by her hair product). The fact that there were more black children in that classroom was unfortunate but probably purely incidental - I doubt she deliberately shopped around for the classroom with the most black kids in it. Obviously a lot of people think she made a bad decision, but a lot of the other options aren't controversy-free either.
4) I wonder if Charles is helping improve his daughters self-esteem (not to mention that of the other kids, white and black, in that school) with all this fuss, or if he's just making things worse with all this coverage.
5) The school will do everything possible to both throw the teacher under the bus and save face simultaneously, while denying any specific wrongdoing. They love the word 'inappropriate' because it's so vague. I know, I know - it doesn't make sense and it never works, but that's how they operate.
6) Maybe everyone should just give each other a little benefit of the doubt in this case, shake hands and apologize for all the drama and hurt feelings (BOTH SIDES), and try to be adults and put this episode behind them with some lessons learned. It might be a great thing for the kids to see.
72
Did school just start? If a regularly used hair product is creating nausea in a teacher, when did the nausea start? I have no idea when kids are in school and such so maybe this was like the third day. ALSO teachers could easily ask a student to try a different hair-whatever if it is making them sick. was the move-to-another-classroom the first the student has heard of the situation?
73
@67: I just now reread your post. I guess I'm the one who's not very sharp, (especially at 5:54, Pennsylvania time, LOL)!
74
So, the teacher's actions could not have *possibly* been racially driven because the school district would not employ a racist.
Um, logic much?
Um, logic much?
76
Too funny, the Stranger's House Black suddenly thinks he's being treated like a Field Black so they call up Massa Dominic Holden to take over Mudede's blogging duties confirming that he is, in fact, The Stranger's Field Black.
78
Even without fixating on race or pseudo-scientific allergies and sensitivities:
The teacher used poor judgment: she effective shamed a child in front of the class. Leave race aside, children at that age will crucify a child for being asked to leave because they are "stinky". No need to search for racial bogeymans: this was a shitty teacher. A smart teacher, who was truly bothered by a child's hair product, cologne, etc would have sent a discreet note home to the parents with something along the lines of "just to let you know, I have extreme sensitivities.....yadda yadda".
You would think someone with a degree in education would have some common sense here. She deserves disipline for this poor judgement.
Charles: be honest. If your daughter had come home with a kindly worded note about the hair product would you have tried to be accomodating? Just curious.
The teacher used poor judgment: she effective shamed a child in front of the class. Leave race aside, children at that age will crucify a child for being asked to leave because they are "stinky". No need to search for racial bogeymans: this was a shitty teacher. A smart teacher, who was truly bothered by a child's hair product, cologne, etc would have sent a discreet note home to the parents with something along the lines of "just to let you know, I have extreme sensitivities.....yadda yadda".
You would think someone with a degree in education would have some common sense here. She deserves disipline for this poor judgement.
Charles: be honest. If your daughter had come home with a kindly worded note about the hair product would you have tried to be accomodating? Just curious.
79
PS: I shouldn't have used the word "fixating" in the above post. It implies I don't think there is a racial element here. There clearly is, I just think the action taken by the teacher in and of itself was wrong regardless of racial insensitivity.
80
You know the father is just trying the hit the boon lottery. Sue enough and something will stick.
81
THat's right folks, the new standard for racism doesn't have to be objective or fact-based, but merely ask: how does the black person 'feel' about their treatment.
From now on any black person who has been inconvenienced, slighted, ignored, looked at, talked about or hinted at, can charge racism and the charge, being the most important fact, must stick!
From now on any black person who has been inconvenienced, slighted, ignored, looked at, talked about or hinted at, can charge racism and the charge, being the most important fact, must stick!
82
@56 and the others who have suggested that Charles's daughter was "demoted" to a "lower level": No, she wasn't.
She is in APP, placed there because of her high performance on two tests (and no doubt, she continues to excel). Teachers can't kick you down to a non-APP program. I don't know all the details, but it sounds like the teacher (rightly or wrongly, racist-ly or not) had Charles's daughter leave the classroom for the moment. (Likewise, when a teacher "sends you to the principal," you are not evicted from your program.)
The girl was not sent down to the non-advanced program because the teacher didn't like something about her.
This is not how it works.
In our rush to brand the teacher a hateful racist (one who managed to keep her racism under wraps until the last month of the school year), let's not compound things.
She is in APP, placed there because of her high performance on two tests (and no doubt, she continues to excel). Teachers can't kick you down to a non-APP program. I don't know all the details, but it sounds like the teacher (rightly or wrongly, racist-ly or not) had Charles's daughter leave the classroom for the moment. (Likewise, when a teacher "sends you to the principal," you are not evicted from your program.)
The girl was not sent down to the non-advanced program because the teacher didn't like something about her.
This is not how it works.
In our rush to brand the teacher a hateful racist (one who managed to keep her racism under wraps until the last month of the school year), let's not compound things.
83
I fwould figure that Charles wouldn't be happy with his daughter being the only one of color in the class. It seems that the move is a good thing.
84
@68: My geometry professor, the late great Ron Sellke, told us that we were allowed to use "vertical angles are congruent" in proofs, but only so long as we spelled it correctly. No "verticle angels"!
85
I wonder how often she's accused of acting white for being in the APP class? I mean, using the standards of Sloggers, you just know that's what ALL the black kids are thinking about her.
86
Much of the teacher's potential wrongdoing depends on the finer points of how she handled the situation, and the context of her behavior throughout the school year.
Did she loudly announce that the girl "stinks" in front of all her classmates and then order her out of the room like some sort of pariah? [cruel, horrible]
Did she say "I really don't feel well. I think you might be wearing something that is making me feel sick?" [not deliberately cruel, but clueless unless extreme urgency of illness]
Or did she discretely ask the child to step out of the room and then explain her reasons to the child (or her parents) privately?
Has this teacher treated the child kindly and fairly all year until this incident, or has there been a continuous stream of small cruelties and petty dismissals? Have there been complaints of bias from other non-white students about this teacher?
If we have to keep hearing about this, I would very much like to hear the details of exactly how the teacher spoke to the student in front of the class (there should be plenty of witnesses), and exactly how Charles pursued this issue with the school administration. Did they never respond, or simply not the way he wanted them to? There are very few details in his original article, and I have a concern that he may abusing his position as a journalist to punish this woman.
The fact that the school district is vague and calling the teacher 'inappropriate' but 'not racist' is classic bureaucratic doubletalk from an organization that is terrified of a negative media blitz when the city newspaper is condemning one of their teachers of racial bias. It proves nothing.
It is possible that this woman is a horrible racist who dislikes non-white students and pointedly went out of her way to humiliate this child. Or it's possible that she is deeply insensitive to the point where she should lose her job and not be allowed to teach or be severely reprimanded and shamed for what she has done. On the other hand, these are terrible, awful things to accuse someone of, and Charles - your word alone just isn't good enough. You should present some real evidence before dragging this woman's name through the mud, or at least a more compelling story. Right now it's impossible to tell if you are righteously infuriated or just another entitled parent who is behaving like a bully because he can.
More...
Did she loudly announce that the girl "stinks" in front of all her classmates and then order her out of the room like some sort of pariah? [cruel, horrible]
Did she say "I really don't feel well. I think you might be wearing something that is making me feel sick?" [not deliberately cruel, but clueless unless extreme urgency of illness]
Or did she discretely ask the child to step out of the room and then explain her reasons to the child (or her parents) privately?
Has this teacher treated the child kindly and fairly all year until this incident, or has there been a continuous stream of small cruelties and petty dismissals? Have there been complaints of bias from other non-white students about this teacher?
If we have to keep hearing about this, I would very much like to hear the details of exactly how the teacher spoke to the student in front of the class (there should be plenty of witnesses), and exactly how Charles pursued this issue with the school administration. Did they never respond, or simply not the way he wanted them to? There are very few details in his original article, and I have a concern that he may abusing his position as a journalist to punish this woman.
The fact that the school district is vague and calling the teacher 'inappropriate' but 'not racist' is classic bureaucratic doubletalk from an organization that is terrified of a negative media blitz when the city newspaper is condemning one of their teachers of racial bias. It proves nothing.
It is possible that this woman is a horrible racist who dislikes non-white students and pointedly went out of her way to humiliate this child. Or it's possible that she is deeply insensitive to the point where she should lose her job and not be allowed to teach or be severely reprimanded and shamed for what she has done. On the other hand, these are terrible, awful things to accuse someone of, and Charles - your word alone just isn't good enough. You should present some real evidence before dragging this woman's name through the mud, or at least a more compelling story. Right now it's impossible to tell if you are righteously infuriated or just another entitled parent who is behaving like a bully because he can.
87
@83: I was often the only black person in the extended programs in my class. I'd still have chosen to be there rather than lose the opportunities offered in those sorts of programs. It's hard being the only minority, but harder still would have been to accept a lower level of education in order to be with people who shared my skin colour.
88
Charles: please address the question of whether your daughter was, in fact, "demoted" to the non-APP program. That's the impression you've given a lot of commenters.
89
"Much of the teacher's potential wrongdoing depends on the finer points of how she handled the situation"
But this is a charge of racism. Details and allowing the accused to defend themselves are not acceptable. Trust me, I know.
But this is a charge of racism. Details and allowing the accused to defend themselves are not acceptable. Trust me, I know.
90
"Much of the teacher's potential wrongdoing depends on the finer points of how she handled the situation"
And remember, most the worst knee-jerk, so-call 'anti-racists' are closet communists so the priogram goes like this:
Accusation
Denouncement
Public humiliation
reeducation/execution
At no point do 'facts' and a 'defense' enter into the equation. That's how Mudede the Marxist operates.
And remember, most the worst knee-jerk, so-call 'anti-racists' are closet communists so the priogram goes like this:
Accusation
Denouncement
Public humiliation
reeducation/execution
At no point do 'facts' and a 'defense' enter into the equation. That's how Mudede the Marxist operates.
91
Oh I forgot one more part of the program:
The part where the screaming, hysterical mob (aka SLoggers) kicks and punches the accused, sticks a dunce hat on their heads and drags them through the streets.
The part where the screaming, hysterical mob (aka SLoggers) kicks and punches the accused, sticks a dunce hat on their heads and drags them through the streets.
92
the girl should change hair products. pretty simple solution, but I'm sure Charles wouldn't agree.
Certain fragrances cause my eyes to water/itch or my sinus' to immediately become stuffed to a point where I can no longer breath through my nose. One product I was using for several weeks before I figured out it was the culprit.
I can totally understand that the teacher took some time to determine what exactly it was that made her feel ill. The teacher could/should have handled this differently - but to say it was only race motivated is ridiculous.
Certain fragrances cause my eyes to water/itch or my sinus' to immediately become stuffed to a point where I can no longer breath through my nose. One product I was using for several weeks before I figured out it was the culprit.
I can totally understand that the teacher took some time to determine what exactly it was that made her feel ill. The teacher could/should have handled this differently - but to say it was only race motivated is ridiculous.
93
"but to say it was only race motivated is ridiculous."
Look, Mudede knows how to play the race game. First he makes an idiotic post about an Asian girl with a doll with blond hair (Hey Charles, maybe the doll's from Harajuku?).
Then, all of a sudden, he invents this racist attack against his family, complete with hair issues! how convenient! And Mudede knows that it is only the accusation of racism that matters to the Pavlov leftists on Slog. Facts or defense?
Fuck 'em.
But Charles now has the white guy, Holden, taking care of business here on Slog. It's back to the fields for the Stranger's House Black.
Look, Mudede knows how to play the race game. First he makes an idiotic post about an Asian girl with a doll with blond hair (Hey Charles, maybe the doll's from Harajuku?).
Then, all of a sudden, he invents this racist attack against his family, complete with hair issues! how convenient! And Mudede knows that it is only the accusation of racism that matters to the Pavlov leftists on Slog. Facts or defense?
Fuck 'em.
But Charles now has the white guy, Holden, taking care of business here on Slog. It's back to the fields for the Stranger's House Black.
94
IMHO, Yeek is giving the most reasoned, thoughtful responses to this hailstorm of a story (#71 & 86).
And that is all I have to say. About this story. At this time.
And that is all I have to say. About this story. At this time.
95
The teacher's behavior was absolutely wrong. Charles rightly called her on it. The school district better resolve this. There's nothing else to say.
97
Sounds like SLOG and DH has already concluded that race WAS a factor. Otherwise why mention the fact that the lower-placement class has "more black kids"?
So the district can't claim that race wasn't a factor because they don't have all the information. But DH is happy to infer that race WAS a factor even though he probably has even less information.
SLOG - Judge, Jury and Executionor
The girl was removed from an advanced placement class, where she was the only black student, and moved to a lower-placement class with more black kids.
Sounds like SLOG and DH has already concluded that race WAS a factor. Otherwise why mention the fact that the lower-placement class has "more black kids"?
So the district can't claim that race wasn't a factor because they don't have all the information. But DH is happy to infer that race WAS a factor even though he probably has even less information.
SLOG - Judge, Jury and Executionor
98
Charles, WOW...I am SO SORRY that your family has to go through this crap!The person who should have been removed from the class should have been the teacher.It's simple...The teacher needed to have excused herself, gone to the office to take a "sick day" and drove her butt straight to the doctors to get her symptoms checked out if it was REALLY THAT bad to have a child REMOVED???!As a black woman with a bi-racial 7 yr. old daughter...I am angered by the ignorance of many who fear the "R" word("Racist").Oh, and of course it just HAD to be the advanced placement teacher...that one goes WAY back in the history of too many American schools/classrooms when it comes to very bright children of color.Ya' think maybe it's a little suspicous that a no brainer note/email WAS NOT sent home to the parents first,"Hey your kid's hair product makes me feel quessey...can you please use something else or I will have to ask her to go to the OFFICE."...no... asshole chooses to degrade,demote, and riducule a child's self esteem by basically kickign her out and putting her in the "average" class instead. Great problem solving skills ...HELLO?????This matter is SO not funny and I think needs to be pursued until the end. There are too many implications for so many other brown children if this issue just slides under the rug.Hair for black/bi-racial is about race...Do the best you can to help your daughter feel pride in her ethnic beauty while going through this.Please give updates.- Hilary Patterson (remember me?lol)
99
for those who don't see how this could possibly have racial implications...try reading a book on the politics of hair. I'm not really sure how this kind of thing can happen and people can deny any connection to the history of black women's hair and the politics around it. I can only assume that there's just no context/background. Here's a preliminary reading list:
Getting Hair "Fixed": Black Power, Transvaluation, and Hair Politics
The Politics of Black Women's Hair
Hair Story : Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women
Additionally, a lot of the arguments against this being 'racially motivated' involve intentionality. When one person hurts another, intent has very little to do with what damage is done. Racism is no different.
Getting Hair "Fixed": Black Power, Transvaluation, and Hair Politics
The Politics of Black Women's Hair
Hair Story : Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women
Additionally, a lot of the arguments against this being 'racially motivated' involve intentionality. When one person hurts another, intent has very little to do with what damage is done. Racism is no different.
100
One thing is for certain - the teacher's career will be totally trashed, whether she was in the wrong or not. The school district will dump her in order to not appear racist.
Charles is quiet on an awful lot about this. I'd love to know exactly how the child was asked to leave. Was she called up to the front of the class and called stinky or was she just quietly pulled aside and asked to leave with no reason given at the time - the reason being passed along to the parents in a note or something? The later is no big deal - it happens all the time for all sorts of reasons. It is not the "great humiliation" that so many seem to think it is.
Was the teacher offended by the smell or did she have an allergic reaction?
Charles is quiet on an awful lot about this. I'd love to know exactly how the child was asked to leave. Was she called up to the front of the class and called stinky or was she just quietly pulled aside and asked to leave with no reason given at the time - the reason being passed along to the parents in a note or something? The later is no big deal - it happens all the time for all sorts of reasons. It is not the "great humiliation" that so many seem to think it is.
Was the teacher offended by the smell or did she have an allergic reaction?
101
"Getting Hair "Fixed": Black Power, Transvaluation, and Hair Politics
The Politics of Black Women's Hair"
Sounds like a real page turner....yawn.
The Politics of Black Women's Hair"
Sounds like a real page turner....yawn.
102
What makes this racial, in my opinion, is that the teacher, if she HAD to send a child out of her classroom as the ONLY solution to her "sensitivity", sent a black girl to the majority black class, one that was NOT a part of the same program, when there is ANOTHER advanced 3rd grade classroom. It smacks of "go be with your own kind".
The advanced classrooms in the same grade often work together or at least on the same topics at the same time. Chances are the little girl, if she HAD to be sent out of the class (not that I think that was the best option), could have sat in on lessons similar to her own classwork had the choice been made to send her to the other advanced 3rd grade. Instead, she was sent to a class where they were covering entirely different material AND material that she probably covered two years ago.
Unfortunately, there's a long history of cultural ignorance when it comes to APP and children of color. This is just another example. And they wonder why parents of color often steer their kids elsewhere even when they qualify.
The advanced classrooms in the same grade often work together or at least on the same topics at the same time. Chances are the little girl, if she HAD to be sent out of the class (not that I think that was the best option), could have sat in on lessons similar to her own classwork had the choice been made to send her to the other advanced 3rd grade. Instead, she was sent to a class where they were covering entirely different material AND material that she probably covered two years ago.
Unfortunately, there's a long history of cultural ignorance when it comes to APP and children of color. This is just another example. And they wonder why parents of color often steer their kids elsewhere even when they qualify.
103
"here's a long history of cultural ignorance when it comes to APP"
Oh please, give us some examples why don't you, and for fun, use ebonics.
Oh please, give us some examples why don't you, and for fun, use ebonics.
104
I certainly find it very easy to accept that the teacher had a reaction to the product in question.
Interestingly the SPS is still involved with litigation over a Nathan Hale teacher's termination because the moldy environs of Hale left her medically unable to continue working. The SPS did not believe it and terminated the teacher.
Interestingly the SPS is still involved with litigation over a Nathan Hale teacher's termination because the moldy environs of Hale left her medically unable to continue working. The SPS did not believe it and terminated the teacher.
105
It's funny but a lot of the concerns voiced in early posts on this thread have been addressed. A lot of the people who were ranting at the teacher were simply wrong.
Here are some additional bits of information that may help future commentors from undue contempt:
The teacher's sensitivity was a recent development.
The teacher did send messages to the students' homes advising them of her newly developed sensitivity and asking families to reduce their children's use of fragrances.
Mr. Mudede's daughter spent part of a day in another classroom when the teacher had a reaction to the hair treatment, and then the child returned to class the next day with the hair treatment again.
Regardless of the teacher's relative sensitivity to the student's culture, where is the student's family's sensitivity to the teacher's legitimate health concerns?
Aside from all of the conjecture about how the teacher addressed the problem - and nearly everything written about it here is conjecture - how and why did this become about race and culture when we are talking about a physiological reaction to a chemical? How does a student's choice in cosmetics take precendence over the teacher's health?
What solution seems most reasonable?
A) The teacher is re-assigned - disrupting the entire class
B) The student is re-assigned - disrupting the student's school year
C) The student makes another choice in hair treatment - disrupting the student's free choice in cosmetics
D) The student persists in the use of the hair treatment - resulting in the teacher's health being compromised
I'm thinking the student should just put something else in her hair. What principle does that compromise? What principle puts one person's choice in cosmetics over another person's health?
More...
Here are some additional bits of information that may help future commentors from undue contempt:
The teacher's sensitivity was a recent development.
The teacher did send messages to the students' homes advising them of her newly developed sensitivity and asking families to reduce their children's use of fragrances.
Mr. Mudede's daughter spent part of a day in another classroom when the teacher had a reaction to the hair treatment, and then the child returned to class the next day with the hair treatment again.
Regardless of the teacher's relative sensitivity to the student's culture, where is the student's family's sensitivity to the teacher's legitimate health concerns?
Aside from all of the conjecture about how the teacher addressed the problem - and nearly everything written about it here is conjecture - how and why did this become about race and culture when we are talking about a physiological reaction to a chemical? How does a student's choice in cosmetics take precendence over the teacher's health?
What solution seems most reasonable?
A) The teacher is re-assigned - disrupting the entire class
B) The student is re-assigned - disrupting the student's school year
C) The student makes another choice in hair treatment - disrupting the student's free choice in cosmetics
D) The student persists in the use of the hair treatment - resulting in the teacher's health being compromised
I'm thinking the student should just put something else in her hair. What principle does that compromise? What principle puts one person's choice in cosmetics over another person's health?
106
"how and why did this become about race and culture"
Are you kidding? That's the only reason The Stranger hired Mudede, to make everything about race; you think all those white guys working there know that olive oil, balsamic and a touch of virulent anti-racism make for a great dressing?
However, now Holden has started blogging for Mudede, thereby kicking their token house black out to work in the fields again so, c'est la vie.
Are you kidding? That's the only reason The Stranger hired Mudede, to make everything about race; you think all those white guys working there know that olive oil, balsamic and a touch of virulent anti-racism make for a great dressing?
However, now Holden has started blogging for Mudede, thereby kicking their token house black out to work in the fields again so, c'est la vie.
107
@105 - It's a shame you're unregistered because many will not read your comments. That bit about the teacher sending home information to all the parents about her sensitivities to fragrances well before this incident and the other bit about Charles repeatedly sending his daughter to school with the hair treatment, knowing full well that the teacher was sensitive to it, says a lot.
I had a feeling that Charles was leaving a lot out in order to make himself (and his daughter) look the victim.
I had a feeling that Charles was leaving a lot out in order to make himself (and his daughter) look the victim.
108
@3 um no. you are basically wrong. extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality. however the "best" olive oil is the one the is appropriate for how it will be used. it would be silly for several reasons to make a pastry with extra virgin olive oil. before you go around calling people idiots you should make sure that you're not just spewing bullshit. which you were.
109
So everyone can see what one (apparently informed) unregistered commenter is saying (@105):
"It's funny but a lot of the concerns voiced in early posts on this thread have been addressed. A lot of the people who were ranting at the teacher were simply wrong.
Here are some additional bits of information that may help future commentors from undue contempt:
The teacher's sensitivity was a recent development.
The teacher did send messages to the students' homes advising them of her newly developed sensitivity and asking families to reduce their children's use of fragrances.
Mr. Mudede's daughter spent part of a day in another classroom when the teacher had a reaction to the hair treatment, and then the child returned to class the next day with the hair treatment again.
Regardless of the teacher's relative sensitivity to the student's culture, where is the student's family's sensitivity to the teacher's legitimate health concerns?
Aside from all of the conjecture about how the teacher addressed the problem - and nearly everything written about it here is conjecture - how and why did this become about race and culture when we are talking about a physiological reaction to a chemical? How does a student's choice in cosmetics take precendence over the teacher's health?
What solution seems most reasonable?
A) The teacher is re-assigned - disrupting the entire class
B) The student is re-assigned - disrupting the student's school year
C) The student makes another choice in hair treatment - disrupting the student's free choice in cosmetics
D) The student persists in the use of the hair treatment - resulting in the teacher's health being compromised
I'm thinking the student should just put something else in her hair. What principle does that compromise? What principle puts one person's choice in cosmetics over another person's health?"
More...
"It's funny but a lot of the concerns voiced in early posts on this thread have been addressed. A lot of the people who were ranting at the teacher were simply wrong.
Here are some additional bits of information that may help future commentors from undue contempt:
The teacher's sensitivity was a recent development.
The teacher did send messages to the students' homes advising them of her newly developed sensitivity and asking families to reduce their children's use of fragrances.
Mr. Mudede's daughter spent part of a day in another classroom when the teacher had a reaction to the hair treatment, and then the child returned to class the next day with the hair treatment again.
Regardless of the teacher's relative sensitivity to the student's culture, where is the student's family's sensitivity to the teacher's legitimate health concerns?
Aside from all of the conjecture about how the teacher addressed the problem - and nearly everything written about it here is conjecture - how and why did this become about race and culture when we are talking about a physiological reaction to a chemical? How does a student's choice in cosmetics take precendence over the teacher's health?
What solution seems most reasonable?
A) The teacher is re-assigned - disrupting the entire class
B) The student is re-assigned - disrupting the student's school year
C) The student makes another choice in hair treatment - disrupting the student's free choice in cosmetics
D) The student persists in the use of the hair treatment - resulting in the teacher's health being compromised
I'm thinking the student should just put something else in her hair. What principle does that compromise? What principle puts one person's choice in cosmetics over another person's health?"
110
"The teacher did send messages to the students' homes advising them of her newly developed sensitivity and asking families to reduce their children's use of fragrances."
So it's Mudede who is the self-centered, narrow-minded, selfish, bigot for not caring about his daughter's teacher's health. Go figure.
And Asian girls carry white dolls because...? Maybe because they parents don't want their kids to behave black. Just look at Cambodians and Filipinos.
So it's Mudede who is the self-centered, narrow-minded, selfish, bigot for not caring about his daughter's teacher's health. Go figure.
And Asian girls carry white dolls because...? Maybe because they parents don't want their kids to behave black. Just look at Cambodians and Filipinos.
112
This has got to be one of the most backassward cries of racism I've ever heard.
Mudede and the Stranger editors should be fucking ashamed for allowing this bullshit to be published.
Was the teacher's response in poor form? Yes
Now put yourself in the teacher's shoes...You've sent messages to the parents of the students in your class, explaining that due to recent construction at your home, you have an increased sensitivity and/or allergies to fragrances in cosmetics. You have asked said parents to please have the students reduce and/or avoid the use of those cosmetics as it makes you nauseous to the point of fainting. You have determined that the most nauseating odor comes from a product that one particular student uses. That same student comes to class the next day wearing the same offending product in her hair. You remove the student from the class in order to avoid becoming ill, and thereby disrupting the class for the other 25+ students.
How is that any different than removing a student who is disrupting the class in any other manner? A loud/rowdy student would be removed. A student who is wearing inappropriate/offensive clothing would be removed. A student who disobeyed the teacher would be removed.
Now ask yourselves...Was the teacher's response in poor form? Probably. Was it understandable given the circumstances? Completely.
HOWEVER..was the teacher's response racist? You've got to be fucking kidding me...
A student's ACTIONS disrupted the (white) teacher's ability to function in the classroom thereby disrupting the entire class. The student, who happens to be black (and 8 years old--an age where seemingly her parents can control what she wears in her hair), chose to wear a cosmetic that had previously been identified as offensive to the general health of the teacher (and possibly others). The student was removed from the classroom for the sake of continuing the studies of the remaining members of the class.
But (the girl's father) Charles Mudede has logic is so fucking flawed, due in large part to his hyper-sensitivity about race, that he cannot see his (seemingly) smart, productive daughter's opportunities via the APP, but rather how a white teacher has devised an evil plan to perpetuate discrimination against black people!
Rather than FOLLOWING THROUGH on attempts to speak with the school administration about the situation, he used his position of power via the "media" to stir up support for his PERCEPTION of this "racist" attack on his daughter by publishing an article in the Stranger and contacting KIRO 7 to do a story on the incident (where ironically, there is no mention of race WHATSOEVER).
Mudede has now lawyered up for a big battle over something that should not even be an issue, except that this man thinks that we still live in the 50's. His "cause" has been taken over by another hack on the Stranger staff, so as not to expose himself for the fraud he is.
Most disturbing, though, is that his daughter has been kept out of the classroom for over a week while daddy postures about the sky falling...
Do your daughter, the school and all of us a favor Mudede...resign and STFU
More...
Mudede and the Stranger editors should be fucking ashamed for allowing this bullshit to be published.
Was the teacher's response in poor form? Yes
Now put yourself in the teacher's shoes...You've sent messages to the parents of the students in your class, explaining that due to recent construction at your home, you have an increased sensitivity and/or allergies to fragrances in cosmetics. You have asked said parents to please have the students reduce and/or avoid the use of those cosmetics as it makes you nauseous to the point of fainting. You have determined that the most nauseating odor comes from a product that one particular student uses. That same student comes to class the next day wearing the same offending product in her hair. You remove the student from the class in order to avoid becoming ill, and thereby disrupting the class for the other 25+ students.
How is that any different than removing a student who is disrupting the class in any other manner? A loud/rowdy student would be removed. A student who is wearing inappropriate/offensive clothing would be removed. A student who disobeyed the teacher would be removed.
Now ask yourselves...Was the teacher's response in poor form? Probably. Was it understandable given the circumstances? Completely.
HOWEVER..was the teacher's response racist? You've got to be fucking kidding me...
A student's ACTIONS disrupted the (white) teacher's ability to function in the classroom thereby disrupting the entire class. The student, who happens to be black (and 8 years old--an age where seemingly her parents can control what she wears in her hair), chose to wear a cosmetic that had previously been identified as offensive to the general health of the teacher (and possibly others). The student was removed from the classroom for the sake of continuing the studies of the remaining members of the class.
But (the girl's father) Charles Mudede has logic is so fucking flawed, due in large part to his hyper-sensitivity about race, that he cannot see his (seemingly) smart, productive daughter's opportunities via the APP, but rather how a white teacher has devised an evil plan to perpetuate discrimination against black people!
Rather than FOLLOWING THROUGH on attempts to speak with the school administration about the situation, he used his position of power via the "media" to stir up support for his PERCEPTION of this "racist" attack on his daughter by publishing an article in the Stranger and contacting KIRO 7 to do a story on the incident (where ironically, there is no mention of race WHATSOEVER).
Mudede has now lawyered up for a big battle over something that should not even be an issue, except that this man thinks that we still live in the 50's. His "cause" has been taken over by another hack on the Stranger staff, so as not to expose himself for the fraud he is.
Most disturbing, though, is that his daughter has been kept out of the classroom for over a week while daddy postures about the sky falling...
Do your daughter, the school and all of us a favor Mudede...resign and STFU
113
Just saw a TV truck outside the school in question and spoke with the crew. I think they said the NAACP is filing suit, but also I had a 2nd grader vying for my attention—so don't quote me.
The crew seemed to get all their facts from the Stranger. The school district is unable to respond due to the legal stuff.
I sure hope the teacher is guilty, because if s/he's not, everyone is going to think s/he is anyway.
The crew seemed to get all their facts from the Stranger. The school district is unable to respond due to the legal stuff.
I sure hope the teacher is guilty, because if s/he's not, everyone is going to think s/he is anyway.
114
Did I miss Slog covering the white kid who got his ass whooped in a hate crime? Slog covered that, right?
115
"I sure hope the teacher is guilty, because if s/he's not, everyone is going to think s/he is anyway."
I won't...but you're right, the spoon-fed morons will think she's guilty, with or without facts. After all, everyones knows the charge of racism is more important than anything. Just look at me!
I won't...but you're right, the spoon-fed morons will think she's guilty, with or without facts. After all, everyones knows the charge of racism is more important than anything. Just look at me!
116
Why has slog totally and seemingly deliberately ignored the story of Shane McClellan, the white West Seattle teen who was beaten almost to death and burned while being held captive for hours by a black and an Pacific Islander (Samoan probably), all because he is WHITE?
Why has slog completely ignored this important story? IT IS NATIONAL NEWS YOU STONED LIBERAL DIPSHITS!
Why has slog completely ignored this important story? IT IS NATIONAL NEWS YOU STONED LIBERAL DIPSHITS!
117
I cannot believe how the liberals think, one said that if the teacher can’t handle scents that she should quit and find another job. WTF, so say I have a job somewhere and that there is a lot of noise and that I am starting to go deaf from the noise. I ask my employer for some ear plugs to save my hearing and his response is if you can’t handle the noise quit and gets a job somewhere else. How stupid, but that’s what one comment suggested. Also Charles the moron that he is states that his daughter has the right to the freedom to choose her hair care products, true but Charles your daughters rights end where someone else’s rights begin. By reading most of the liberal comments I am shocked you are going to drag this great western civilization in to a third world status. I say this because you would rather drag everybody down to the lowest common denominator, rather than raise everybody that is able to the greatest common denominator. Those unable or unwilling to be raised up to the greatest common denominator should nay must be left by the way side so they are not a burden to a productive civilized society.
118
nwordmania dot net !!!! All human races welcome!!! No nwords allowed, they are not human! Tons of fun and loads of TRUTH about the plague that is the nwords!!!!
119
@ 114 of course not it does not fit there liberal agenda that minorities can do no wrong and white people are evil.
121
If there is really a racist teacher here, isn't it curious that this problem first appears at the end of the school year after the student has been in this classroom without incident for nearly 9 months? If the teacher were as described, wouldn't one expect there to have been signs of it earlier? Wouldn't the parents, who have met the teacher on previous occasions in parent conferences and open house nights, have detected something? The teacher almost certainly exercised very poor judgment, and the student almost certainly felt stigmatized, but bad judgment or insensitivity leading to embarrassment and hurt feelings surely doesn't equal racism. Does it?
123
Oh look, Charles is the the Seattle Times, making his 'allegations'. Now the whole city knows what a jackass you are, congratulations.
Good luck with your lawsuit, too, I'm sure they'll pay you off no matter what. Then every teacher who ever teaches your daughter, from now on, will treat her like kyptonite and will never chastise, criticize, argue or question her. She'll grow up protected from reality and real life, in a safe bubble where any questioning or challenging of her can be ignored as 'racism'.
She will have the emotional development of an 8 year old. Like her father.
Good luck with your lawsuit, too, I'm sure they'll pay you off no matter what. Then every teacher who ever teaches your daughter, from now on, will treat her like kyptonite and will never chastise, criticize, argue or question her. She'll grow up protected from reality and real life, in a safe bubble where any questioning or challenging of her can be ignored as 'racism'.
She will have the emotional development of an 8 year old. Like her father.
124
That teacher was wrong wrong wrong.... I should know.... I teach high school and deal with a lot of student smells all the time. And I have migraines that make me sensitive to smell.
My solutions? Open the doors. Walk away from the odor. Tell kids to put offending items away (sharpies, nail polish, perfume spray bottles, etc.). Hold my breath while near students who smell too strongly.
Three times in 15 years I have asked school counselors to address hygiene issues because these kids were so consistently bad smelling. Once, I addressed it myself after class. I would never, ever mention a kid's smell during class or in front of anyone else. Students are self-conscious enough: public shaming about their smell is the last thing I would do. I consider my sensitivity my problem, unless kids seem like they might really be neglecting their personal hygiene in a major way, day after day.
And yes, I have called a sub a few times over the years when I have a terrible migraine that won't allow me to continue to teach for the day. That teacher is unforgiveable to put herself first and be so incredibly racially insensitive. She needs a different career.
My solutions? Open the doors. Walk away from the odor. Tell kids to put offending items away (sharpies, nail polish, perfume spray bottles, etc.). Hold my breath while near students who smell too strongly.
Three times in 15 years I have asked school counselors to address hygiene issues because these kids were so consistently bad smelling. Once, I addressed it myself after class. I would never, ever mention a kid's smell during class or in front of anyone else. Students are self-conscious enough: public shaming about their smell is the last thing I would do. I consider my sensitivity my problem, unless kids seem like they might really be neglecting their personal hygiene in a major way, day after day.
And yes, I have called a sub a few times over the years when I have a terrible migraine that won't allow me to continue to teach for the day. That teacher is unforgiveable to put herself first and be so incredibly racially insensitive. She needs a different career.
126
"That teacher was wrong wrong wrong..."
Really? You've heard her side of the story because no one else has.
Really? You've heard her side of the story because no one else has.
127
"Hold my breath while near students who smell too strongly."
hold your breath near Mudede's kid and he'll call you a racist.
hold your breath near Mudede's kid and he'll call you a racist.
128
I think 124 has a good handle on the way the teacher should have acted.
On the other hand, the teacher acting the way she did could easily have been as a result of inexperience or general loserishness rather than racism.
I used to work down the hall from some women who liked to burn scented candles in their office. I could not abide the smell from thirty feet away. I could not work while that smell was present, and I was not in the same room with them. My wife likes scented candles as well, but none are burned in our house because I would be driven insane. This is just to say that the smell of different products have different impact on different people and smell brings up powerful reactions in people. I can't tolerate being in a room with scented candles, but I doubt that I could get a note from my doctor to that effect.
The teacher certainly handled things poorly and there are lots of things she should have done differently, but you know, teachers handle things poorly all the time. Your daughter is going to have other teachers handle other things poorly in the future. That will be true whether you continue to have her enrolled in classes where she is the only black child or whether you put her in a class with all black students and teachers. There is no question that the teacher should be corrected on her behavior so that she knows how to better handle things like this in the future, but her behavior was not necessarily due to racism.
You are going to have to decide how you are going to handle incidents like this in the future. If your daughter continues to be the only black student in her classes, does it meant that every time in the future a teacher handles something poorly it will be because your daughter is the only black student in the class? Or will you be open to the idea that the teachers handle things poorly with lots of different kids and sometimes the kid involved will be yours, but every time the kid involved is yours there will be a racial difference as long as she is the only black student?
Every student has something go poorly with one or more teachers. I have some doozies in my own past including in an AP class in high school. That teacher and I were the same race and she lied and acted unfairly and I eventually had to finish the school year in another non-AP class (although I still got to take the AP exam). This kind of behavior does not require racial animus. It can come about just because teachers are imperfect.
More...
On the other hand, the teacher acting the way she did could easily have been as a result of inexperience or general loserishness rather than racism.
I used to work down the hall from some women who liked to burn scented candles in their office. I could not abide the smell from thirty feet away. I could not work while that smell was present, and I was not in the same room with them. My wife likes scented candles as well, but none are burned in our house because I would be driven insane. This is just to say that the smell of different products have different impact on different people and smell brings up powerful reactions in people. I can't tolerate being in a room with scented candles, but I doubt that I could get a note from my doctor to that effect.
The teacher certainly handled things poorly and there are lots of things she should have done differently, but you know, teachers handle things poorly all the time. Your daughter is going to have other teachers handle other things poorly in the future. That will be true whether you continue to have her enrolled in classes where she is the only black child or whether you put her in a class with all black students and teachers. There is no question that the teacher should be corrected on her behavior so that she knows how to better handle things like this in the future, but her behavior was not necessarily due to racism.
You are going to have to decide how you are going to handle incidents like this in the future. If your daughter continues to be the only black student in her classes, does it meant that every time in the future a teacher handles something poorly it will be because your daughter is the only black student in the class? Or will you be open to the idea that the teachers handle things poorly with lots of different kids and sometimes the kid involved will be yours, but every time the kid involved is yours there will be a racial difference as long as she is the only black student?
Every student has something go poorly with one or more teachers. I have some doozies in my own past including in an AP class in high school. That teacher and I were the same race and she lied and acted unfairly and I eventually had to finish the school year in another non-AP class (although I still got to take the AP exam). This kind of behavior does not require racial animus. It can come about just because teachers are imperfect.
129
"Or will you be open to the idea that the teachers handle things poorly with lots of different kids and sometimes the kid involved will be yours, but every time the kid involved is yours there will be a racial difference as long as she is the only black student?"
I hope it's the latter, that every thing that goes wrong for her in life is because she's black. Then she can be a 25 year old, unemployed, single mother of three who goes nuts at every school meeting I attend because, goddammit, everyone's racist towards her.
I hope it's the latter, that every thing that goes wrong for her in life is because she's black. Then she can be a 25 year old, unemployed, single mother of three who goes nuts at every school meeting I attend because, goddammit, everyone's racist towards her.
130
daaaang,#129, it sounds like this particular story has touched a nerve as your comments started flippant enough but have now progressed to "a 25 year old, unemployed, single mother of three who goes nuts at every school meeting,etc"....
funny how some story like this would make you reflect about your own life and its issues about race....
what's your motivation?
ah mixed/black people. always complainin' about somethin'.
funny how some story like this would make you reflect about your own life and its issues about race....
what's your motivation?
ah mixed/black people. always complainin' about somethin'.
132
There is so much to this story that deserves examination. Nobody ought to be in someone else's space with an odor that is evident to a person who is more than a foot or two away - whether it is due to poor hygiene or the wearing of a substance, natural or chemical. It is just plain self-indulgent and rude. Subtle colognes, and perfumes if used sparingly are not likely to trouble others, but the volume is the issue, and this hair stuff likely smelled from a distance.
That being said, the teacher likely had other options, unless perhaps she asked nicely on other days and was blown off by the kid. The next step with a child this age would be to work with the parents, principle and/or both. In the interim, you change the kid's desk to make sure it is on the other side of the class, and get on with teaching.
If you are one of those nuts 'allergic' to everything, then remove yourself from polite society and move into a sealed bubble somewhere as such folks are pathetic.
And Charles, you know better as a journalist to not become part of the story. You get a pass at the first person article, but did you really ask to be the one to interview the school district? They rightfully declined the opportunity but gave an interview to a colleague as they should.
This should be interesting to watch play out.
That being said, the teacher likely had other options, unless perhaps she asked nicely on other days and was blown off by the kid. The next step with a child this age would be to work with the parents, principle and/or both. In the interim, you change the kid's desk to make sure it is on the other side of the class, and get on with teaching.
If you are one of those nuts 'allergic' to everything, then remove yourself from polite society and move into a sealed bubble somewhere as such folks are pathetic.
And Charles, you know better as a journalist to not become part of the story. You get a pass at the first person article, but did you really ask to be the one to interview the school district? They rightfully declined the opportunity but gave an interview to a colleague as they should.
This should be interesting to watch play out.
133
@132 yea agreed. And I have to say a hair product made out of olive oil sounds pretty unoffensive.
I think they are probably correct in saying the teacher isn't racist and race has nothing to do with the thinking of this teacher. But really that's probably the problem. It shows deep ignorance to kick a black girl out of the classroom due to her hair product.
"because the district would not tolerate employment of a teacher that has racial animosity towards a student." is just a blatant strawman.
I think they are probably correct in saying the teacher isn't racist and race has nothing to do with the thinking of this teacher. But really that's probably the problem. It shows deep ignorance to kick a black girl out of the classroom due to her hair product.
"because the district would not tolerate employment of a teacher that has racial animosity towards a student." is just a blatant strawman.
134
@132: "And Charles, you know better as a journalist to not become part of the story."
Good one. (Are you familiar with The Stranger? Writers becoming part of the story is their bread and butter.)
Good one. (Are you familiar with The Stranger? Writers becoming part of the story is their bread and butter.)
135
It's so frustrating. Everything about this story, other than Charles's feelings and web reviews of the product, is "maybe," "probably," "likely"... there's NOTHING but speculation about the actual inciting event.
Charles is mad, but he wasn't in the classroom that day. We haven't heard from the people who were there, with the exception of one child—and that via hearsay.
I'm not saying Charles doesn't have other information—I'm sure he does, and has reasons for proceeding as he has—but WE the readers, commenters, KING, KIRO, the Seattle Times and all the other uncritical parrots, we are getting outraged over what is essentially a wisp of second-hand information.
We are not even getting basic CORRECT facts about the school, the "advanced" program, the size and ethnic constitution of the classrooms, or the school's rules and procedures. I know enough of the facts to notice significant mistakes, mischaracterizations, and omissions—but that's the job of a journalist, isn't it: Who-What-When-Where-Why. Seems simple enough, but apparently it's not the province of our local newsmongers.
Now this casually constructed narrative and all its damage is going viral. My disgust at this has nothing whatever to do with the original incident, whatever that was. Despite all this ugly brouhaha, I know nothing about what happened at school that day.
All you who were there, feel free to fill us in.
Charles is mad, but he wasn't in the classroom that day. We haven't heard from the people who were there, with the exception of one child—and that via hearsay.
I'm not saying Charles doesn't have other information—I'm sure he does, and has reasons for proceeding as he has—but WE the readers, commenters, KING, KIRO, the Seattle Times and all the other uncritical parrots, we are getting outraged over what is essentially a wisp of second-hand information.
We are not even getting basic CORRECT facts about the school, the "advanced" program, the size and ethnic constitution of the classrooms, or the school's rules and procedures. I know enough of the facts to notice significant mistakes, mischaracterizations, and omissions—but that's the job of a journalist, isn't it: Who-What-When-Where-Why. Seems simple enough, but apparently it's not the province of our local newsmongers.
Now this casually constructed narrative and all its damage is going viral. My disgust at this has nothing whatever to do with the original incident, whatever that was. Despite all this ugly brouhaha, I know nothing about what happened at school that day.
All you who were there, feel free to fill us in.
136
Considering no investigation had been done yet, what on Earth makes you think LAWYERS are going to say anything substantive? Come on! They probably know only what we already know: that the child was sent from the classroom because the teacher said she was feeling ill from her hair product.
Some thoughts to consider if they haven't already been brought forward (I haven't read many posts here yet):
Inclusion between Gen. Ed. and APP students is a part of a greater effort to bridge cultural gaps, which is an ongoing issue in APP.
This teacher has a detailed history of medical issues, directly relevant to this event.
The student isn't in her class because her parents are waiting for medical confirmation rather than compromise; meanwhile they seem to imply in one interview that the choice rested solely with the school.
Some thoughts to consider if they haven't already been brought forward (I haven't read many posts here yet):
Inclusion between Gen. Ed. and APP students is a part of a greater effort to bridge cultural gaps, which is an ongoing issue in APP.
This teacher has a detailed history of medical issues, directly relevant to this event.
The student isn't in her class because her parents are waiting for medical confirmation rather than compromise; meanwhile they seem to imply in one interview that the choice rested solely with the school.
137
I don't like Charles, and never have. I think he's a whiney, sniveling idiot who doesn't know how to write a decent and unbiased article. I'm sure his employers feel that way too, but know they would be slapped with a "racial prejudice" suit if they tried to get rid of him. I'm sure his children have been fed his negative and destructive views since birth. This will certainly affect their ability (or disability) to deal with adversity throughout their lives. That said, I have to say that I'm appalled at the lack of communication in this situation. If the teacher complained of the odor, why did it continue? In any other school the principal would have to have ok'ed the move. Why didn't Charles call the school that afternoon? Why didn't the principal get right on salvaging the situation immediatly? Why did the school say they were oblivious and make themseves appear stupid and unprofessional? No child should have to go through this ,and her father, teacher and principal are all to blame. Yes Charles, you are certainly making this into more of a 3 ring circus, no matter how it affects your daughter. This should be dealt with, but you've now manipulated it to serve yourself. I'm so sorry for what your daughter is going through, but you're making it worse.
138
And Mr. (Senior Assistant General Counsel) O'Neill has a grand total of less than 3 months at Seattle School District.
Typical of SSD that they hire new administrators at the very top but cant afford books and supplies for students.
Typical of SSD that they hire new administrators at the very top but cant afford books and supplies for students.
139
This makes me sick. Can I have this teacher removed?
In all seriousness, I don't think the intent of the teacher matters in determining if it was racist or not; it's the effect. This sucked for the little girl. And what parent wouldn't use the full weight of their personal and professional power to help their child? I haven't read frequently enough to have an opinion about Charles, but I do have some choice words for anyone who tells a parent, upset about their child, to stfu. Actually, "stfu" are the words.
In all seriousness, I don't think the intent of the teacher matters in determining if it was racist or not; it's the effect. This sucked for the little girl. And what parent wouldn't use the full weight of their personal and professional power to help their child? I haven't read frequently enough to have an opinion about Charles, but I do have some choice words for anyone who tells a parent, upset about their child, to stfu. Actually, "stfu" are the words.
140
FYI, according to a reader at my blog, Save Seattle Schools, who has a child in the same class, the entire class was made aware of the teacher's sensitivities at the beginning of the year. However, the teacher is having her house remodeled and had told let parents know that she was having reactions to the dust from the remodel and could they please be sure to not have their children use products with scents.
This changes things somewhat. I don't know if Mr. Mudede and his wife had used this product before during the school year and never had a reaction from the teacher and she only had a reaction this time BECAUSE of her heightened sensitivities because of her remodel. In that case, if she is so acutely sensitive, she might have given thought to moving in with a friend or relative during the remodel and not putting the entire responsibility on a roomful of kids and their parents.
That said, I think it coy and unworthy of Mr. Mudede to make the comment about not wanting to come back to school and having the teacher vomit or faint at the sight of his child. It doesn't help the situation and, I would think, the idea is to help all concerned and not make the situation worse. Thank goodness there are only 2 weeks left of school.
We had nearly 130 comments on this issue at our blog. Clearly, it hits a nerve somewhere.
This changes things somewhat. I don't know if Mr. Mudede and his wife had used this product before during the school year and never had a reaction from the teacher and she only had a reaction this time BECAUSE of her heightened sensitivities because of her remodel. In that case, if she is so acutely sensitive, she might have given thought to moving in with a friend or relative during the remodel and not putting the entire responsibility on a roomful of kids and their parents.
That said, I think it coy and unworthy of Mr. Mudede to make the comment about not wanting to come back to school and having the teacher vomit or faint at the sight of his child. It doesn't help the situation and, I would think, the idea is to help all concerned and not make the situation worse. Thank goodness there are only 2 weeks left of school.
We had nearly 130 comments on this issue at our blog. Clearly, it hits a nerve somewhere.
141
" I don't think the intent of the teacher matters in determining if it was racist or not; it's the effect. "
See, it's all about how black people 'feel'!
Facts, evidence, intent? For black people, irrelevant! That's right folks, let's keep treating blacks like 4 yr olds!
See, it's all about how black people 'feel'!
Facts, evidence, intent? For black people, irrelevant! That's right folks, let's keep treating blacks like 4 yr olds!
143
I would like to point out a slight contradiction.
"The district agrees that it is not acceptable for a teacher in our district to ask a student to leave a classroom for the reasons that this child was asked to leave,” says Kevin O’Neill, senior assistant general counsel for Seattle Public Schools...."
Followed by:
"O’Neill also says he doesn’t know 'the reasons that this child was asked to leave.'"
The reason was unacceptable, but they don't know the reason.
"The district agrees that it is not acceptable for a teacher in our district to ask a student to leave a classroom for the reasons that this child was asked to leave,” says Kevin O’Neill, senior assistant general counsel for Seattle Public Schools...."
Followed by:
"O’Neill also says he doesn’t know 'the reasons that this child was asked to leave.'"
The reason was unacceptable, but they don't know the reason.
144
you know what really gets me is the whites that are racist certaily wont admit it and, there are those that will give you their definition of what racism is but, lets face it there are'nt many whites that have a clue about what racism is, they have'nt been subjected to it, they're the ones practicing it and, to them it's normally just the way it is and, in their minds theres nothing wrong with it ,they think that theres nothing wrong with being that way, and even though blacks have proven in many ways that, we're not the inferior people that racist think we are, some of them just wont let got of the myths that occupy their warped minds. my how many things have gone undiscovered because racism, a cure for cancer,heart problems, lupus,etc, we in this day and time need to put our minds in a collective situation and, come up with solutions to problems and stop all of this madness,PEACE AND LOVE TO ALL.
145
I can't imagine that you wouldn't win this case...I would sue for an Ivy League education...Your little girl deserves the best and she will get it in the end...There are so many men and women in education who just shouldn't be there...To these people teaching is merely a job not a career...They lack devotion and empathy...I am white...my daughter and granddaughter played with baby dolls of color by the way...If something as innocent as a child and her doll can spark racial unrest in a community, we are definitely doomed as a society.
Good luck.
Good luck.
146
By writing this article, it seems like this reporter is using his daughter. Not smart or ethical.
I'm sure the teacher will pay for her poor handling of the situation. Now I wonder if the lawyers will get rich by the poor handling of the aftermath. This little girl is really learning some lessons isn't she? Her parents and the school district should be ashamed of themselves.
I'm sure the teacher will pay for her poor handling of the situation. Now I wonder if the lawyers will get rich by the poor handling of the aftermath. This little girl is really learning some lessons isn't she? Her parents and the school district should be ashamed of themselves.
147
I have a better question: Why the hell is there only one Black child in an "Accelerated Program Class" maybe you should have written an article about that before she let you know that she looks at your child as well u know what. Bigger problem other than her hair which is an issue of identity but why the hell is everyone still trying to dumb down Black children by refusing to put them in classes that provide various opportunities and not just in the lower classes. Another lesson: Let your daughter know she has to be her best because no matter what she will still be looked at as a Black that can't or won't do..which is a lie.
148
We do not know if it was a racist thing or not. But, we do know that it could have been handle different. No one should be kick out of something they earn because of there hair smell.
149
@148: She wasn't kicked out of the program or the school. She was—rightly or wrongly—taken to a neighboring classroom for the rest of the day, or whatever. The teacher does not have the authority to kick her out of the program, and that's not even what Charles has alleged. (Although he has refused to clear up this misunderstanding.)
It is her parents keeping her out of school.
It is her parents keeping her out of school.
150
In my view, this entire string is a beautiful and fairly comprehensive survey of the spectrum of awareness about privilege and race that exists in our fair city. On one end ("Having an aversive reaction to a hair product does not make someone a racist. However, jumping to conclusions about a teacher's attitude simply because she's white is racist." #31) no awareness. On the other end ("To kick a student out of AP class and into the lower level class based on supposed offense of a hair product is racist. Intentional/unintentional-- who the fuck cares? The teacher is a racist whether or not she knows it is inconsequential." #22) extremely sensitive. And in the middle all of the posts discussing hair products. Unfortunately one of the chief features of privilege is that it doesn't allow its (so called) beneficiaries to notice it. Most of those who are sensitive to privilege have had it shoved in their faces since childhood and can't understand how anyone could miss something so obvious. So, sadly, it is like arguing in two different languages.
152
This is totally and completely about race. To deny it is to be in denial, and that is not something a good and concerned teacher or principal should ever be--in denial about the power of race. The people in the district or the principal have no grounds for denying it is race until they have investigated, and until they have, then it is a possibility.
Here lies the idea of intention. The teacher may argue very convincingly that she did not intend for her actions to be about race or racist. As with sexual harassment, intention does not matter. The results were racist and what the child experienced was racism. Educators--from teachers to school board--need to understand the complexities of race and racism and how they fit into this system. We are all part of the system, which is hard to admit, but we must admit it and self-examine. Very few people are intentionally racist, but it still exists and people are part of it.
This is an 8 year-old child, and what has been done is horrendous for her well-being and the well-being of other students, who get a racist message, whether or not it was intended to be racist. She deserves an apology from all of the adults involved and the school needs to get on the ball with adapting culturally relevant pedagogy and training for everyone (and not for the sake of good PR).
Here lies the idea of intention. The teacher may argue very convincingly that she did not intend for her actions to be about race or racist. As with sexual harassment, intention does not matter. The results were racist and what the child experienced was racism. Educators--from teachers to school board--need to understand the complexities of race and racism and how they fit into this system. We are all part of the system, which is hard to admit, but we must admit it and self-examine. Very few people are intentionally racist, but it still exists and people are part of it.
This is an 8 year-old child, and what has been done is horrendous for her well-being and the well-being of other students, who get a racist message, whether or not it was intended to be racist. She deserves an apology from all of the adults involved and the school needs to get on the ball with adapting culturally relevant pedagogy and training for everyone (and not for the sake of good PR).
153
There are certain lotions,perfumes,soaps and hair care products out there that will immediately give me a headache and cause me to start sneezing.AXE body sprays are the worst for me, that's why my man doesn't use it anymore. Oh by the way this is was posted by a Brown Woman with curly hair and allergies. Hey parents of the little girl,try proline hairfood, it works wonders.
154
I'm a little incredulous at all the cries of, "oh, it has chemicals x, y, z, q,l,m, $^#...in it! of course it's going to cause a problem with people with hypersensitivity...blah blah blah"
Almost every haircare product I can think of has DMDM hydantoin in it, it keeps mold from growing in your shampoo, which means it will last longer than 2 weeks on the shelf.
Dimethicone provides that smooth gloss and detangling agent, most frizz serums are nothing but dimethicone, DMDM hydantoin, fragrance, and if you're lucky, a few vitamins and herbal extracts.
I'm not buying the "chemical sensitivity" complaint. The teacher should have excused herself, opened a door or window, gotten a desk fan, dealt with it! I understand smell and our associations and reactions to it are deep in the illogical limbic system, but this woman is a teacher in an AP class. Therefore, ~allegedly~ mind you, she's not stupid. If she can't logically figure out how to deal with an unpleasant stimulus, why on earth is she in a public school? Dry erase markers, adhesives, cleaning products, cardboard, paper, trees, pollen, unwashed children, pencil shavings, grass, rubber gym supplies, dust, the list goes on and on...if someone truly were chemically sensitive, this is not the environment for them.
I call foul. A stupid teacher had a stupid prejudice, perhaps dating back to when Great-Uncle Jimbo made some snarky comment about Jerry-curl when she was a child, and this teacher acted on it. Acted on a prejudice.
It certainly deserves a review and at ther VERY least, some sensitivity training.
And I *don't* mean of her olfactory nerves.
Almost every haircare product I can think of has DMDM hydantoin in it, it keeps mold from growing in your shampoo, which means it will last longer than 2 weeks on the shelf.
Dimethicone provides that smooth gloss and detangling agent, most frizz serums are nothing but dimethicone, DMDM hydantoin, fragrance, and if you're lucky, a few vitamins and herbal extracts.
I'm not buying the "chemical sensitivity" complaint. The teacher should have excused herself, opened a door or window, gotten a desk fan, dealt with it! I understand smell and our associations and reactions to it are deep in the illogical limbic system, but this woman is a teacher in an AP class. Therefore, ~allegedly~ mind you, she's not stupid. If she can't logically figure out how to deal with an unpleasant stimulus, why on earth is she in a public school? Dry erase markers, adhesives, cleaning products, cardboard, paper, trees, pollen, unwashed children, pencil shavings, grass, rubber gym supplies, dust, the list goes on and on...if someone truly were chemically sensitive, this is not the environment for them.
I call foul. A stupid teacher had a stupid prejudice, perhaps dating back to when Great-Uncle Jimbo made some snarky comment about Jerry-curl when she was a child, and this teacher acted on it. Acted on a prejudice.
It certainly deserves a review and at ther VERY least, some sensitivity training.
And I *don't* mean of her olfactory nerves.
155
p.s. Organic virgin coconut oil rocks, and smells yummy enough to eat. scratch that, it IS EDIBLE.
158
OMG Keiser Button - THANK YOU!
Not to detract from the story or anything, but there;s nothing I can add that hasn't already been said. I fully support Charles and his family.
But thanks for the fish thing. I have an anaphylactic allergy to fish (not shellfish) and people, while accomodating, do comment on how they've never heard of it. In fact, until you said something on the Slog, I was the only person I had ever heard of having this allergy. There are others, yay!
And Lyllyth - South Indians consume and wear coconut oil in their hair and have been for a long, long time. More often then not, their hair is long, thick and shiny. I'd say they were onto something.
Not to detract from the story or anything, but there;s nothing I can add that hasn't already been said. I fully support Charles and his family.
But thanks for the fish thing. I have an anaphylactic allergy to fish (not shellfish) and people, while accomodating, do comment on how they've never heard of it. In fact, until you said something on the Slog, I was the only person I had ever heard of having this allergy. There are others, yay!
And Lyllyth - South Indians consume and wear coconut oil in their hair and have been for a long, long time. More often then not, their hair is long, thick and shiny. I'd say they were onto something.
159
When my sister was in elementary school (many years ago), her teacher stood a boy up in class and told him he needed to bathe more often, that he shouldn't come to school "filthy". They were in fifth grade, so about 10 years old. Nothing was ever done to her--I guess we just used to expect teachers to be jerks.
I cannot stand the smell of Simple Green cleaner--if I walk into a building where it is being used, I have to leave or I get dizzy and nauseous. I think I must be allergic to some ingredient.
So God only knows what made this woman sick, but she should have called the principal and told them she was ill, then pulled the students' parents aside later and said she was having a bad reaction to something in the girls' hair-care product, and ask if they would mind trying a different brand.
It's not the same thing at all as just "stinky" kids--if something makes you sick, it makes you sick. But how you deal with it is the issue. Walk away, clear your head, then later ask the involved party if a compromise can be worked out.
I cannot stand the smell of Simple Green cleaner--if I walk into a building where it is being used, I have to leave or I get dizzy and nauseous. I think I must be allergic to some ingredient.
So God only knows what made this woman sick, but she should have called the principal and told them she was ill, then pulled the students' parents aside later and said she was having a bad reaction to something in the girls' hair-care product, and ask if they would mind trying a different brand.
It's not the same thing at all as just "stinky" kids--if something makes you sick, it makes you sick. But how you deal with it is the issue. Walk away, clear your head, then later ask the involved party if a compromise can be worked out.
160
Simply covert racism! The woman (no teacher or professional in my eyes) should be suspended!! A true professional would have waited for class to end not to cause embarrassment to the child. Furthermore, she could have asked ALL the parents to refrain from using scented, etc... products on their children due to blah blah blah reason.... The woman has no empathy or consideration. Eject her from the frickin' planet!!
Rosanna McCoy
New York City
Rosanna McCoy
New York City
161
Just on a practical note, a teacher can't excuse herself, as some people have suggested she should have done. You can't leave the kids alone, walk away and take a breather to decide how to handle a situation. As a teacher responsible for a classroom full of kids, you don't have that option. You might step out into the hall in an extreme situation, as one commenter said the teacher did, but unless you can get someone else to watch your kids, you can't go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face or anything. That's part of what makes the job so challenging.
163
@akc?
She could SOOOOO step out into the hallway, within vision distance, but out of range of whatever was really bothering her.
They have phones in classrooms, she could call one of the office staff or the librarian or the counselor or the principal. I bet she could even use her cellphone, in the hallway, 15 feet away from her class while watching them until someone else could drop by...if she were creative enough to think of it.
Nope. No excuse. Certainly not the one you offer.
She could SOOOOO step out into the hallway, within vision distance, but out of range of whatever was really bothering her.
They have phones in classrooms, she could call one of the office staff or the librarian or the counselor or the principal. I bet she could even use her cellphone, in the hallway, 15 feet away from her class while watching them until someone else could drop by...if she were creative enough to think of it.
Nope. No excuse. Certainly not the one you offer.
164
Simply put, racism is apart of it, whether people choose to see it or not and the teacher handled this poorly. Why put her in a lower-placement class? is that the only teacher teaching AP? She didn't even know whether it was the girl or not, she simply suspected, and that is not a strong enough case. The teacher is simply stupid.
165
THIS is why I'm so happy to have left Seattle forever. I can't believe most of you are actually feeding into this crap! Take a trip to New York and realize that Seattle is pretty much a racist little town. The worst racist here, however, is the writer of this article. He NOTICED a Chinese girl with a white doll? Um, not racist? Seeing any kid with any color/race doll shouldn't faze anyone in this day and age. HE is scarring his poor daughter for life, not the teacher. Plus he is a non-present dad, (until something comes up where he can vent in his semi-'famous' articles and feel superior, as well as getting people to chime in 'Yeah! Right on, brother! Power!' that just feeds into the problem as a whole) What does he get out of this? I feel so sorry for the child - to have a dad like him. I also feel bad for the teacher; she has an allergic reaction to a product (that I get sick of myself) and now her career is over. Didn't she send out a notice about wearing strong odors in class? YES, she did. Oh, that's right. Most non-present dads don't read the memos from school.
This is not a racist act. It's fucking JUNE! Don't you think that if she had racial issues it would have come out a tad bit earlier??? Yeah. I think so. Kids have been sent out of class millions of times for many things and now (because of one black racist's article, used to blow off some steam because he has guilt about only sleeping with white woman (i know people who know him personally and say this is true - I mean what's that about? Issues? Think about it.) what teacher can ever send ANY kid out of class without consequence now? And, how can Seattle ever get out of this trap?! Can't you find something REAL to bitch about, writer? I don't even want to give him the credit to utter his name - plus, my gag reflex kicks in. People, the product has a WARNING sign on the label, meaning; DON'T WEAR THIS AROUND SENSITIVE, ALLERGIC PEOPLE. What's-his-name is a dick. (just had to throw that in). OH, and a little personal note - My daughter is mixed, most people do not think she is even partially white. She's 'African American' and 'Caucasian' (said with a sort of snide, polite, kind-o-fake accent) dare I say 'Black and White' in your politically correct world? Shame, shame, shame. Go back to where you belong, writer, and stop causing more problems in an already difficult area. In closing, I'm so happy to be out of there.
More...
This is not a racist act. It's fucking JUNE! Don't you think that if she had racial issues it would have come out a tad bit earlier??? Yeah. I think so. Kids have been sent out of class millions of times for many things and now (because of one black racist's article, used to blow off some steam because he has guilt about only sleeping with white woman (i know people who know him personally and say this is true - I mean what's that about? Issues? Think about it.) what teacher can ever send ANY kid out of class without consequence now? And, how can Seattle ever get out of this trap?! Can't you find something REAL to bitch about, writer? I don't even want to give him the credit to utter his name - plus, my gag reflex kicks in. People, the product has a WARNING sign on the label, meaning; DON'T WEAR THIS AROUND SENSITIVE, ALLERGIC PEOPLE. What's-his-name is a dick. (just had to throw that in). OH, and a little personal note - My daughter is mixed, most people do not think she is even partially white. She's 'African American' and 'Caucasian' (said with a sort of snide, polite, kind-o-fake accent) dare I say 'Black and White' in your politically correct world? Shame, shame, shame. Go back to where you belong, writer, and stop causing more problems in an already difficult area. In closing, I'm so happy to be out of there.
166
From the picture (bottle turned slightly) one would think that this product has only organic olive oil. You would think you could eat this stuff. The other ingredients are listed on the bottle but they are NOT shown.
That's because they are HIGHLY TOXIC!
From the website "Skin Deep"
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product…
Ingredients in this product are linked to:
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Violations, restrictions & warnings
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Other concerns for ingredients used in this product:
Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes
That's because they are HIGHLY TOXIC!
From the website "Skin Deep"
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product…
Ingredients in this product are linked to:
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Violations, restrictions & warnings
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Other concerns for ingredients used in this product:
Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes
167
Please stop calling it Organic Olive Oil _ IT is NOT. It is a highly toxic product.
I have a caregiver who is from Somalia - some of the hair products are highly fragranced. I have severe asthma and have a violent reaction to them.
"Organic" does not really mean healthy for you or your child. You need to check the ingredients before you yell racism. There are 80,000 chemicals in use today. Only 200 of them have been tested and the ingredients in "fragrance" are so toxic that they are kept secret. CNN is doing a special on Toxic America.
The ingredients in this product include: Water - Aqua, Coconut Oil - Cocos Nucifera, Sorbitol, Trimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol , Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Peanut Oil - Arachi Hypogaea , Castor Oil - Ricinus Communis, Cetyl Esters, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil - Olea Europaea, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Carbomer , Cetearyl Alcohol , Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance - Parfum , Benzyl Alcohol , Benzyl Salicylate , Geraniol, Hexylcinnamicaldehyde, Lillial, D'Limonene, Linalool, Lyral, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, BHT , Blue No. 1 - CI 42090, Yellow No. 5 - CI 19140
This particular product is HIGHLY TOXIC.
Skin Deep is a good source to check the toxicity of hair products. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product…
Sometimes it isn't racism.
I have a caregiver who is from Somalia - some of the hair products are highly fragranced. I have severe asthma and have a violent reaction to them.
"Organic" does not really mean healthy for you or your child. You need to check the ingredients before you yell racism. There are 80,000 chemicals in use today. Only 200 of them have been tested and the ingredients in "fragrance" are so toxic that they are kept secret. CNN is doing a special on Toxic America.
The ingredients in this product include: Water - Aqua, Coconut Oil - Cocos Nucifera, Sorbitol, Trimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol , Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Peanut Oil - Arachi Hypogaea , Castor Oil - Ricinus Communis, Cetyl Esters, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil - Olea Europaea, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Carbomer , Cetearyl Alcohol , Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance - Parfum , Benzyl Alcohol , Benzyl Salicylate , Geraniol, Hexylcinnamicaldehyde, Lillial, D'Limonene, Linalool, Lyral, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, BHT , Blue No. 1 - CI 42090, Yellow No. 5 - CI 19140
This particular product is HIGHLY TOXIC.
Skin Deep is a good source to check the toxicity of hair products. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product…
Sometimes it isn't racism.
168
African American hair care is often, not always, but often, very different from hair care for Euro-American hair. It is just a fact. Therefore, this particular teacher is ill suited for the classroom, where there are African-Americans. She should not be there. If she is that sensitive, she should not be teaching, in a multicultural classroom. Her behavior is race-based, simply because more African Americans are likely to use these products, but not necessarily racist. Nonetheless, the effect on the child of her behavior is unacceptable. She should stay home, not the child. If she cannot overcome her sensitivity, which is a disability, she shoul choose another profession. Did she make the same request of all of her fellow teachers and colleagues that she did of the school children? If not, then she should be out of the classroom.
169
It seems now that a few more facts about this incident have come to light Charles has stopped beating his drum. How about it Mr. Mudede, Where you made aware of the teachers sensitivities before your daughter went to school?
The teacher doesn't have to prove any disability to you, we have laws that protect people's privacy in such situations. The teacher may have handled the situation poorly but there would have not been situation if the poor child's parents had heeded the request (possibly multiple requests) of the school which in my opinion not only makes you a poor parent but an asshole for trying to throw the teacher to dogs to cover up your poor choices.
Any one want to take bets on the chances of Charles ever apologizing?
The teacher doesn't have to prove any disability to you, we have laws that protect people's privacy in such situations. The teacher may have handled the situation poorly but there would have not been situation if the poor child's parents had heeded the request (possibly multiple requests) of the school which in my opinion not only makes you a poor parent but an asshole for trying to throw the teacher to dogs to cover up your poor choices.
Any one want to take bets on the chances of Charles ever apologizing?
170
Racism is still alive and this is not a smart coverup. As a youngster a was in a predominantly white school, overlooked by teachers when I raised my hand to answer the question which i knew the answer. My hats off to her parents for letting their voice be her in defense for their child. My parents did not keep their months shut either which gave me encouragement to always stand up for what is right.
171
This particular situation, when one considers all the details, does seem to have racial overtones, but without knowing all the subtleties it is really impossible to tell. Either way, the teacher was out of line. If the hair product really was making this teacher sick--which it very well could have been, if we are to give her the benefit of the doubt, a benefit which every person deserves--she should have handled it differently. Because even if the child had been white, the teacher behaved inappropriately. I mean come on, you don't single out a kid that age for the way they smell. She could have found another teacher to supervise the class while she went to lie down, or told the child after class that she was having an allergic reaction.
172
Hello --
I can see where one might jump to a conclusion of racism, but what about taking a look at the ingredients of said product BEFORE doing any jumping?
The product contains the following:
Water - Aqua, Coconut Oil - Cocos Nucifera, Sorbitol, Trimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol , Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Peanut Oil - Arachi Hypogaea , Castor Oil - Ricinus Communis, Cetyl Esters, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil - Olea Europaea, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Carbomer , Cetearyl Alcohol , Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance - Parfum , Benzyl Alcohol , Benzyl Salicylate , Geraniol, Hexylcinnamicaldehyde, Lillial, D'Limonene, Linalool, Lyral, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, BHT , Blue No. 1 - CI 42090, Yellow No. 5 - CI 19140
I happen to see the word "FRAGRANCE" in that list of ingredients, along with several other choice chemicals that are quite likely to cause someone to have a serious adverse reaction. While the front of the label leads you to think you are using only OLIVE OIL, that is NOT the case. IF you wanted to use only olive oil, you could do so. My mother used to give my father hair treatments with warmed olive oil all the time when I was a kid. This product only leads you to believe it is olive oil.
Again, please look at the ingredients. Study them. Really get to know what that BENIGN-SOUNDING word "fragrance" truly hides. The list of toxic chemicals in any one "fragrance" is amazing, but not if you know that our modern fragrances are derived from petrochemicals. Often, the very chemicals that are toxic wastes to the industry who has cleverly turned them into pesticides, flavors and fragrances.
The industry loves to tell you it's products are "nature identical" but those who are already chemically injured will be just as quick to tell you that line is HORSEFEATHERS!
So, before jumping to conclusions, let us look at an old statistic that showed us that the fragrance industry targets kids, babies, teens, blacks and Hispanics and the last two demographics happen to also have the highest rates of asthma. Fragrances are notoriously harmful to asthmatics . . . often CAUSING asthma as well as triggering asthma.
Maybe the teacher was not only trying to save her health but also the health of your daughter and other students. Certainly, had I been in that classroom, my health would have been compromised seriously.
Just another way to view this situation. But it starts with checking the ingredients and keeping an opened mind.
We ALL are stakeholders when it comes to breathing!
Sincerely,
barb wilkie
EHN president emerita
More...
I can see where one might jump to a conclusion of racism, but what about taking a look at the ingredients of said product BEFORE doing any jumping?
The product contains the following:
Water - Aqua, Coconut Oil - Cocos Nucifera, Sorbitol, Trimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol , Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Peanut Oil - Arachi Hypogaea , Castor Oil - Ricinus Communis, Cetyl Esters, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil - Olea Europaea, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Carbomer , Cetearyl Alcohol , Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance - Parfum , Benzyl Alcohol , Benzyl Salicylate , Geraniol, Hexylcinnamicaldehyde, Lillial, D'Limonene, Linalool, Lyral, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, BHT , Blue No. 1 - CI 42090, Yellow No. 5 - CI 19140
I happen to see the word "FRAGRANCE" in that list of ingredients, along with several other choice chemicals that are quite likely to cause someone to have a serious adverse reaction. While the front of the label leads you to think you are using only OLIVE OIL, that is NOT the case. IF you wanted to use only olive oil, you could do so. My mother used to give my father hair treatments with warmed olive oil all the time when I was a kid. This product only leads you to believe it is olive oil.
Again, please look at the ingredients. Study them. Really get to know what that BENIGN-SOUNDING word "fragrance" truly hides. The list of toxic chemicals in any one "fragrance" is amazing, but not if you know that our modern fragrances are derived from petrochemicals. Often, the very chemicals that are toxic wastes to the industry who has cleverly turned them into pesticides, flavors and fragrances.
The industry loves to tell you it's products are "nature identical" but those who are already chemically injured will be just as quick to tell you that line is HORSEFEATHERS!
So, before jumping to conclusions, let us look at an old statistic that showed us that the fragrance industry targets kids, babies, teens, blacks and Hispanics and the last two demographics happen to also have the highest rates of asthma. Fragrances are notoriously harmful to asthmatics . . . often CAUSING asthma as well as triggering asthma.
Maybe the teacher was not only trying to save her health but also the health of your daughter and other students. Certainly, had I been in that classroom, my health would have been compromised seriously.
Just another way to view this situation. But it starts with checking the ingredients and keeping an opened mind.
We ALL are stakeholders when it comes to breathing!
Sincerely,
barb wilkie
EHN president emerita
173
Oh for god's sake. It was probably a hot poorly ventilated classroom and a really heady stew of chemicals in the product.
Classrooms where chemicals are used like science or art classrooms are required to have special venilation systems and certain chemicals are banned outright because of this sort of thing. Hair dressers are deemed to have one of the most hazardous jobs on the planet because of some if the stuff they are forced to work with. Their rate of occupational illness is high.
If the teacher was having a potent response to the chemical, that teacher may not have been able to handle it better.
Classrooms where chemicals are used like science or art classrooms are required to have special venilation systems and certain chemicals are banned outright because of this sort of thing. Hair dressers are deemed to have one of the most hazardous jobs on the planet because of some if the stuff they are forced to work with. Their rate of occupational illness is high.
If the teacher was having a potent response to the chemical, that teacher may not have been able to handle it better.
174
Okay, we get it. The hair product is toxic. But what is more toxic is that this child sat in a lower level classroom for three days before her parents found out. I feel bad for this girl.
When I was in fourth grade, my school didn't have a gifted program so I took fifth grade language arts. I had a teacher (who was AA like me) who disliked me because I was talkative and disrupted other students. One day she had enough and put me back in the fourth grade class. I took it really personal and wanted my mother to go to bat for me, but she sided with my teacher. That had an affect on me for years, where I just said screw it and by junior high I hardly tried any more.
If my situation had this affect on me, what will this do to this girl, regardless of race? For me, that's the most important aspect of this story.
When I was in fourth grade, my school didn't have a gifted program so I took fifth grade language arts. I had a teacher (who was AA like me) who disliked me because I was talkative and disrupted other students. One day she had enough and put me back in the fourth grade class. I took it really personal and wanted my mother to go to bat for me, but she sided with my teacher. That had an affect on me for years, where I just said screw it and by junior high I hardly tried any more.
If my situation had this affect on me, what will this do to this girl, regardless of race? For me, that's the most important aspect of this story.
175
Well i think you are right push and push to get your point across diversity is missing everywhere. when I was 19 and my little brother was 16 he was in high school right around the time of 9-11 (prayers to all those whom have loved and lost) Our father is Asian-Indian and mother American. I attended a high school in a town about 15mins from where we moved to (Indiana) and not once did I ever felt singled out or looked down upon. There where a wide range of races. Some who have been here since the day they were born and others who where exchange students. However once move to the new town (the diversity was 2% My brother and one other black child) it was then that my brother started getting picked on, then pushed around, then threatened. We lived only a block and a half from the school and everyday I noticed when he got home he had ran. Leaving him pale, sweaty, and nervous. My brother is not one just to run for a workout he's big short stocky boy and yet really quite and reserved. So I finally asked him why do you always run home? He looked away and said "I don't want to be stabbed!" I at first thought he was kidding and then when he looked back at me I seen in his eyes how scared he was and I knew we had big problems. Come to find out kids young boys where calling him Osama Bin Laden and they said if the caught him in the street they would stab. So my Mother, Grandmother and I went to this School and I went off. I said how dare they allow this to go on. Of course they said its his word again the others and that there was nothing they can do without proof. The principal himself looked at us and said well ladies this is a REDNECK town your all just gonna have to get used to it. Well I told my parents to go to the press and the media but they never did. My brother ended up only going to class here and they separted from the others mainly allowed to work out of his home and I really feel it robbed him. Of life and the experiance of living like a normal teenager. I hope that my children will never be subjected to that and if so I will fight for my rights as well as theirs as well as everyones.
More...
176
From the product's list of ingredients, that is one gnarly brew, indeed. I'm forgetting the exact details of this article (I read it a while back) but as I recall, all the students/parents were given a note that said the teacher had chemical sensitivities, and they knew they couldn't wear scented products. In light of that, I think it's quite a stretch to say the teacher had racist motivation when she had a negative reaction, as was predicted beforehand...
From the product's list of ingredients, that is one gnarly brew, indeed. I'm forgetting the exact details of this article (I read it a while back) but as I recall, all the students/parents were given a note that said the teacher had chemical sensitivities, and they knew they couldn't wear scented products. In light of that, I think it's quite a stretch to say the teacher had racist motivation when she had a negative reaction, as was predicted beforehand...
177
From the product's list of ingredients, that is one gnarly brew, indeed. I'm forgetting the exact details of this article (I read it a while back) but as I recall, all the students/parents were given a note that said the teacher had chemical sensitivities, and they knew they couldn't wear scented products. In light of that, I think it's quite a stretch to say the teacher had racist motivation when she had a negative reaction, as was predicted beforehand...
From the product's list of ingredients, that is one gnarly brew, indeed. I'm forgetting the exact details of this article (I read it a while back) but as I recall, all the students/parents were given a note that said the teacher had chemical sensitivities, and they knew they couldn't wear scented products. In light of that, I think it's quite a stretch to say the teacher had racist motivation when she had a negative reaction, as was predicted beforehand...
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
It's Spring! Who's Ready for Street Harassment? by Cienna Madrid
-
SL Letter of the Day: Insane Demands by Dan Savage
-
SL Letters of the Day: Just Say No to DSGs by Dan Savage
-
New Gun Enthusiast... by Dan Savage
-
Bigot Florist Files Countersuit by Dominic Holden
-
America Doesn't Care About Black People by Charles Mudede
-
SL Letter of the Day: Gonna Boil My Laptop After Answering This One by Dan Savage
-
"Bus service shouldn't be optional—it should be a right." by Cienna Madrid
-
US Military Grants Itself the Power to Police American Streets and "Quell" "Civil Disturbances" by Brendan Kiley
-
Fucking NBA Rejects Kings Move to Seattle by Goldy
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (177) RSS