"Today, class, you're going to defend the KKK"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38383146

A black teacher in Wisconsin is suspended for a controversial assignment, asking 7th grade students to defend KKK members on trial. The purpose was to teach students how to write persuasively.

I can understand trying to be sensational to rouse students' interest. And it's clearly a thought experiment, not a real defense of the KKK. But hey, better to keep the kids in their safe spaces.

As a rule, teachers should avoid any hint of controversy these days because as a rule, the school will NEVER support them.

Unless you're a championship winning coach of course and then you can do what you want.

^That's why, even though I've been teaching for years, I don't imagine ever being a teacher in the US.

Yeah, it doesn't seem like the guy was trying to argue whether the Holocaust happened or not, just to show that you, as a lawyer, may have to defend unsavory characters.

It's a topic that was better saved for second semester senior year of high school, though.

I would have defended him and a jury made up of 7th graders would be easy to sway.

I realize it's coming from Dayton, but he ain't wrong.

According to one former WFer, he tells me Sandusky is still one step below a god in his neck of Bumfuck, Pennsylvania.

In debate qe would often be required to take eithet side of a debate issue. It really helps people see things from different points of view. Law school does the same thing.

Dayton is right on this one.

Now I know it is snowing in hell. I had better check my asshole for flying monkeys. Yep they are there. I am pretty sure I am going to need the big tube of preparation h.

Thanks Dayton.

I doubt it at the high school level.

It's worse at the high school level.

Seventh grade?

They're 12-year-olds. They have trouble matching their socks in the morning. I agree with @Anna - wait until senior year of high school.

Then again, considering some of the numbnuts that end up on juries, even @Faceman 's right in this thread.

I have always wanted to be on a jury. I will try again January 23...

I took a class in college about reconstruction and we had a mock trial of Andrew Johnson, I was on Johnson's side (ha ha, very funny), but the majority of the class found him not worthy of impeachment.

I've never been called for jury duty. One guy I work with has been called four times for it! My son was called but he was serving in Korea in the army. He had to send proof of course (or maybe I sent it on his behalf, it's been a while) that he wasn't available.

I was called for jury duty once, but was dismissed the first day. I have no idea what the trial was about.

Did any of the older WFers have to watch The Wave in school? It was a film based on Third Wave.

I did.

Huh. I thought this thread was going to be about a typical day in @Dayton3's classroom.

One of my white students tried to start a rumor that I was a member three years ago.

You don't say.

Personally, I think it's a good idea to have kids defend someone they don't necessarily agree with, and the KKK is just an obvious extreme example. I wouldn't wait until senior year, but high school would probably be better than 7th grade, so the students are theoretically a bit more mature.

Oh yeah.

Interestingly enough the rumor gained a lot more traction with my white students than my black ones.

Huh. No kidding. That's fascinating.

Really? Why?

"Today, class, you're going to defend the KKK"


That's the only class @TheLonelySquire ever got a A in.

The cynic in me is thinking someone would have been thrilled to have seen the kids' work, just so they could strip it of all context and proclaim "Look at what Trump's America has wrought!"

I remember being in middle school and having debate teams in Social Studies classes - I was once assigned to defend China's One Child policy even though I suspected it wasn't a great thing. But it was much harder to do research back then; we didn't have access to learn horrible things about the mistreatment of girls and I don't think I even knew what an abortion was at the time. The assignment did not mold me into someone who accepts invasive, restrictive, top-down solutions to problems.

If a white teacher had brought the topic up?they probably would have.

True enough.

I do think think many kids at that age have much in the way of opinions that weren't spoonfed to them by their parents, so such an exercise does have great benefit. Probably should've been with a different topic, though.