Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
A note from my second grader's packet on Meet the Teacher Night, offered without comment:
Dear Families,
With some recent changes in the race/ethnicity definitions outlined by the Federal Government, it has been requested that school districts give families an opportunity to update their race/ethnic categories.
Please note that if no selection is made, school personnel are asked to use their best judgement in determining the race/ethnicity of students.
Fill out one form for each student. Check the boxes below as appropriate and return to your student's school office.
Thank you for your help in this area as we strive to better serve the needs of our students
Part A. Is this student (or are YOU) Hispanic/Latino?
□ The above question is about ethnicity, not race.
Part B. What is the student's (or YOUR) race? Choose one or more...
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Comments :
Jul '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
"Dear Teachers,
If Y'all truly 'strive to better serve the needs of our students' You'd consider all Yer students Americans.
May God Bless America,
Joe Six-Pack."
May '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
I was intrigued by the invitation to "update" my son's race - maybe last year he went as a Latino and this year he could be a Native American. Then by third grade he could be white for a couple of years. I never knew you could change it.
Jul '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
I was too ticked. I missed that.
Excellent point.
Aug '11
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
Regarding the "updates" -- Perhaps new categories were added in order to better employ identity politics? For example, maybe last year there were three, and this year 13?
Edited on Aug 23, 2011 at 5:45pmMay '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
I have three in High School. This is the first year they've asked. And only about the elementary school.
May '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
I note the ominous shift away from the parents get to check a box if they want to, to "either you do it or we'll do it for you."
Opting out is not allowed.
May '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
This reminds me of the time we briefly had our oldest daughter in public pre-school in Ohio. We were given a form to fill out that included a question about our annual household income. I left it blank, considering it none of the school's business.
The principal called and said he needed the information, because we might be eligible for federal milk subsidies. I declined to give it to him and assured him that we would not qualify, and that even if we did qualify, we would prefer to supply our own milk.
He kept pressing. He was clearly frustrated with my unwillingness to cooperate.
I was so appalled I pulled her out.
Now, nearly 20 years later, we're giving public school another shot with our 3rd grader. I'm a little scared.
Jun '11
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
Jimmy Carter: "Dear Teachers,
If Y'all truly 'strive to better serve the needs of our students' You'd consider all Yer students Americans.
May God Bless America,
Joe Six-Pack." · Aug 23 at 5:37pm
Is there a box where I can check off "Insane, Workaholic, Deluded Irish Catholic?"
If so, we're good.
If not, I think another Civil Rights Bill is in order.
Jul '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
michael kelley
Is there a box where I can check off "Insane, Workaholic, Deluded Irish Catholic?"
If so, we're good.
If not, I think another Civil Rights Bill is in order. · Aug 23 at 6:18pm
Look for:
"Insane-Workaholic-Deluded-Irish-Catholic-American"
Edited on Aug 23, 2011 at 6:26pmJun '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
The way things are going next year the note will read:
Dear Families,
With some recent changes in the sex/gender definitions outlined by the Federal Government, it has been requested that school districts give families an opportunity to update their sex/gender categories.
Please note that if no selection is made, school personnel are asked to use their best judgement in determining the sex/gender of students.
They could use the TSA to do the research.
Dec '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
Egads! Between this and King Prawn's turlit story, I'm guessing we're within a year or two of the end of western civilization. It was nice while it lasted.
Edited on Aug 23, 2011 at 6:49pmDec '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
It's a simple thing. The schools with higher minority populations get more federal money. It is very important to your local school to count every minority at least once.
On a semi-related note, I'm curious to see what the census statistics for "American" are this go round. I know there was a push to list that as one's race/ethnicity on the census forms. I complied.
May '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
I did too, KP. "American."
May '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
I think up north, "Canadian" is the most popular ethnicity. Sometimes those Canucks come up with an idea worth emulating.
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
My husband -- as a reporter for his college paper -- changed his race at the University of Oregon. All he had to do was go into the registrar and self-identify as Native American. They did ask him "what tribe?" and he gave a response of whatever came to mind. I forget what the point of the exercise was but at U of O I think there were courses restricted to minorities. Or something like that.
So yes, you most definitely can change your race! At the University of Oregon, at least.
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
Jimmy Carter: I was too ticked. I missed that.
Excellent point. · Aug 23 at 5:41pm
Me too.
But EJ, you should "update" it to something interesting and rare. My son is a "Romanov" or "Aztec."
Oct '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
Note the delicious doublethink of which the acephalic collectivist mind is capable. On the one hand, “Race doesn't exist—it is purely a social construct”. On the other hand, “You will sort yourselves into racial categories or we'll do it for you”. On the gripping hand….
Jun '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
As long as "race" is just a social construct I'm okay with changing your race from time to time. Did I just hit on the antidote for this nonsense?
Dec '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
"Please note that if no selection is made, school personnel are asked to use their best judgement in determining the race/ethnicity of students."
Dear Race-Obsessed Bureaucrats:
If I tell you that my student's race/ethnicity is "none of your business," your best judgment had better be to determine that her race/ethnicity is "declines to state."
Very truly yours,
Stuart Creque
May '10
Re: Meet the Teacher Night, Obama Style
Is Esperanto a race or just a language? How about Klingon?