A high school English teacher who had students pretend to be Jew-hating Nazis in a writing assignment has been placed on leave.
The teacher at Albany High School caused a storm of criticism after having students practice the art of persuasive writing by penning a letter to a fictitious Nazi government official arguing that “Jews are evil.”
District Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard held a news conference Friday to apologize for the assignment.
The Times Union newspaper reported on Saturday that the teacher was not in class on Friday and had been placed on leave by the school district.
The district has not named the teacher, who was described as a veteran.
The writing assignment was done before a planned class reading of the memoir “Night,” by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.
For the assignment, the teacher asked students to research Nazi propaganda, then write a letter trying to convince an official of the Third Reich “that Jews are evil and the source of our problems.”
“Review in your notebooks the definitions for logos, ethos, and pathos,” the teacher’s assignment said. “Choose which argument style will be most effective in making your point. Please remember, your life (here in Nazi Germany in the 30’s) may depend on it!”
Wyngaard said she didn’t think the assignment was malicious but “it displayed a level of insensitivity that we absolutely will not tolerate.”
Many of the students were dismayed by the assignment. Some refused to write the essay.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
9 Responses
Though it may be insensitive, generally speaking, I get what the teacher was trying to achieve. Even if she does indeed hold to these views in her heart (which she very well may…no chidush here) she would not go public like this unless her goal was educational… to make the students think, to expose the insanity of the Nazi propaganda which was based on hatred and paranoia, catering to the lowest common denominator (a.k.a. anti-Semitism) Oh, if this teacher was our biggest problem! To intervene like this in this teacher’s freedom to present the curriculum in the way she deems most effective really doesn’t do anything. I really fail to see how firing this teacher makes any sense. Her goal was most probably to show how evil that event in history was. If she was an anti-Semite then why would she want her students to read “Night”?
The student who refused should get awards and persue careers in politics as they demonstrate good moral charachter and standards
Let’s be honest if the assignment was to get students to argue y blacks deserved. To be slaves, al. Sharpton and his ilk would be screaming and possibly rioting
Whatever
It seems lot there were a lot of students who refused which is good. She should be fired. There is no excuse for what she did.
Stop and think people. For what is she being punished for what is she herself being discriminated against and for what are you being all hysterical.
Leave alone the right of free speech which is not what is going on here. It is only through discussions of what sparks hatred how hatred is generated fuelled and then propagated that we can truly understand and see that hatred has no logic it has no reason it is baseless and damaging to us all and has no place in our lives.
STOP STOP STOP turning everything related to the term Jew into anti-semetisim. Yes these things should be monitored, yes we must be cautious and yes the teacher may have been better off if she had spoken about her intentions prior to implementing the class.
As for the kids who did not participate. Well done to stand up against what you feel is wrong.
For the kids who participated well done, learn the lesson that hate has no logic and move on with life in a better frame of mind.
Honestly, what’s wrong??? I am sure she must have given other assignments such as ‘why was Jesus a devil’?? Be fair!
Let’s pray and hope that this doesn’t cause more anti-semitism, and cease to compare jews to other minorities.
Anti Semites & Anti Semitism are alive & well.