Trayvon Martin was a child shot during an altercation with a
neighborhood watch man. Controversy surrounded the case, as the child was
African American. The prosecutor and defense attorney for George Zimmerman made
cases. The verdict was not guilty. For many students this will cause elevated
tension where race is involved because the role race played in this case and
the media attention. This could cause tension in the classroom. I believe it
can be nipped in the bud.
On a rainy February night, Trayvon Martin was walking
through his neighborhood on his way home from the corner store. George Zimmerman,
an armed neighborhood watch man, saw Martin walking and followed him. Zimmerman
called the police to report he saw someone suspicious in the neighborhood. The
dispatcher instructed Zimmerman not to follow Martin. Zimmerman continued to
follow which led to an altercation that left an unarmed boy dead. This tragedy
made George Zimmerman the focus of those looking at civil rights and gun laws.
Florida state law allows you to use any force necessary to defend yourself when
you feel like your life is in danger. My opinion is no force would have been
necessary had he followed the advice of the dispatcher and stayed in his car.
There has been a comparison to the senseless killing of Emmett Till. Emmett was
a 14-year-old boy who was tortured, disfigured and murdered for supposedly
flirting with a white girl in 1955 in Mississippi. There is no doubt anger and
outrage will follow this case straight into history. The not guilty verdict has
reinforced in the minds of African Americans across the country that the justice
system has no regard or justice for them.
In the classroom, there should be an open discussion about
diversity and racial profiling. Teachers must choose to discuss this case
openly for the benefit of the students. It will be the topic on kids’ minds everywhere.
The tension among the students could be
elevated. I believe there needs to be a safe venue for the students to express
their feelings about the case. Journaling would be a great way to allow the
students to vent without making them the target of children with differing
opinions. There was clear profiling on both sides in this case. Martin assumed
Zimmerman was up to no good because Zimmerman was following him that had Martin
defensive. Zimmerman assumed Martin was up to no good because Martin was wearing
a hooded sweatshirt and walking through the predominately-white neighborhood at
night. There would be no case without the bias in the minds of these two
people. In addition to talking in the classroom about diversity and profiling,
there should be a discussion about the individual’s role in this case. The
teacher can help manage her classrooms behavior and attitudes by being
proactive rather than reactive. The teacher can establish positive teacher
student relationships by truly understanding and relating to the attitudes and
feelings of the students and their differing opinions. A classroom is a
community, a family and should be treated as such. This will help our students
feel like they belong and are safe in the learning environment.
This case has made
history. Sadly, most people will forget this ever happened within a few years. Most
likely, African Americans will never forget this event. It was tragic and
senseless taking of a young man’s life. In America, we have a right to bear
arms. On the other hand, we do not have the right to use weapons to harass and
kill someone walking through the neighborhood because we have a biased opinion
of them. In addition, we do not have the right to assume the intentions of
others based on our opinion of their skin tone and what we have been programmed
to think about it. In conclusion, I feel Americans have not advanced our thinking
where diversity is involved. We as educators must ensure that our students feel
safe in our classrooms and the best way to ensure that is by being firm, fair
and consistent always ensuring we are empathetic and understanding of our
students feelings and opinions. The same way we would in our home environment.
References
ALCINDOR, Y. of USA TODAY (2013) DesMoines Register. Retrieved July 13,
2013 , from
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/viewart/20130714/NEWS/307140066/Jury-Zimmerman-not-guilty-teen-s-death
I agree with you about making cases like these aware to children of your classroom. Diversity is a big topic that children need to understand in order to get ready for the "real world". I like your idea of journaling. It's private but yet open to the teacher. I always liked journaling ideas in school. In what ways would you address such a tragic story to kindergardners?
ReplyDeleteWith kindergartners I probably would not address it unless I saw it was a point of interest for the kids.I would probably do a current events talk with the kids we might discuss the types of communication where we get news from and see if any of them brought it up.If they did then we would discuss how we are the same regardless of our skin color or where we were born. We are all one race and that is human beings.
DeleteIt is important for children to be aware of diversity especially in the classroom. From my experience working in the classroom, i havent seen much discussion amongst my kids about why a classmate of theirs looked the way they did or why were they a different color. With this type of story in particular, it could be difficult to try and discuss it with younger grades such as preschool and kindergarten but with older students such as middle school and up, how would you approach a story like this or a discussion about the importance of acceptance when it comes to diversity?
ReplyDeleteI think letting them journal and express their fears, and opinions would be a great way to start. We might have a discussion about the media and how most of the time the story is sensationalized. We would discuss how each of us is a human being and we all are the same regardless of our differences. I would teach about tolerance.
DeleteI agree, it is important and beneficial to educate students on public issues similar to this one. Students will be confused and worried about our society and it's our job to educate them and expand their knowledge in diversity. It's important to look at both sides of the trail but also spend a lot of time discussing why this case was very controversial.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't think my opinion should be the focus rather the focus being on the medias role in controversial issues in society. Teaching about tolerance and diversity.
DeleteThere is a lot of misinformation in this article.
ReplyDelete1. The dispatcher said he did not have to follow him.
It was his job as a neighborhood watch commander to follow until police arrive. It is also not a crime to follow an unidentified person. As a watch commander Mr Zimmerman had made it a point to know almost everyone in the secured gated community. In fact every time some one moved in he immediately did a meet and greet. Trayvon was unknown because it was not his primary residence.
2. It was not a predominately-white neighborhood. In fact it was very diverse.
3. Trayvon had been training in MMA style fighting. EYE witness testimony described him as delivering MMA style blows. Many of his facebook posts were graphic about how he loved to beat his opponents and draw blood. 180 pounds and 6'1 with training does not make you unarmed. Have you seen the photos of what George Zimmerman looked like after he was attacked?
If you were attacked by a male 150 man, how many hits till you should be allowed to defend yourself? What if he was banging your head into the cement and stating I am going to kill you?
4. If Trayvon was afraid why would he not run or walk the 5 yards to a house?
5. George Zimmerman said he was walking back to his car when he was attacked. Physical evidence on the scene confirmed this. Trayvon according to an autopsy report had no post mortem bruising. (bruises are easier to spot post mortem.
6. George Zimmerman had African American heritage and family members.
7. The neighborhood had 3 home invasions in less than 1 month.
8. The autopsy of Trayvon identified illegal drugs in his system. The drink and skittles he purchased are known as a concoction. When combined with a cough syrup it maintains a high. The severe liver damage identified in Trayvon is an indicator of the abuse of that substance. That substance has been linked to violent mood swings. In fact he had stated on facebook
that “robitussin nd soda” could make “some fire ass lean.”
He says, “I had it before” and that he wants “to make some more.”
http://youtu.be/Ebu6Yvzs4Ls
I value your opinion. My teaching on this issue would not be based on my opinion as my students would have varying opinions also. I would look at the medias role on our society and how tolerance and diversity are so important. This case was so controversial that not very many people viewed it the same way. Depending on your background and experiences in life everyone saw it in a different light. I do know it raised fear in many people and fear is the root of anger. My addressing it would not be to stir the pot but rather to diffuse anger.
Delete