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Gifts for all occasions in the Galleria! Subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list. February 8, 2004 What is the Deal with Teaching Segregation? By Jan A. Larson Prejudice and bigotry are learned behaviors. Apparently an elementary school teacher in Las Vegas took it upon herself to teach those behaviors to her third-grade class. The February 6 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes ran a segment that featured the mother of one of the students in the aforementioned class. The young girl's mother, Stacey Gough, described how her daughter (who is white) was traumatized when the white students were separated from the African-American students and told to sit quietly with the heads on their desks while the African-American students were then given games to play. Apparently, the "lesson" escalated to the point where the white students were taunted and their ancestors "blamed" for atrocities against the ancestors of the African-American students. Ms. Gough indicated that her daughter had never identified any of her classmates by race. To her, they were just kids, but now her daughter is scared and confused. The segment presented only Ms. Gough's side of the story although a so-called civil rights activist did weigh in supporting the teacher. However, without the teacher's side of the story, it is unfair to jump to conclusions in this case. For the sake of discussion, I will assume the story, as presented, is accurate. If you take any group of young children, regardless of race, throw them together and they will interact and play without regard to skin color or ethnic background. It is only when adults get involved and impose their own bigotry do children learn that somehow people are "different" if they look different. It is abundantly clear to many people, including me, that the continued emphasis on "diversity" as opposed to assimilation is the fuel for on-going prejudice and racism. When differences between groups of people are emphasized, human nature dictates that some will find irrational reasons to dislike or resent an entire group of people. Like it or not, it is counterproductive, in the long run, for any group of Americans to maintain a separate culture. We need only look at the ethnic strife that has plagued many countries in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa to see what happens to nations divided by ethnicity. While it is important that the history of slavery in the United States and the entire Civil War period be studied and analyzed, it is absolutely imperative that the racial aspects of that period in history be presented in context. That is, the context of the time and not in the context of 2004. Those lessons are also best taught to students considerably older than third graders. Adults - parents, educators, clergy, etc. simply must let children be children, let them grow up without carrying the baggage of prejudice and racism. There is plenty of time for that later in life although ultimately our society will be better when it is no longer necessary to identify people by ethnicity or skin color. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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