Posted on 09/01/2002 10:48:35 AM PDT by gitmo
Parent offended by lesson in vocabulary</font< Use of a word that sounds like a racial slur has landed a New Hanover County teacher in the middle of a controversy. Stephanie Bell, a fourth-grade teacher at Williams Elementary School, taught the word "niggardly" to her class last week in an effort to improve her students' vocabularies. Now, a parent wants her fired.
Although the word means stingy, Akwana Walker said it was inappropriate to use it because it sounds similar to a racial slur. She said she doesn't think fourth-graders can distinguish between the two words. "My daughter told me what that word was, and I told her not to complete that part of her homework," said Ms. Walker, who is black. Ms. Bell, who is white, defended her choice of the word and said she didn't mean to offend anyone. She has already sent home letters of apology with her students, as her principal instructed. The word came up Aug. 20 during a comparison of two characters from different stories. One character was a Hispanic girl; the other was a white boy. The class talked briefly about the proper words to use when describing a person's race, Ms. Bell said. Then, the class discussed other ways to describe people. One child described the boy as stingy. Ms. Bell said she thought this would be a good chance to find a word for the day, a practice she has used this year. "The idea for the word of the day is to pick part of the curriculum or something you can extend from it," she said. She began looking for a synonym for "stingy." The children's dictionary offered "self-centered." But Ms. Bell said most of the children already knew that word. That's when she landed on the word "niggard." She added the "-ly" because the class was studying adverbs. Ms. Bell explained the meaning of the word and told the students how to use it in a sentence, something they would have to do on their spelling tests to gain extra points. "And that was it," she said. "These words for the day are used solely as extra credit. They have to use the word in a sentence that shows they understand the meaning." Her students did that on their vocabulary tests, she said. A few days later, Ms. Bell received a letter from Ms. Walker saying the word was not allowed in her house, no matter what it means. "Common sense tells you not to put a word like that on the board," Ms. Walker said. Ms. Walker met with Ms. Bell and the school's principal, Susan Hahn, Thursday. As a result, Ms. Walker's daughter, Gabrielle, has been moved to another class. In addition to the apology sent home Friday, Ms. Bell has agreed not to use the word again in her class. A counselor will meet with Ms. Bell's students. Ms. Walker doesn't think that's enough. She wants Ms. Bell removed from her teaching position. Norm Shearin, deputy superintendent for the New Hanover County Schools, said Friday the principal is dealing with the situation. "Our position is that it was an inappropriate action in terms of using that word at that grade level, in that context," he said. "… It was a bad choice." This isn't the first time the word has stirred controversy. In 1999, for instance, an employee in the Washington, D.C., mayor's office resigned after being accused of using a racial slur. He had used the word "niggardly" during a conversation about funding. Ms. Bell said she was sorry the word offended someone, but she wants people to understand that "niggardly" is an appropriate word. "If these children read it, they are going to need to know what they are reading," she said. "My concern is that we are treading a fine line here. … What word do we take out next?" William Whalen, whose daughter also is in Ms. Bell's class, said he thinks the situation has been blown out of proportion. Mr. Whalen is white. "One mother was offended because she took that word to mean something it didn't mean," he said. "Ms. Bell apologized. That was sufficient." He added his daughter has encountered the word when reading The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. "She's a good teacher," Mr. Whalen said. "I don't think she had any ulterior motives. … It's a word. That's all it is." Sherry Jones: 343-2378 sherry.jones@wilmingtonstar.com
Niggardly as defined by Webster's:
adj.
1. reluctant to give or spend; stingy;miserly
2. meanly or ungenerously small or scanty
Were you slurring Japanese-Americans?
Following the budget directors reinstatement after apologizing for his use of the word niggardly, Tony Snow said
"He apologized for their ignorance".
Alright. 'Gay' used to mean 'happy,' but now means 'homosexual.' (Though it seems to me people don't agree on its gender.) Similarly, 'faggot,' 'queer,' and several other words have, through popular use, come to mean 'homosexual.' 'Negroe' meant black, but now has an unsavory connotation because of its prominence in a time when negroes were denied many rights (though 'negroid' is still used in a technical sense).
Anyway, lots of words used to have respectable meanings but are now vulgar. Language changes. How, exactly, has 'niggardly' changed? What is it supposed to mean, if not 'stingy?' Have you ever heard it used in a rap song? A Chris Rock routine? By the KKK? Has it ever been used towards African-Americans in such a way as to develop a negative connotation?
Language does change, but as far as I can tell, 'niggardly' has not. It means today exactly what it did centuries ago, and has never been associated with negroid persons, features, stereotypes, etc. at any time of which I know. This is simply a case of someone wanting dearly to be insulted so she can show righteous, proud indignation and jumping at the first opportunity, no matter how illiterate it makes her look.
Uh-huh. A "slur" by which every low-class person of color refers to every other person of color on a daily--if not hourly--basis. Watch any film by Spike Lee if you doubt me.
Hence, the teacher's good sense in teaching the children what the word "niggardly" actually means.
Oh, come on now--the Akwanas do a lot of good in the community, just like the Lions and the Rotary Club.
Didn't Akwana once appear in a Cheech and Chong skit? Yes, now I remember. It was "Basketball Jones":
Jo-Jo Bubba Junior, otherwise known as ... Akwana Kikbootie!
Hmmm, very versatile--can be used as a female or male name.
I believe the actor that played that part was from Akwansas.
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