Use of "N" word!
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Use of "N" word!
| Fri, 02-15-2008 - 10:30am |
This morning Everett's teacher told me that yesterday Everett called a fellow african american classmate a "N".
| Fri, 02-15-2008 - 10:30am |
This morning Everett's teacher told me that yesterday Everett called a fellow african american classmate a "N".
Well first, did you find out the content of how he used the word?
my son used this word in the car as i was driving him and 2 of his cousins to school. his 2 biracial cousins. they ignored it. i dropped them all to school, drove around the block then went back into the school. i pulled him out of class and asked him why he used it, where he heard it an would he like someone to call his cousins that name? he had heard it in a song in his ipod. i dropped the subject and he has not said the word in 3 years. i think the fact that i went to school to speak to him showed the severity of the problem.
he is now attending a public school where this word is commonly used. he doesn't use it and rarely swears. he has a very large vocabulary and uses other words when he is angry or agitated when someone. i would venture that your son did not know the offensiveness of the word. he may have thought it was an acceptable greeting because he heard it in songs or on tv. perhaps you could have him find out the definition or use of this word that is so offensive. seeing it in writing may help him understand why you are so upset.
Unless he was actually using it to be racist or offensive, I don't think punishment is going to get you anywhere because I imagine he didn't understand why it might be offensive to use language like that - has he maybe heard it in a song or heard other kids use it? I would just have a quiet word with him and make sure he understands why it is offensive and why he shouldn't use it. Would you punish him for doing something else he had no way of knowing was wrong?
If, on the other hand, he *knew* and understood what he was doing and did it anyway, then I'd issue a little extra homework - perhaps some extra chores done as a 'slave' might get the lesson home :-) But I seriously doubt he did.
Kirsty mum to Euan (9, Asperger's) Rohan (5, NT) and Maeve (2, NT)
"My definition of housework is to sweep the room with a glance"
Follow my blog on http://mumsnet.com/blogs/kirsteinr/
Friday evening I spoke with Everett and got the full story as to why he used the word.