Carolyn

Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.

Wow. I think that the gentleman in the second video who was advising Emma about what rap was about - relaying information that comes from one's background and one's heart, was a much better educator in this situation. Certainly more compassionate than the AAPS teacher in the first video. We're talking about a 17 year-old who was put in front of a classroom who had been studying this complex issue of race (all semester?) and asked to hold her own against this well-prepped class as well as an adult who clearly has trouble seperating her issues from what she is teaching.

El Poquito

Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 2:47 a.m.

A little humility goes a long way - especially in matters such as race and gender equality. If I'm not of a certain race or gender it behooves me to shut up and listen. Not only was the young woman being challenged by her teacher about her 'perceptions' on race and the roots of the music culture she admires by her imitation, but her 'perceptions' on feminism were also challenged. Some of my best teachers have been those who challenge my limited experience and broaden my limited thinking. There is no problem in having limited experience -- that's why she's in school - to learn. And Ms. Shields is there to broaden her students' world view. Looks to me like she was asking the reflective questions of a good teacher does. But how do we measure that for the MEAP, after all? Btw, how much $$ does AAPS get paid to 'Pimp Our Kidz'? Don't kid yourself; this isn't about education or good or bad teachers or kids and culture --- follow the money.

Megan

Mon, Jun 27, 2011 : 11:44 p.m.

People that view themselves on the reality shows in which they are featured take one of two approaches: defend their actions and use editing as an excuse and the other approach is to own their actions which shows self awareness. Vicki (as her high school students referred to her, which was interesting to me in itself) clearly lacks the ability to self reflect as she does not seem to take responsibility for her lack of educating both Emma, the rest of her students and especially herself. Positions in education are quickly being eliminated across the country due to budget cuts and the recession. Gifted, enthuasiastic, passionate educators are losing their jobs and Vicki, who has clearly lost the ability to advocate for students and understand the role of a secondary educator sits comfortably in her position at Pioneer High School. We've all heard the saying "It's not what you say, it's how you say it" and any educator should know and practice meeting a student at his or her level. Vicki expected Emma, clearly a naive 17 year old, but not seemingly close minded, to be at Vicki's own level, which is unreasonable and frankly, ridiculous. It is extremely important for students to learn about different cultures, but there was no evidence of any attempt to teach cultural understanding. I challenge the school district to evaluate not only what the students are taught, but how they are being taught. Any educator who focuses on cultural differences rather than cultural celebration is one that is only a detriment to society. I write this as a non-traditional student who is currently enrolled in a graduate certificate program for Secondary Education. Viewing this episode of "Made" was a great reminder of exactly what kind of educator I never want to become.

Ben Alfaro

Mon, Jun 27, 2011 : 4:13 a.m.

I support Vicki Shields.

D

Sun, Jun 26, 2011 : 7:27 a.m.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother commenting on conversations such as these but here goes... As an African American female raised in AAPS, I feel as though I understand the hostility in the classroom. As black children growing up in Ann Arbor, we are taught in school to learn and appreciate White culture and history as the the highest standard of academia. Classes such as African American humanities are the only instances (also only in HS) where one can obtain a different perspective on intellectual life and culture. This is not only a problem in A2 but black-white relation in America as a whole. We are taught to appreciate White culture yet White Americans are NEVER taught to appreciate ours. Everyone can yell tolerance, or it's not that big of deal, it's 2011, blah blah, but the fact that you sweep this sentiment under the rug is why Black Americans STILL hold so much contempt. No one is saying that Hamstra shouldn't be a rapper, but Black Americans feel as though we have to hold sacred elements of our culture because we are the only people that truly recognize it as our culture without it being turned into a mockery, i.e rap. Sure rap music IS pop music NOW, but that's why we want Hamstra to research and fully appreciate rap music as a genre that rose out of the African American inner city struggle. Thanks if you read!

zzzwolverine

Sun, Jun 26, 2011 : 3:46 a.m.

Wait...so is an African-American child or a Hispanic child picking up a violin and playing Bach disrespecting European culture?

kms

Sun, Jun 26, 2011 : 12:40 a.m.

While searching the web for a link to the full episode of Made, I came across this video created by one of Ms. Shields' students. Does anyone else think this is cyberbullying...especially at around 11:20 into the video? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTxYRiY4IeQ" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTxYRiY4IeQ</a>

TheBoss510

Sat, Jun 25, 2011 : 10:16 p.m.

Just imagine what would have happened if this had been reversed, a white teacher had done this do a black student in a classroom predominately white. We know for a fact that this would have been front page news on many newspapers and the likes of Jesse Jackson and other civil right supporters would have been prevalently on the air bashing the teacher. So now of course Vicky is going to claim that she is a victim of MTV editing and that her students warned her in advance that something like this would happen, is that because maybe they know that Vicky does hold on the racist idealogy and it would then be known to the public. She should receive some sort of diciplinary action, I mean why make a girl cry in front of a classroom like that, come on lady you are supposed to be the rational one here. MESSAGE TO MS. VICKY--- The hope is that you know learn from this and have come to realize that you indeed hold on the racist ideals, please do not teach your views to your students. &quot; Yall dont like US&quot; you cannot tell me that MTV made you say it, those are your words. RAPPERS CARE ABOUT MONEY, most rappers will not know about West Africans. Anyone can choose to rap, and it was apparent that you had the biggest issue with Emma wanting to rap. Not once have you said that just maybe you did mess up, instead it is just about how distorted MTV presented to show you, I THINK YOU NEED TO TAKE A GOOD LONG LOOK IN THE MIRROR, AND CHANGE YOURSELF FIRST.

UlyssesSwrong

Sat, Jun 25, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.

Vicki was simply looking at Hip-Hop in the context of African-American culture, in an African-American history related humanities class. Vicki considered Hip-Hop as an art form that expressed African-American issues and culture and questioned why Emma, a White lady from Ann Arbor's suburbs, would choose it as something she would want to do. The core of this had to do with &quot;appropriation&quot; and I think Vicki was too hard on Emma. The insinuated parallels were that Emma would be like Elvis and others in trying to take parts of African-American culture and re-appropriate it for Whites. While I think the conversation is a valid one, she did come off as too harsh on Emma, but by no means did this seem like a fireable, scandalous depiction of mistreatment in the class room. These types of discussions are common place at any high school that's reasonably diverse.

A2-er

Sat, Jun 25, 2011 : 4:46 p.m.

I'm a colleague of Ms. Shields so I have more to go by than what the two video clips above show of her and while she's a direct, tell it like it is (as she sees it) person, she's not not not a callous, uncaring, or unthoughtful person. Those who make the kind of harsh statements that seem to score high ratings as comments, unless they have more to base their opinions on that what's shown/said in the articles here, seem to me to be guilty of that sort of abrupt, harsh, judgmental approach. If they were asking questions about what might have been edited out, or did Ms. Shields mean this? or did she mean that?--and raising concerns, okay, but the harsh blasts of condemnation on the very limited information available here, uh-uh. They're saying more about themselves to me than they are shedding light on the situation the MTV folks supposedly presented.

15crown00

Sat, Jun 25, 2011 : 2:11 p.m.

this is the kind of teacher that needs to be run out.let her play the race card somewhere other than in a classroom.hey ms. teacher if Emma doesn't understand the issues NON WHITES HAVE to deal with maybe non whites don't understand the issues that white people have. What it comes down to Ms. Teacher is who is in charge and who isn't?The answer to that is clear. School administrators are letting Ms. Teacher run roughshod over those students who she doesn't like and who are the wrong race.why does the administration allow this to happen?.well it wouldn't be politically correct to discipline a non white would it This in a city that pretends to be one of the most politically correct in the U.S. which show u how arrogant this city really is and the pitfalls of political correctness.

katie

Sat, Jun 25, 2011 : 2:44 a.m.

A further comment about the videos I saw posted here. I thought the teacher was trying to help the student have an experience of her own privilege. Based on the way that these things are normally taught, I thought she did a decent job. I didn't feel that she was disrespectful of the student, for instance. I think the teacher might have logically assumed that since she was a feminist, she would understand where the teacher was coming from. On the other hand, I think a part of the problem is that most feminists are not taught feminist theory in a clear way today, in a way that builds on previous feminist theory. I was taught something like I outlined in my previous post (as it was taught years ago). Very logical, and about groups of people and about privilege. I was also taught that many things considered personal really have their roots in this politics of groups. I was also taught that, once people understand this theory (about the oppression by sex, race, class, etc), it is up to us to look at our membership in each group. As a woman, I need stand up against sexism, and I need to do this with other women. As a white person, I need to understand my white privilege and listen to people of color and believe them about their oppression. I need not to be defensive, but just listen and try to do things differently. I also took note of the second video posted. The young man who was teaching her rap was telling her to reach into her experience. I think she needed to do that, to work through the pain. This might have begun with the pain of being a woman, or rapping about the pain of women around the world. I'm sure she'd be no Eminem, but that would be a welcome change.

katie

Sat, Jun 25, 2011 : 2:19 a.m.

Someone asked about the difference between black feminists and white feminists. Here's my take on it: First, feminism and racism are not about individuals, they are about individuals grouped according to sex and race. All women belong to a group oppressed based on their sex. You can see this based on statistical analyses such as number of women murdered by men worldwide, or women's economic status as a group compared to men. All people of color belong to a group oppressed based on their race. You can also see this based on statistical analyses. You could say the same thing about class. The trouble is that, to people from the dominant group (men or whites), the privilege associated with that group is invisible, it is pretty much taken for granted. This makes it difficult to see and understand. Individuals, of course, have unique situations, talents, etc. But they also have various combinations of these group memberships. So, if you are talking about black women who are feminists and white women who are feminists, there can be some tension. Mary Daly was a leading feminist who was white. She wrote a book about women in mythology. However, she did not write about African women in mythology. She was criticized by a black feminist, Audre Lorde, because she had included some of the ways women were oppressed in African cultures, but did not include the strength of the women in their myths as well. She should have. I hope that this gives a flavor of the kinds of overlaps we are talking about. Feminism recognizes that all women are a group that are oppressed by sexism. All women are affected in some way by sexism whether or not is is visible, and lots of it isn't. Before women got the vote, there were many women who did not feel it was a problem, for instance. What feminism (or any movement for liberation) is NOT saying is that all individual women are the same or even are equally oppressed. It is not really about equality, but about equity.

kilroy

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 11:46 p.m.

The teacher was wrong in demanding that the student &quot;respect&quot; her culture. We are not obligated to respect cultures of ignorance or hatred or stupidity. The student should tolerate it, but not respect it. &quot;You know what I'm sayin'?&quot;

Robert

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 11:01 p.m.

I'm an African American who has loved music all his life. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find some genre of music that I didn't enjoy to some extent. I'm currently studying to be an opera singer. Performing this art form authentically involves a lot of in-depth knowledge of the history behind it, and with 400 years of it, opera has a lot of history. It involves having a working knowledge of at least four languages (sometimes even more) and it involves knowledge about composers, librettists, and their intentions when they wrote what they did. When Hamstra said she wanted to become a rapper to better connect to her future inner-city school students, I don't think she considered the history of hip-hop. She just thought &quot;oh, it's rapping, anyone can do it&quot;, very much the same way Sarah Brightman or Charlotte Church, two of the most hated Popera artists to ever disgrace the stage, probably thought about classical singing. They didn't realize that it wasn't just about singing. It was about telling a specific story. To be an authentic rapper or to rap in a way that's authentic, you can't just go about it thinking that it's putting words and rhythms together over a beat with a tune going with it. That's a pretty shallow understanding of what the music means to those who created it. I respect the teacher for her actions. She didn't get heated and she remained patient while trying to explain to this girl her point of view on the matter. I think those who did the most damage were probably the kids. They seemed to be the least mature in this. Name-calling? Hate mail? Get a life. Seriously. The fact that Hamstra didn't even retaliate even irks me more. Yeah, Hamstra should do some research and try to do this in a way that she's she takes it seriously, but the way the students seemed to treat her just makes the whole thing a mess. I think blaming the teacher as if she were to blame is unfair. Hold the students responsible for their reprehensible actions, not the teac

Tom Todd

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.

I believe Eminem pulled in 90 million a few years back. I bet that didn't sit well with some.

Monique

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 5:28 p.m.

I myself is a student of Vicki's U.S. African Amer Culture History class. By viewing the video clip of the made episode of the girl being a rapper is fine. Vicki was trying to understand the girl Emma and tell Emma he opinion that black and white women are not equal. Its different life styles for people in Ann Arbor to someone living in a Urban Area. Vicki is not a &quot;Bully&quot; or anything else that the video made it seem. Vicki does not even like to voice her opinion at times because people are not ready to hear the different views from another persons Perspective. Everyone knows how Vicki is, shes going to say something that she feels that she does not understand. The girl knew if your going in Vicki's class she is going to ask you questions on your statement and also understand what you are saying. At the same time she is also going to give you a different opinion and a different view that could question your statement. She even tells our class after we have conversations in the classroom &quot; Am I mean, YES, But do I love you Yes. In the end Vicki is a very nice teacher. In the Made video it just made her look like a bad person. In which shes not.

Live with Art

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:52 p.m.

While there may be content surrounding the clip that is not shown that has bearing on the discussion taking place, given what is shown it appears as if Mrs Shields is directly attacking the young ladies attempt to learn a new method of expression and her views on women. It is unfortunate that an adult and teacher feels she must attack the views of a child rather than posing what she feels is a lack of information on Miss Hamstra's part as a question that can be learned from. Such as, &quot;Do you think that inner city poor women have the same views as those of us in the suburbs?&quot;. Regardless of her personal feelings on race, I feel it is the duty of a teacher to help students, and Miss Hamstra at 17 is still a child and student.

Elaine F. Owsley

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:41 p.m.

Strange, when so many African American vocalists emphasize &quot;RESPECT&quot; that Ms. Shields has missed the message.

anti-thug

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 11:11 a.m.

what black history have to with rapping?

Tony Dearing

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 11:02 a.m.

Commenting has been reopened on this story.

cette

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 2:05 a.m.

The teacher says that there is different feminists experiences in different zip codes, and no one can represent them but the people themselves. No one, because they differ so much, and they very particular to the zone. I beg to differ. Seriously. I have meant some immensely empowered women in Detroit's society and some serious doormats in Ann Arbor. Is she saying Detroit men are worse about sexism, because that's my take. Think about it. Or white suburban men rank differently. Or this girl's feminism is different? Implicit in this is that if you move, you get different tastes of sexism, or does where your born always go with you, because the times they don't change, it's the place that does.

Tony Dearing

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 2:04 a.m.

Commenting on this story has been temporarily closed. We will reopen commenting in the morning.

elayem0110

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1:52 a.m.

Whereas I don't think this teacher behaved entirely appropriately, I think it needs to be said that the points she's making are valid and need to be talked about. I don't think this student meant any harm by any means. If anything, it seems like she wanted to learn from the experience. But too often, we talk about the white kids getting singled out for being white or saying something that is loaded with white privilege. Don't people realize that black kids are being singled out all the time for behaviors that they don't even act out, but are stereotypically associated with people of the same skin color? We are so white privileged that we won't even entertain the idea of helping white kids to realize that these ARE very different experiences and that as white people, they are benefitting from race. Ignoring their benefit is perpetuating oppression. Of course the experience of a white woman will be different from that of a black woman. A white woman experiences oppression for being a woman, but benefits from white privilege. But a black woman experiences oppression for being a woman AND for being black. Similarly, a black man experiences oppression for being black, but maybe benefits socio-economically. Like the teacher said, she has different experiences from people of the same race. Experiences are different and we need to be helping our students understand oppression and what perpetuates it, and one of the things perpetuating it is refusal to acknowledge that your white children, your wealthy children, your male children, your able bodied children, etc are benefitting from the privilege they were more or less born into. Let's have conversations about what the actual reasons are behind racial imbalance in crime rates, in poverty, in lack of education and so on. Not talking about it is what perpetuates arguments like &quot;black people are stupid and lazy&quot; and refuses to acknowledge how privilege continues to oppress people into these places and stereotypes in s

Tony Dearing

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1:45 a.m.

Also, a reminder, please make your point without resorting to name-calling and without personal insults.

Tony Dearing

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1:43 a.m.

I posted this reminder earlier and hope it will be helpful to post it again. We welcome frank discussions of race, but our conversation guidelines do not allow commenters to call someone a racist or accuse someone of racism. Those comments will be removed.

Elizabeth

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1:36 a.m.

It would be extremely hypocritical for the district to punish this teacher. The consultant, Pacific Education Group, that AAPS hired to &quot;close the achievement gap&quot; has identical views as those expressed by this teacher. These are the views that AAPS faculty and staff have undergone training to understand. Either AAPS gets rid of PEG and Vicky Shields or they fully support both of them.

Jerome Blue

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1:36 a.m.

I wonder what they're doing in the classes of *serious* education?

TAJohnson

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1:07 a.m.

I have to defend Vicky on this one, all Vicky said was make sure you understand the background of Hip Hop/Rap, the young women didn't do very much research! MTV attempted to make her look like a victim of bullying by an adult, when that was far from the facts as to what really happened.  She came to an African American Studies class very unprepared as if there wasn't going to be questions about her decisions to become a rapper.  The young lady was the one who wanted to come to the class and defend herself.  Vicki did not ask her to come to the class and defend her stance.   That being said maybe Vicky should have not put her on the spot in front of her whole class; but by no way did Vicky bully this young lady, the young women made a very generalized statement about feminism being the same for all ethnic groups; I think Vicky did the right thing by challenging the young women's stance, which I know for a fact will happen to this young women next year on her college campus. The young lady really proved Vicky's point, she really made herself look ignorant. A teacher of an African American Studies course should be able to discuss this young lady's decision to become a rapper with her class. To say that the teacher is fostering racism is very narrow minded by Emma actually doing some research would have been very respectful and would have given herself some understanding about the history of Hip Hop/Rap culture.

TheBoss510

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 1 a.m.

The teacher should be fired!!!!!

Adrienne

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:44 a.m.

I wasn't able to watch the episode yet, but I know Emma and her family well and want to commend her for doing something so courageous and lend my voice to those supporting her. This may turn out to be an even more intense experience than you originally signed up for, but you have the intelligence, moxie and aplomb to weather it well.

mohomed

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:32 a.m.

First off people there are all different kinds of rap, some serious and some funny, and some now mixed with club music. The best in the business is a white dude from Michigan named Eminem and much of what he says is the bull he had to go through like the attacks this hypocrite teacher gave this white chick. Ironically it was a black master of rap (Dr. Dre) who gave Eminem his first break and the rest is history. Good for this girl wanting to work in the hood as a teacher, I've worked in the ghetto of Detroit as a parole officer and the one thing for sure working in that environment is that poverty is not fun and this teacher really has no room to talk with her making a lot a money compared charter school teachers, teaching a social science class, and being in one of the best financially backed schools in the state with really smart motivated kids. I know for a fact most black people in Detroit would have encouraged this young girl and treated her with respect and objective honesty based on her talent not her skin color or neighborhood. This poor girl will be able to hold her own once she gets a little life experience under her belt.

Ellen

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:22 a.m.

Where can we see the entire episode? Is it on the web somewhere? In my master's classes, I learned that the African American experience is much different from the white experience and that experience and history can permeate all parts of life, in ways not very obvious to white folks, but have an impact. The difference is the elephant in the room, so to speak. I wonder if the teacher were maybe trying to engage in discussion over the differences? That being said, I (personally) believe that rap is an art form that can performed by anyone, regardless of race or culture. I don't believe that anyone &quot;owns&quot; rap, and if a white girl from A2 wants to rap, so be it. It worked for Emimen, why not her? Arrgggh, I think there are so many issues here, and I can't eliquently speak to any of them. I hope we can move to more open communications. But to attach all these issues to a young lady trying to express herself is the wrong forum.

limmy

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:22 a.m.

I don't think this is about the teacher. It is about the student. She had a rude awakening. She jumped into something that was out of her element and it was very uncomfortable. That is a good thing.

genetracy

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:06 a.m.

Where is the inner city in Ann Arbor?

EyeHeartA2

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:03 a.m.

&quot;The invitation to come to the class followed Hamstra meeting privately with Shields.&quot; Sounds more like the invitation to the ambush. Class act.

ThoseWhoStayUofM

Fri, Jun 24, 2011 : 12:02 a.m.

I can look beyond the racial stereotyping and the victim mentality that this teacher is choosing to perpetuate being honestly, I understand that many of those ideas are valid. What I can't get past are the blatant factual inaccuracies. &quot;How do you respond to people that understand the roots of rap and they say to you, &quot;You're disrespecting the culture.&quot;? How utterly absurd! It is four decades after the civil rights movement and this bimbo is perpetuating the idea that music ought to be segregated by race. If a black student sought to become a rock n' roll musician, would it be appropriate for an educator and a role model for these students, that is hired by the state and funded by tax payers, to question the African-American student's respect towards that culture? I think not. &quot;I don't think there is a difference between a white woman's feminism and a black woman's feminism.&quot; That's probably because there isn't. The feminist movement is entirely indifferent to race and creed. It dictates that all women, regardless of race or creed, ought to be granted the same rights and opportunities. &quot;You lost us when you said that there is no difference between a black woman and a white woman.&quot; Unbelievable! That is a straw man argument and any rational observer can verify that. She never claimed that there was no difference between a white and a black woman. Clearly there is (overlooking the obvious that one's black and one's white). This is a fallacious argument and ought to disqualify this particular teacher from this discussion entirely. &quot;There's a difference between me, a black woman in the suburbs, and my cousins, black women in the ghetto.&quot; How is that relevant to this discussion? It's another straw man argument. Nobody made the claim to the contrary. &quot;But if you tell me that my story is the same as a white woman's story, I know you don't know it.&quot; Ignoring the fact that SHE NEVER SAID THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE, this s

rocco

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 11:53 p.m.

I listened to Ms. Shields a few times and I think she was just trying to keep it real. I don't think she bullied Emma. She was just trying to help her understand the roots of this urban underclass musical form. Recall white rapper Eminem in the movie 5 Mile. He was truer to the spirit of rap than some of the black rappers in the movie who came from the middle class. I think it's naive to think that rap music, or country music for that matter, has nothing to do with race and class. Sure, Emma can rap her poetry as many white poets do in poetry slams. But the teaching moment was to help Emma understand something about the roots of the music. Maybe Emma already knew this and didn't need to be preached to about it or called to task. I might have asked her how did she come to this desire to use the rap medium. In a way, any answer would do from I just felt like it to I listen to rap and like the music. Perhaps the teacher was looking for a more profound teaching moment and missed the opportunity because she didn't comprehend the motivation of this young lady to rap her poetry.

bedrog

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 11:40 p.m.

There is no logical difference between this kid doing rap and white brit eric clapton becoming a master of delta blues; or harvard/prep school product pete seeger becoming a purveyor of appalachian folksongs; or any number of urban kids becoming masters of bluegrass banjo; or white jewish johnny clegg becoming the main vehicle of zulu guitar afropop....or black jessye norman singing italian opera. all that said..i personally view rap/hiphop as embodying the end of civilization as we know it.

Enso

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 11:39 p.m.

All you have to do to see that white people have been pushing their racist views on the rest of the population since the founding of this country is open a high school history book.

Wolf's Bane

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 11:09 p.m.

I think Pioneer High School teacher Vicki Shields did an exceptional job in trying to convey to Emma Hamstra the differences between socio-economics and race. Yes, superficially, Vicky and Emma both enjoy the creature comforts of Ann Arbor. However, Rap, was born out of racial degradation of the urban wasteland of the 70s and carries with it the voices of the disenfranchised, 99% of whom were (are) black and poor. I think Emma is looking at Rap through the rose colored sunglasses of ethnocentric value which she learned from living in the suburbs.

Blerg

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 11:04 p.m.

While I see no real issue in the content of the teacher's speech, I do see two major errors on her part. 1) Her tone is pretty curt and rude; it's the type of tone I reserve for talking to total jerks, and the student didn't come across as a jerk at any point in the clip. It seems like most posters here are unable to listen to the content of her speech based on her tone that is alienating much of her audience. Not such a good thing when you're in charge of talking to kids all day long. 2) Why in the heck did this teacher allow MTV into her class?!? Really. Hasn't she watched reality t.v., rife with editing, before?

jhammer

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:56 p.m.

So many things to say. But as a PC Ann Arborite, I am trained to be silent, ignore, and move on. And somehow feel some guilt. And ease that guilt by funding studies into why racial divides persist - even when it presents itself so clearly.

Imagine

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:53 p.m.

Help me understand. A white person can't rap because it's not something that white people invented or usually do? If that's the premise, we would then need to say that black folks shouldn't do stuff that white people invented and usually do? I mean, is that what's being put forth here? Good luck with *all* of that, guys. Art is art. Any color is welcome to try it, do it, use it and talk through it. I'm just *so* tired of racism. Just. Tired.

Charlie Brown's Ghost

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:40 p.m.

Why rapping? Wouldn't music be more interesting?

Marianna

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:36 p.m.

You wouldn't want your child to be bullied into crying, no matter what lesson was being taught.

formerteacher

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:25 p.m.

Why are so many commenter's calling for the teacher's dismissal? The teacher used a teachable moment to guide a student. Ms. Shields pointed out a misconception, that white feminist and black feminist are the same, with an example that showed that where a person comes from defines who they are and contributes to the issues that are important in their life. Why are people calling this bullying? I thought that Ms. Shields was being rather nice in her approach. I have seen bullying and this is not it!

Jj

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:19 p.m.

This is pure exaggeration, and the people who are over exaggerating are people who are ignorant of reality. These discussions need to be had so minuscule &quot;issues&quot; like this one aren't blown up and people accused of being racist. I'm sure many kids like Emma haven't had to face many issues regarding race and her first encounter with an intellectual is seen as bullying. Its a shame when someone is trying to educate and erode race barriers that no one else will confront, and unfortunately they look like the bad guy. I guess these issues are too elevated for high school seniors. College is going to be a huge shocker.

a2flow

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:16 p.m.

I don't think Shields does a good job in the first clip. Her mannerisms, as well as her disapproval of what the girl hopes to accomplish. It's one thing for this to occur with students, but there is a built-in power structure between the teacher and the student. She should have been more of a facilitator with less of a bias towards the student. The girls comes across as a bit naive, but this is to be expected from a high school senior.

lisasimpson

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:04 p.m.

I find it interesting that all of the users on here in commenting in support of the teacher joined annarbor.com today. Just sayin.

Davidian

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 10:03 p.m.

This is just par for the course in many classrooms in Ann Arbor when I attended. It was like that at Eastern Michigan as well now that I think of it. Unless you are consumed with white guilt, you will be attacked and shouted down if you express your opinions about race while white. It doesn't matter if the comments happen in an AA studies class or in Math. And it doesn't matter if the comments are innocent/harmless. I doubt much more than an apology will come out of it. Like I said, this is mainstream in Ann Arbor.

Dorchester

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:59 p.m.

Where in the 3 minute clip did Ms. Shields say anything inappropriate? Nothing wrong with challenging a student's racial beliefs in a class that routinely challenges racial ideologies. Emma, UMASS has wonderful Woman Studies and Afro American Studies programs. UMASS is a great place to bring out your &quot;inner rapper&quot;. I hope you enjoy college.

Greg Wilder-Romans

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:58 p.m.

Everyone who has been saying bad things about this teacher is just ignorant or not wanting to talk about the bad truths which still exist in this world. The teacher was not being racist at all. She was just simply saying that a woman who is from, say, the inner city of Detroit, is going to have different experiences than say a woman who grew up in upper middle class Ann Arbor. Whether you all want to believe it or not, there still are differences. Ms. Shields was just trying to open Emma's eyes, and teach her about other woman's values. I personally think it's hilarious that all of you freaked out this much about nothing at all. Take your blinders off and start to realize what is going on in your world.

John of Saline

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:41 p.m.

Would it be disrespectful of Cubans for Japanese people to perform mambo? Because I once saw a silly clip of a Japanese mambo band. It was funny. But, by the logic from this teacher, they &quot;disrespected&quot; a form of music because they come from a different background than the original musicians did, and HOW DARE THEY.

Tony Dearing

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:30 p.m.

We want people to be able to discuss this issue, but ask you to do so within our conversation guidelines. You are welcome to discuss issues of race, but comments that call someone a racist or accuse someone of racism will be removed.

John of Saline

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.

It's pretty standard talk, unfortunately, to try to divide people up this way, and to accuse anyone looking to bridge gaps as an automatic racist. Very familiar from my college days.

Heardoc

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:25 p.m.

Where in the world is the school board? What actions can the School Board take her? This 'teacher' needs to not teach this subject matter anymore. Wow! Talk about indoctrination.........

bluenation

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:22 p.m.

As a former student who has had Vicki as a teacher she is the farthest thing from the teacher that follows the standard. She has taught me in a different way than any other class and I learned better than I have in any other class. The fact is she doesn't sugar coat anything at all, she wasn't being racist at all she was telling the truth, the truth that people don't want to hear. Vicki is one of the most intelligent people I have met and I respect her more than I do any other teacher and more so than most people. The work she does for kids is amazing. The fact is you don't know Vicki until you have been in her class. Believe me when i say she is mean and the scariest person you will ever meet if you cross her, but I know that every kid that has had her has had their lives touched by her and we all love her to death. She was not being racist. She wanted Emma to know the roots of rap. She didn't want her to disrespect the beginnings of rap and Hip-Hop. Vicki is willing to talk about the ugly truths people don't want to. The fact is that Emma's views on womens rights are vastly different than a black woman who lives in the Detroit. These 3 minutes you have seen of Vicki is not something to judge her from. I can tell you from experience that she is an amazing teacher. She will tell you the truth and show you a different perspective on everything she teachers you, outside the popular belief. People here just don't understand Vicki and I can tell you that everyone who has been in her class has learned better than they ever have and love her dearly.

Tony Dearing

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:19 p.m.

Comments have been removed because they violated our conversation guidelines. You are welcome to express strong opinions on this story, but please do not resort to personal insults or name-calling.

kms

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 9:10 p.m.

Having just finished watching the episode, it is disturbing to see the divisive behavior of this AAPS teacher. Emma was articulate about her reasons for wanting to rap..to take her poetry writing to a new level and to express her experiences with bullying. Little did she know she would experience bullying at the hand of Ms. Shields who blindsided her by having students throw prepared questions at her. Despite what Emma said, Ms Shields said that unless Emma understood the culture of West Africa she had no business rapping. Even when Emma broke down in tears, Ms. Shields reply was, &quot;we still ain't got to you yet.&quot; I sincerely hope Ms. Shields is replaced at Pioneer and another teacher assigned to teach this class.

Mich Res and Alum

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:59 p.m.

All these people crying and shouting... What exactly did the teacher say? The student mentioned that there's no difference between a white woman and a black woman. Clearly a chance to challenge some pre-conceived notions. Maybe that's all this teacher did! The fact is nobody knows because all we're seeing is an EDITED promotional clip! MTV edited that clip and the show to make it as controversial (to get ratings) as they could. I think we should see the entire class before shouting about firing a teacher who, by my accounts, involved the class and tried to create a discussion of appropriation. The student made an unfortunately ignorant comment and I hope she learned something from it.

Smitten

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:54 p.m.

Teachers should be leaders and examples. I am very disappointed in what I just read, yet I am not surprised. Ms. Sheild's and Pioneer High School administration should be embarrassed. You have a teacher that invites a student to have an open discussion about a topic that could have been a positive multi-culturalism &quot;teaching moment&quot;. Instead, you get a teacher that had ulterior motives and proved to show that Ms. Shield's couldn't get beyond her own personal bias. I was taught in graduate school in education, as a teacher/professor, you facilitate discussions like this. You guide students in having a productive conversation so everyone can learn. The teacher should NOT have shared her own personal opinions. Of course her students would agree with her and follow her opinion…… they want to get a good grade in her class. AAPS chose to ignore that there teachers do this. I can't tell you how many times my daughter has told me that she has to write opinions that align with her English teacher or she will be given a lower score. At times like this, I question if having my children in public school is wise. I get very tired of the politics and protection that teachers like this are given. If an African American student chose to sing Frank Sinatra music and a white teacher started criticizing that person and allowed students to gang up on that person..... I wonder how AAPS administration would handle that? As a minority and past educator, I am very embarrassed of this teachers behavior.

xmo

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.

Can an African-American teacher be a racist? Can an Ann Arbor Pioneer High Class be racist? Was Emma Hamstra down for the struggle?

ateachertoo

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:51 p.m.

As a fellow high school teacher, I am completed disgusted by the teacher's comments and actions. She invited Emma into a negative environment in order to be attacked by her and other students. She is a disgrace to all teachers. I cannot believe she is allowed to behave the way she did. She bullied this student. This student was not trying to offend any culture or pretend she is something she is not. I hope there are some serious consequences for Vicki Shields. Everyone should send emails to the school and teacher.

andys

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:49 p.m.

Yes what are these differences. Let's get them all out there. Let's focus on the differences between blacks and whites, let's highlight them, and make sure all our thoughts and actions reflect them, so that we can come together as one community! What???? Which way do you want it, should I treat everyone the same, or focus on these differences that you are so anxious to point out?

r treat

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.

In a promotional clip for the show, Shields tells Emma Hamstra she can't understand the issues of African Americans. So she shouldnt question our President??

yohyohy?

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:43 p.m.

Serious question... What are the differences between &quot;black&quot; feminism and &quot;white&quot; feminism?

braggslaw

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:42 p.m.

Wow, that teacher is a piece of work... Rude and completely out of touch

Midwestern Teacher

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:24 p.m.

If you watch the first clip embedded in this article you can see that the teacher, Vicki Shields, raised legitimate concerns regarding cultural appropriation and differences between black and white feminists. Emma Hamstra, the teen learning to rap, stated that she felt that white feminists and black feminists are the same emerges out of the "colorblind" perspective. We are not all the same. We exist in different cultures. Read "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh: <a href="http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf</a> We are not going to make any progress in race relations until people are willing to discuss white privilege, however, the name calling that occurred at the school after Hamstra's visit to the classroom are not going to bridge this gap, either. Everyone needs to work at this together.

garrisondyer

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:24 p.m.

In the absence of all the untold background to this story, I've been trying not to jump to any conclusions here. I have, though, been surprised by the well-represented feelings/beliefs that rap is only for black/african/african-american people. I'd suggest to some of the people on this discussion board to check out some of the rap acts from the Pacific Northwest, because they seem to have shown me otherwise. Groups like the Blue Scholars, Common Market, Macklemore, the Physics, etc..... seem to have bridged the racial/ethnic gap when it comes to rap and hip hop.

Steve Hendel

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.

So much for Eminem

ypsiteacher

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.

What a shame. What a complete and terrible shame! This teacher gives a bad name to her district and to all of the teachers who work hard everyday to validate their students. This teacher was closed-minded and and created an atmosphere in her classroom that allowed for her bullying behavior. No child should ever feel ganged-up on at school.... ESPECIALLY when the teacher is leading it. Ann Arbor Public Schools should be ashamed to have her on the payroll.

Macabre Sunset

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.

It sounds like Ms. Shields missed the mandatory racial sensitivity training sessions.

Elaine F. Owsley

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 8:04 p.m.

She invited the girl and then hassled her in front of the class? What an example Ms. Shields is. She needs some counseling to delve into her issues, her behavior toward a student, her teaching ethics. If a white teacher had invited a candidate for Miss Black America into the classroom and behaved in this way, there would be a national war waged. Shame on her!!!

southAA

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:57 p.m.

Not surprised at all to hear this. My experience with Pioneer High comes only from taking the #7 AA bus after school hours every weekday for the past 5 years--make of that what you will. White students get on the bus together, talk only to each other. Black students do the same. I could probably count on my fingers the number of times I have seen an interracial interaction between these kids. It was one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Ann Arbor.

Julietklein

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:56 p.m.

&quot;A teachable moment&quot; has become a hackneyed phrase, but this was clearly such a moment lost, when bridging divides might have been fostered, not shut down.

a2flow

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:52 p.m.

Andys is on to something. I do hope that PEG is given another $100K a year to inform us what our problems are so we can fix them. The young girl is the one who is trying to be inclusionary while the teacher is the one fostering separatism in this clip. The environment seems kinda hostile in this clip, and the teacher as the one in charge is the one creating this. As I watched the clip, I get the fact that none of us can completely understand the lives of different genders or races, but it does come across poorly. Furthermore, we are all people and should have empathy for others regardless of our differences. The fact that we are all people should have some common thread to it. We all experience hopes, dreams, gain, loss, happiness, sadness. That's what people should strive for instead of accentuating our differences. The greater question may be, if this was reversed and the student was black and teacher white, what would Glenn Singleton's (PEG) response to this be? Singleton has made a good living out of heightening the issue of race in various districts. What makes him an expert? If after viewing the clip and it turns out that the teacher has acted in a racist manner, then this teacher should be held accountable and forced to undergo diversity training. And the district can pay for this with the canceling of the contract for Singleton and his band of hate-mongers.

Atticus F.

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:35 p.m.

I've seen several people from the suburbs who have no understanding of hip hop culture try to rap, and it often comes across as out of touch and borderline insulting. Not so much a race thing... More like mimicking something that you have no understanding of in an unflattering way.

pbehjatnia

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:32 p.m.

I don't have cable and I won't see this show. However, if Ms. Shields really did do this then she should be disciplined on the record. I do not support my tax dollars being used to promote racial divides. Racism is racism regardless of who is pushing the envelop.

andys

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:30 p.m.

annarbor.com, I'd like to see a follow-up story on how this teacher gets away with fostering racial tensions / hatred in her classroom!

andys

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:28 p.m.

If the AAPS can scrap together a $100k, maybe a diversity consultant could be hired to come in and talk to this teacher.

mrd

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.

Yes we got trouble...right here in Washtenaw County...I think this teacher has some splainin to do...

Atticus F.

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:20 p.m.

Perhaps she came across as if she was mocking hip hop culture?

NorthsideHobbit

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 7:05 p.m.

I think P.L. said it best. You rap about your life. It doesn't sound like Emma was pretending to be a girl from the ghetto. It sounds like she was just using rap as a way to express her thoughts. Isn't this what rap is about? What is this teacher thinking? Is she fostering an atmosphere of acceptance or furthering racism?

smokeblwr

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 6:46 p.m.

Ohhhhhhh.....this is going to be an ugly thread. All I can say is I don't know why she wanted to rap in the first place. Maybe she should have thrown in some profanity and she would have done better? I don't know....as Frank Sinatra said to Luther Campbell on SNL: &quot;I don't understand a word you're saying Junior. It's all pops and whistles!&quot;

grye

Thu, Jun 23, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.

This could get very ugly.