美国6年级学生正做社科课测验, 突然不开心，不想回答下去。姐姐伸头看了一眼测验题，非常震惊。
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教育中的歧视比暴力更可怕
By 罗新
4/01/2021
Joy是美国德克萨斯州的一位女大学生。她和家人住在离达拉斯不远的小城Carrollton。
她的妹妹12岁，是6年级学生，就读于Charles M. Blalack中学。
由于疫情的原因，姐妹俩都在家中上课，时不时的可以看到对方的上课内容。
昨天是周二，Joy的妹妹的社会科学课（Social Study)有个测验。妹妹在做题的时候，突然有些不开心，不想回答下去。
Joy伸头看了一眼测验题，非常震惊。
妹妹的社科课正在学习中国部分，学生们已经上了一段时间的课，这个测验就是一些关于中国的问题。
问题3是这样的。
“下面这几项中国的常见事中，哪一项是正确的？”（很正常的选择题形式，对吧？）
问题之后给出了三个答案。学生们必须选择一个。
答案一：在中国，如果有人在餐馆里打嗝，割掉他们的嘴唇是常见的。
答案二：在中国某些地区，如果有孩子偷了一块糖，打他们50藤条是常见的。
答案三：在中国的某些地区，人们吃猫和狗是常见的。
学生们必须选择一个正确答案。而这道题的“正确答案”，应该就是三。
Joy看到这个测验题，非常气愤，拍了照片发到推特上，并且写道：“这太荒谬了。教育体系中的有害言论，正是今天仇亚犯罪和种族主义持续存在的原因。”
她说得太对了。
在2021年的今天，在美国初中的课堂上，竟然出了这样一道测验题。我不禁要问：他们的教材是什么？参考书是什么？平时老师在课堂上讲述的是什么？
对于一个美国12岁的学生来说，社科课上的中国部分，应该只是浮光掠影，学习一点关于中国的基本事实。
中国有几千年的历史，有丰富的文化，有56个民族，有无数有影响有意义的风俗。
而这所中学的三个社科老师，在成千上万个“中国的常见事”中，却出了这样一道题，拼凑出三个答案 – 三个负面的，荒谬的答案。
每一个孩子，在看了那些“打嗝”、“割嘴唇”、“打藤条”、“偷糖果”之后，需要选择（三）这个“正确答案”。他们的头脑中从此会牢牢种下了一个概念：中国人是吃猫和狗的。
而由此很容易推论出，中国人是冷血的，残酷的，无情的，落后的。
没有人是天生的种族主义者。孩子们出生之后，从家庭、学校和社会中，接受到各种思想和观念。
孩子接受了种族主义的教育，那么长大之后，就很有可能成为一个种族歧视者。
这些天，我们看到了不少针对亚裔的仇恨事件，他们被推倒，被暴打，被刀割，被枪杀。
大批的亚裔上街游行抗议，社会各界也纷纷表态反对仇亚行为，一个又一个的罪犯也陆续落网。
但是，不管这些罪犯被判处多么严重的罪名，都不能阻止新的歧视和仇恨事件的发生。
因为，培养种族主义的土壤还在。
我的大女儿12岁的时候，也是上六年级。有一天，她回来跟我说，班上一个男孩对她喊：滚回中国去。
我让她向老师报告。第二天，她告诉了老师，老师又报告给校长。我女儿看到校长把那个学生叫到了办公室。
这件事情就这样结束了。只是我有时会想，那个男孩，为什么会喊出那一句话呢？他一定是从什么地方学来的，也许是从他的家庭，也许是从电视等媒体上。
我没有去追究那个答案。
今天，当我看到这个社科测验题的时候，我知道，在这种教育下成长出来的孩子，会有人在以后的某一天，喊出同样的话：“滚回中国去”。
甚至会有人，做出更可怕的举动。
种族主义，不光存在于家庭中，不光存在于书籍中，不光存在于电影电视中，它还可能存在于学校的课堂中，来自那些最受尊敬的老师们。
教育里的歧视，比推倒亚裔老人的歹徒更可怕。
Joy的推特发出后，学区发了一个声明，说这个测验的语言“不适当”，三个老师都暂时带薪停职，学区将做调查。
家长们愤怒的留言要把这个不痛不痒的声明淹没了。大家都知道，测验是检验平时的学习内容的。既然测验的题目是这样的，那么，孩子们在平日的学习里，到底是学了一些什么啊？
但是，也有不同的声音，一个家长说：家长们有权知道这些老师犯了什么错。我认识其中一个老师，这些老师都很好，我的孩子也非常喜欢这门课。我们需要透明。
你看，事实明明白白地摆在面前，还是有人选择性失明。
在他们的心里，这些老师做的，根本不算什么大事。
好在，绝大多数的人，都非常明确而坚定地加入谴责的行列。
Joy心有余悸地说：幸亏昨天我在家，看到了这个测验。
如果她没看见，那么，那些孩子就都回答了问题，得到了分数，答错的还会被纠正过来。
他们都认为“中国人吃猫吃狗”是一个不可质疑的事实，因为这是老师教的，是测验专门强化过的。
Joy及时发现了这个测验，相信学区在舆情的压力下，也会认真处理这几位老师。
但是，美国到底还有多少老师，在有意无意地传播着这类带有种族歧视的信息呢？
又有多少孩子，已经不知不觉中，受到了种族主义的毒害呢？
在美国的公立学校系统里，亚裔教师很少。从下面的表格可以看出，亚裔只有2%。（图表来源NCES）
可以说在学校这个地盘，亚裔教师的数量是远远低于亚裔占总人口的比例的。
而学校的课程设置，也不会把内容特别向亚裔和亚洲各个国家倾斜。
即使课程中涉及到了亚裔和亚洲国家的内容，也可能出现像Joy妹妹遇到的情况 – 学到一些偏颇的知识。
Joy昨天所做的事，不亚于斗倒一个在街上行凶的歹徒。
她让我们看到，在学校中，在教育中，种族主义也是存在的。
所以，当我们为了那些遭受到歧视和伤害的亚裔发声呐喊的时候，也别忘了关心一下孩子们在学校的课程，以及他们接受到的教育。
只有清除了种族主义的土壤，才能防止它长成大树。
3 Texas teachers placed on leave after racist language about Asian Americans used on test, district says
The district called the words used on a social studies test “derogatory and hurtful.” Three teachers are on leave while officials complete their investigation.
By Jozelyn Escobedo (WFAA), Tiffany Liou
4/01/2021
CARROLLTON, Texas
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District has placed three teachers on administrative leave while it investigates an incident where inappropriate language about Asian Americans was included on a test, officials said.
The district tweeted a statement Wednesday morning that said the inappropriate language was used on a secondary social studies test.
“The words used on the test question were derogatory and hurtful,” the statement partially reads.
The incident came to light when the older sister of a sixth-grader at Blalack Middle School saw her sister taking a virtual social studies test.
“I looked over my sister’s shoulder and I saw this question that just blew me away,” said Joy Lim, a CFBISD alumni.
Lim said her sister was uncomfortable answering the question filled with stereotypes and racism against Chinese people. She quickly snapped a photo of the inappropriate question, shared it on Twitter, and contacted the district.
“I don’t understand who thought this was OK,” said Lim. “If these teachers were Asian American teachers, that question would not have been on the quiz.”
She is concerned about the diversity training that educators at CFBISD are receiving.
With the rise in hate against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lim, a Korean American, didn’t want her sister to experience discrimination at such a young age. She said it’s worse because this hate came from her teachers at school.
“I’m just glad that I was home to catch it,” said Lim.
Lim hopes to use this as a learning moment for her younger sister to teach her to speak out against hate and racism.
The DFW Chinese Alliance launched an online petition Thursday demanding that the following actions be taken by the school district.
- The three teachers who openly used racist language must be fired immediately.
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD must issue an official apology to the Asian students, parents, and communities.
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD must implement improved Diversity-sensitivity training to its teachers and student bodies immediately.
“We are disappointed that the ISD has not taken corrective measures to demonstrate that they take racism against Asians seriously,” the DFW Chinese Alliance said online.
The school district said actions or language disrespecting any people group are not acceptable and do not represent its core belief system.
The school district said it recently launched a diversity training initiative for staff. It’s unclear if the training was launched before or after the incident.
“The district will enhance these training opportunities in an effort to create a more inclusive and respectful environment,” the statement reads.
“The nearby Asian communities are deeply hurt by the fact that Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD has allowed Asian-Hate into their classrooms and we are disappointed that the ISD has not taken corrective measures to demonstrate that they take racism against Asians seriously,” the DFW Chinese Alliance said.
Over the past month, several community members in North Texas have brought awareness to the hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Last week, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed March 26 as “Stop Asian Hate Day” in the city. Two rallies were hosted over the weekend.
Christine Lee, who attended one of the rallies, had a message not just for the dozens on hand for a “Stop Asian Hate” rally, but for the entire country.
“I am not just Korean American,” Lee said, her voice full of emotion. “I am Korean and American — two beautiful cultures interwoven in me.”
Earlier this month, the owner of Detour Doughnuts and Coffee made #StopAsianHate doughnuts to raise money and awareness for the AAPI community.
“We need to show up for our people, and this is the best way I know how,” said owner Jinny Cho.
She donated the money from her #StopAsianHate doughnuts to Support the AAPI Community Fund. She also matched what her customers bought.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, between March 2020 and February 2021, nearly 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian hate were reported, 103 of them in Texas.
On Sunday’s Inside Texas Politics, State Representative Gene Wu, D-Houston said he hopes that recent violence and racism against Asian-Americans will result in more political involvement by the minority group.
“This is a big problem for the Asian-American community because a lot of the places that the Asian-Americans come from – a lot of their home countries, their home cultures – have this sort of pervasive ideology, pervasive philosophy of ‘Hey, you just need to keep quiet,” said Rep. Wu
If Asian-Americans have learned anything recently, Wu said, it’s that staying quiet isn’t working.
“It does not protect you. Being the model minority does not protect you. Your number just didn’t come up yet, and in 2020, our number came up,” Wu explained. “Just like the Jewish community, the Muslim community, the Black community, the Hispanic community, the LGBTQ community, we were targeted. Our number came up, and we were targeted for violence and we got it. I think a lot of our community finally understands that just being quiet does nothing for us. Silence is death.”
