Cobb County teacher Hope Largent searches for ways to engage her fifth-graders. In her second year of teaching, Largent already has a reputation for making learning exciting among the children, parents and staff at Cheatham Hill Elementary School.
Now, Largent has another reputation, one she’s eager to shed, after the grandmother of a student in her class protested a classroom activity used to explain the Underground Railroad. The grandparent said rolling dice to travel the Underground Railroad trivialized slavery and traumatized her granddaughter, who came home upset over the “slavery game.”
Affronted by the school’s response, the grandmother took her complaints to the press, setting off a social media firestorm this week about the Georgia teacher who forced children to play the “slavery game.” The story seemed to grow murkier with each retelling. Among the headlines: “Back to the Plantation: Outrage after teacher plays slavery game in class with one black student.” (There actually are other black students in the class.)
Largent opted for silence in the beginning but decided to talk to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and explain that choosing the Underground Railroad activity she found on a teacher website was an effort “to find something interactive, engaging and memorable. I used it last year and it helped students retain the information and be prepared for state testing in April.”
Many parents in the class expressed support of Largent, declaring her their child’s favorite teacher. “Personally, I appreciate how much my children can learn from an activity such as this, and I feel hands-on-learning is a very important part of our educational system today,” said Jennifer Fisher.
Largent’s fellow teachers rallied to her side, releasing a statement Wednesday: “What Hope’s critics have failed to realize is that in the digital age, children learn and understand concepts quite differently than a generation ago. To meet students where they are technologically, teachers must use interactive learning activities. That’s why we search for all types of activities that provide the most effective way to present information to our students. Hope Largent did exactly what we all try to do — find ways to make learning meaningful and lasting. We support that with enthusiasm.”
Christina Berchini specializes in race studies and teacher education at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and agrees with teachers that learning is very different today from even five or 10 years ago. And she, too, hates “boring lessons straight out of the textbook.
“While I agree with these particular arguments, I have to ask, what do these points have to do with the potentially ill-conceived construction of a slavery simulation game? What, exactly, does slavery have to do with fun and games, and why are we not listening to a child who responded negatively to this classroom experience?” said Berchini.
For a child to be upset by this approach to slavery suggests to Berchini that “she was taught a profound understanding of this nation’s history, perhaps by her family if not her school.” Indeed, the girl’s grandmother said she had explained the devastation of slavery to her granddaughter.
In its guidance to schools on the increasing use of classroom simulations to teach historical events, the Southern Poverty Law Center advises proceeding with caution. While a simulation of the signing of the Declaration of Independence may not trigger strong reactions, the center warns simulations related to race and ethnic identity come fraught with risks. And one of those risks is that well-intentioned teaching can result in unforeseen hurt.
