And This is 2005?

Sometimes I wonder if we humans really have entered the 21st Century. I saw this news report of a professor in my state who told a racist joke in class.

To me, this is totally unacceptable. As an educator myself, I feel it is my job to open the minds of my students to education and my subject matter, not to make them feel uncomfortable or turn them off. Educators must set a high standard for students in creating an atmosphere of acceptance of students regardless of ethnic or cultural background. I feel that all educators need to practice the philosophies of two of my grad school professors; Dr. Adams who always said that once she had a student, that was her student and she took full credit for that student; and another lady (whose name escapes me), who always expressed to us that she thought teachers should be the head of a classroom family. I can also proudly say that my Mother, an elementary teacher, certainly practiced those principles in her classroom. I really don't know what this fellow was thinking - or NOT thinking.

I could also go on about the state of humor here. Sometimes I think our humor gets too mean, too "in your face". I find racist jokes certainly the most objectionable. I like to see humor build bridges between people who can laugh at some common human foibles. Humor that belittles others certainly has no place in the classroom.