A Georgia private school fired its principal after a racially charged remark made at commencement made national headlines.
“In light of recent events, the board of directors of TNT Academy has moved to dismiss Nancy Gordeuk as principal,” chair of the board Dr. Heidi Anderson wrote to a local NAACP chapter, NBC News has learned.
Last Friday, Gordeuk dismissed attendees prematurely, before calling them back to listen to the Valedictorian’s speech. She went on to chastise people for leaving the ceremony, saying “look who’s leaving — all the black people.”
A video of the incident shows attendees leaping from their seats in outrage and videos of the event went viral soon after, prompting calls for her resignation.
Gordeuk initially apologized – blaming the devil and her own emotional state – but later defended her remark in an interview with NBC News.
“My side is I’m not a racist, I didn’t know black people was a racist term, I didn’t say the n-word or anything like that, because that’s not in my vocabulary!” she said, arguing that it was merely an observation. “I made a statement, it wasn’t a racist remark.”
Gordeuk is the founder of TNT Academy, a non-traditional school that allows students to pursue independent coursework to get an accredited degree.
“During the coming transition, we will continue to prioritize support for our most recent graduates. Moreover, we will continue our commitment to providing students with the best educational classes, transcription services, and academic credit recovery possible,” Anderson continued in her statement about Gordeuk’s dismissal.
“Exploring Hoosier Minority Groups: Indiana’s Native American PopulationRachel Strange
Geodemographic Analyst, Indiana Business Research Center, Indiana University Kelley School of Business
Indiana’s population has become increasingly diverse in terms of race and origin. Results from the latest census count for 2010 provide us with a rich set of information from which to gain insight into our population diversity. This article is the last of four InContext articles to provide demographic snapshots of our minority population. Native Americans comprised 0.3 percent of Indiana’s population in 2010 and will be the focus of this snapshot. (View the articles on Indiana’s black population, Indiana’s Hispanic population and Indiana’s Asian population.) The overview that follows focuses on population, household formation, income and education."
These are statistics that Indigenous people in Indiana, USA, are experiencing. Very relevant to all of us.
“What the diagram points out is that not only are white and Indian values different and often conflict, but that the values of an ethnic group essentially determine that group’s educational system. When the two systems are merged together, or one system dominates, the result is poor performance by the Indian child, or the child whose ethnic group is in the weaker position within the school system.” ~Thomas Davis and Alfred Pyatskowit
“1. Native American Students Have The Lowest High School Graduation Rates In The Country (USA)
2. In Recent Years, Their (Native American students) Average ACT Scores Have Declined Substantially
3. Native Students Have Less Access To High-Level High School Courses
4. Most (Native American students) Are Not Proficient In Reading Or Math By Eighth Grade ”
The Education System Is Failing Native American Students. Here’s Proof.The Huffington Post | By Rebecca Klein
The article did not mention the astronomical numbers of American Indian and Alaskan Indian children dropping out of school, too. One of students in this American Indian education program has dropped out of school at the age of eleven, and she is not the only one.
teachers: please stop telling children that they have to be friends with every child in the classroom. this is dangerous. it is telling children that even if another child hits you, teases you, insults you, that they are still a friend. wrong. they are not your friend. you teachers doing this are trying to end bullying but actually you are silencing victims of bullying.
Racism is many things. It is a system of domination and exploitation based on the idea of race. Racism has been around a long time and is alive and well today. It is perhaps the single most influential social force shaping American life. It is woven into the economic, political, and social fabric of our country. Here’s a simple way to define racism: prejudice plus power.
roots and Wings: Affirming Culture in Early Childhood Programs, by Stacey York, 2003.
Waldorf on theReservation I have a need to share this story, because I have such deep respect for what the people of the Lakota Waldorf School have accomplished over the years…
Apparently, the public school system in America thinks blatant racism is A-OK.
Cynthia Ramsey, a math teacher at Camden County High School, in North Carolina, reportedly told her students a few weeks ago that one item on her bucket list is “to kill all black people.”
teachers: please stop telling children that they have to be friends with every child in the classroom. this is dangerous. it is telling children that even if another child hits you, teases you, insults you, that they are still a friend. wrong. they are not your friend. you teachers doing this are trying to end bullying but actually you are silencing victims of bullying.
Playing in schoolyards that feature natural habitats and trees and not just asphalt and recreation equipment reduces children’s stress and inattention, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study.
