Cotton Picking Field Trip

[quark219]

Run time: 02:32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90XLNQXN_74   Posted on YouTube: October 06, 2010 By YouTube Member: wutangben Views on YouTube: 48822   Posted on DU: October 08, 2010 By DU Member: quark219 Views on DU: 1183

 

Kendall describes a third-grade field trip to a cotton
processing plant. Language may be NSFW.

[uncommon]

1. Wow. That guy was really funny, but that was a really fucked up thing for the school to do.

I don't blame his mom for flipping her lid.

[quark219]

2. My thoughts exactly.

The school deserves some kind of award for racial cluelessness. But Kendall's retelling of the story is hilarious.

[uncommon]

4. I'm glad he could have a sense of humor about it, otherwise

it would just be sad.

[slackmaster]

3. I love that young man's sense of humor, attitude, and delivery

It's unfortunate that by third grade he still knew nothing of American slavery. The good news is the entire experience left a big impression on him, and he did learn something.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

5. Good! nt

[AnneD]

6. It reminds me....

of the style and timing of Bill Cosby and his comic story telling.

Now to play the devil's advocate: what was the context of the lesson. If it was about slavery and share cropping, that would have been an appropriate field trip. Kids are so removed from our agrarian history and this would be a great hands on experience, like going to a slave quarters in the bowels of a ship and trying on the chains or maybe scrunching everyone together to experience the overcrowding. Kids have a lot of energy and learn tactilely so I can see the appeal-but there should have been better context.

I have picked and chopped cotton in my youth and my mother did when I was young and dad was overseas in the military. I remember one time well because once she was pregnant, and almost had heat stroke. They rushed her to the farm house and doused her with water to cool her off. I came away with an understanding of how back breaking-ly hard the work was and why you sing (it helps). The cotton boles tear your hands up they are so hard and thorn like. You got paid by the pound and they weighed your bags (I forgot how much the could hold-maybe a 100 lbs.) when you got to the weigh station, you would swear you had 100 lbs and only have 75. you would have to watch for crooked scales too.

Gee, I haven't thought about that in a long time.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I completely disagree

They could have visited the plant without picking cotton. And not letting them keep what they picked?

A very bad idea.

[AnneD]

8. I agree about letting them ...

keep It or even weigh it, sell it, and have a full bag and tell them how much they would need to pick to feed and care for their family. It would be a math lesson they would never forget. But I would raise concerns about the context around the lesson and also about kids out in the heat in August.

I have gone through reenactment tour, and even got to see the replicas of a Viking saga, and the Pinta,Nina and Santa Maria. They never cease to be effective. I went through the Titanic exhibition and was a survivor. I went through the Holocaust tour and died as did my young daughter (her dad s Jewish). She credits that experience and seeing National Treasure as sparking her interest in history. Kids, esp the young learn hands on best. So a lesson like this COULD have given these kids an even deeper appreciation of their history. Again. it is the context that is critical. I also would have brought the parents in from the get go, esp on such a sensitive subject.