Humanising Language Teaching
Year 5; Issue 5; September 03

Racists Are ... (Someone Said)

Preparation: Have one copy of the sentences below (cut into strips) per 5 students.
Time: 45mins
Level: Intermediate-advanced
In Class:

• Tell the class that you are going to show them some true statements given by British 15-16yr old schoolchildren about racism.
• Ask them to choose 3 or 4 statements that someone they know well might easily say.
• Ask them to prepare arguments to back up these statements that this person might use.
• In pairs get students to discuss their statements using the arguments they have prepared. Remember the students are not necessarily presenting their own views!!
• When it seems appropriate, ask students for feedback on how it felt to argue a different point of view…and whether they felt any sympathy with the argument they'd stated.

Comment: Often students are quite shocked to find that although they don't consider themselves to be racist in any way, they do, in fact, hold views which may seem racist to other people!! It may be that despite our best efforts we are racist to some extent.

I think racists are ignorant.

I think racists just don't understand other cultures.

I think it's just that some people don't want to share their country with other people.

I think unemployment and competition for jobs makes everything worse.

The asylum seekers at my school have language support workers who sit with them in class. It must cost a fortune. Why can't they learn English somewhere else, first?

I don't think the school itself is racist but some of the kids are.

It's not a question of racism. We can't afford to let anyone else into our country.

It must be awful to have people being horrible to you because of the colour of your skin.

I get really angry when lessons get held up because the asylum seekers can't understand the teacher.

When kids from other countries who come to our school get bullied because they aren't British, I think, “What does it say about us?” I mean, what must they think of us all?

I've seen a boy at our school get bullied because he's an Arab. They were calling him Bin Laden's boy and hitting him. I watched it and I didn't do anything. I was scared.

I hate the way Asylum seekers use tokens at Safeways. It's like the government don't trust them to use real money. If the government sends out that message it's easy to see why the public sees these people as second class citizens.

I get really cross when I see these people getting money from the government and working 'on the side'. There are poor people who were born here who should get help before we start with anyone else.

The problem is that we don't learn about other cultures at school. Take History…It's mostly British and European, same with Geography. RE is a bit better but still mostly Christian. We don't get the chance to have any multicultural awareness.

I get angry when people talk about racists. What do they mean, anyway? If being scared that your jobs, your houses, your state benefits will be taken away and given to people who just come here for that, then all my family are what you call racists. OK we need to share stuff out, but it's our country. We need to put money into getting it working properly before we start letting foreign people in to share it.