Ten teachers were selected for a Dash for Cash giveaway at a junior hockey league game on Saturday night in Sioux Falls, S.D., enticed by the opportunity to make extra money for classroom improvements.At the signal, the educators got down on their knees and frantically scooped up as much currency as they could. They stuffed the bills into their shirts as the crowd murmured.The giveaway — organized by the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League, in conjunction with CU Mortgage Direct, a local lending company — was swiftly and widely criticized as being demeaning to teachers...In a statement posted on the team’s website on Monday afternoon, the Stampede and CU Mortgage Direct apologized and said that they would give an additional $500 to each of the teachers who competed in the event and to the 21 educators who were not selected. In total, they pledged to contribute an additional $15,500 to area teachers.“Although our intent was to provide a positive and fun experience for teachers, we can see how it appears to be degrading and insulting towards the participating teachers and the teaching profession as a whole,” the statement said. “We deeply regret and apologize to all teachers for any embarrassment this may have caused.”Reynold F. Nesiba, a Democratic state senator from Sioux Falls and a professor at Augustana University, said on Monday that while the organizers of the giveaway were “well intended,” the event was ill-conceived.“It just seems insulting and absurd to have teachers doing an event like this to raise a few hundred dollars for their classrooms,” Mr. Nesiba said. “It also seems disrespectful to the teachers. What other profession would be asked to fund-raise this way?”
The story continues at The New York Times.
Even while falling over themselves to say they're sorry, the organizers apologize not for their actions, but for other peoples' "embarrassment." This is the modern corporate apology: the issue is not that we did what we did, but that you took offense.
ReplyDeleteCould have been a teachable moment. Instead of degrading themselves, they should have walked out there, folded up the blanket, announced that they were going to divide the money evenly between the 9 of them ($555 each, in the lower range of what teachers spend on needed materials for students) and thanked the sponsors. No one would have dared to stop them.
ReplyDeleteI was a teacher for 30 years. I always cringed at the fundraisers where the person (student) who raised the most money got to throw a pie in a teacher's face or pick a teacher to shave his head. Really? A couple of years before I retired, the pie throwing event was in progress, in the school's gym. The winning student and the unfortunate teacher were in place. As the student approached the teacher, another student walked up to her with a box. It was an apple pie which the winning student presented to the teacher while thanking him, and announced that pies had been delivered to the staff room for all teachers/staff to enjoy. Remarkable.
Back in the 50's and early 60's nobody would have batted an eye, and teachers who participated would earn cool factor/street creds in the eyes of their kids. Apparently 9 were chosen and 21 turned down, I don't see any mention of mandatory participation. How can corporate apologize for good intentions, only for perceived view of results.
ReplyDeleteThe apology should come from the readin'-writin'-'rithmatic people who force the teachers to spend their own money on classroom supplies instead of financing good education.
I'm guessing that, like a lot of minor-league professional sports franchises, they do similar style promotions all the time where people are made to do something silly in exchange for prizes. If you looked around the country at local sports you'd probably find more of this they-shoot-horses dystopia.
ReplyDelete