If you’re a little white kid and you get assigned to dress up as Martin Luther King, Jr. for a wax museum day class project, what do you do? If you’re second-grader Sean King from Colorado Springs, you wear a black suit, just like Dr. King wore and you paint your face black. Little Sean’s parents knew his plan and even went to school with him to see him give his presentation. While they thought it was a nice tribute, several other people disagreed. As KRDO News Channel 13 reports, before Sean could give his presentation, the principal stopped him and told him he had to take his face paint off. Sean’s mom refused. Sean and his parents eventually had a meeting with the principal and a couple of other school employees, before Sean’s parents left the school, with their son in tow. The family left the school, then waiting in the parking lot for the news crew to come, before being asked to leave the property. The district says that both students and staff members found his use of black face offensive. Sean later said that he didn’t mean to be disrespectful to black people and said “It’s just a costume and I don’t want to insult anybody.” Do you think the school over-reacted to a little boy trying to dress up like the famous African-American leader or should his mom have explained to him earlier on that it might have been offensive to people?
Controversy after yearbook describes students as "mentally retarded"
The "R" word has gotten a lot of attention recently and a couple of months ago there was even a movement to stop using the word, which many find to be offensive and derogatory. However, to the dismay of some parents, it still found its way into a high school yearbook in Texas. As the New York Daily News reports, the school had to pull the yearbooks after special needs students were described as "mentally retarded." The upsetting term was used in a section of the yearbook dedicated to students with disabilities. The kids were described as “both blind and deaf, as well as mentally retarded.” The district has apologized for using the term.
David Beckham a kids’ soccer coach?! Yes, please!
The term “soccer mom” has always had a bit of a frumpy connotation to it. But that could all change if David Beckham actually does become a kids’ soccer coach after he retires. If anyone can single-handedly bring sexy to Saturday morning soccer jamborees, Becks can. While there’s no word on when the ab-tastic footballer will retire, he has hinted that he’d like to coach when he’s done playing professionally. As Celeb Baby Laundry reports, Beckham has said that he’s never wanted to go into management, but that he loves coaching kids. Quick ladies, get those toddlers out kicking the ball now, on the off-chance they could wind up on David’s team in a few years.
Hot for teacher
If you're a 17-year-old guy and don't have a date for prom, what could be hotter than taking your female track coach as a date? Once you know that she's married and is insisting on talking to you about your bad grades in English while at the dance, it gets decidedly less hot, to be sure. As Jezebel reports, a volunteer track coach in Oregon has been asked to leave her position after she took a student to the prom. Melissa Bowerman was reportedly feeling bad for the student who didn't have a date and wasn't doing well in English class. She was worried the teen would wind up on academic probation and wouldn't be able to attend track meets. Her husband, who is also a volunteer track coach at the school knew of, and approved of her extracurricular activities. While at the dance, Melissa and her underage date mainly played ping pong and Foosball, though they did dance to a couple of slow songs. Somehow this May-September romance caught the eye of one of the chaperones who reported it to the sheriff. An investigations showed she didn't break any laws, but she was still asked to resign. Do you think this is a case of no good deed going unpunished or did she use bad judgment by taking a teen to the prom?
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's a same-sex, comic book wedding
Once the comic book world embraces gay marriage, can the rest of America be far behind? In a move that gay rights' activists are applauding, Marvel, the iconic comic book producer, has announced that one of its homosexual characters will be getting married in an upcoming issue. As Mommyish reports, X-Men superhero, Northstar, will soon marry his boyfriend, Kyle. Northstar is said to possess the powers of flight, super speed and the ability to manipulate light. Many are now hoping that he also possesses the superhuman ability to change perceptions about gays. Activists hope that having a strong, brave superhero, who also happens to be gay and married, will help break down stereotypes for kids who read comics.
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.