In defense of making kids act like slaves (Opinion)

There are controversies ... and there are controversies.

And sometimes, Jim Gearhart says, he can't fathom why a story becomes one.

That was the case with the story of a Toms River teacher who caught flack on social media -- prompting a school district investigation -- after he reportedly had kids impersonate slaves, for a lesson on slavery. According to some students, he made whip noises and had kids lay on the floor, pretending to be on a slave ship.

"I think it's a good idea, to tell you the truth," Jim says in the latest edition of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast and weekly Facebook Live show.

His cohost, Bob Williams, said "the teacher (was) being convicted and tried on social media" before anyone knew all the facts. But Jim asks a more basic question: "Of what charge?"

"The child is not being abused," Jim says. "The child is somehow getting a notion of what actually went on in this world." And, he suggests, maybe a lesson like that should be compulsory.

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That's just part of what Jim and Bob Williams take on in the latest installment of his show, also available as a podcast. Check out the full episode to hear the rest.

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Love Podcasts? This week, on Speaking Podcast: the gang takes a look at the intersection between comedy and depression.

— New Jersey 101.5 staff. Includes prior reporting by Dan Alexander

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