Educators at the Albany High School are apologizing after an English teacher assigned a culturally and historically insensitive homework assignment.
Earlier this week, the teacher requested students to think like Nazis and explain why "Jews are evil," reports the Albany Times Union newspaper.
"You must argue that Jews are evil, and use solid rationale from government propaganda to convince me of your loyalty to the Third Reich!," reads the directions to the persuasive writing assignment which is posted on the Times Union website. Students were asked to watch and read Nazi propaganda and then write a five paragraph essay pretending their teacher was a Nazi government official who needed to be convinced of their loyalty.
The exercise was intended to challenge students to formulate a persuasive argument and was given to three classes, Albany Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard said. She admitted that the assignment should have been worded differently.
"I would apologize to our families," she said. "I don't believe there was malice or intent to cause any insensitivities to our families of Jewish faith."
She confirmed that one-third of the students refused to complete the assignment proving that Jews were the source of Germany's problems.
Vanden Wyngaard said the exercise reflects the type of writing expected of students under the new Common Core curriculum, the tough new academic standards that require more sophisticated writing. Such assignments attempt to connect English with history and social studies.
She said she understood the academic intent of the assignment - to make an argument based only on limited information at hand. Still, she acknowledged that it was worded in a very offensive manner.
She did not identify the English teacher or discuss whether the educator faced any discipline.