A student’s video of a Riverside teacher with a faux Native American headdress dancing in front of her class has gone viral and sparked criticism on social media of the instructor.
In the video, which hit social media Oct. 20, the teacher appears to be sharing with students the word “SohCahToa,” a mnemonic device used to help remember advanced mathematics concepts. Numerous social media posts criticize the teacher’s behavior as racially insensitive toward Native Americans, with some calling for her firing.
A statement Oct. 21 from the Riverside Unified School District confirms the video is from the district and decries the teacher’s lesson.
District spokesperson Diana Meza said the video shows a female math teacher at John W. North High School, who was teaching a trigonometry class.
“Obviously this video has gone viral,” Meza said. “It’s not who we are as a district, nor as a school. … RUSD prides itself on valuing diversity and equity.”
Meza declined to name the teacher, citing the privacy of personnel matters. The instructor has been placed on leave, and the district has launched an investigation, Meza said.
The district is offering counseling to North High students and has been notifying parents of students about the incident, she said.
The video brought swift condemnation from some Inland state lawmakers — Assemblymembers Jose Medina, D-Riverside; Sabrina Cervantes, D-Corona; and James Ramos, D-Highland — who called the teacher’s actions “highly inappropriate and offensive.”
“It is damaging and disheartening to see Native American and indigenous culture represented in such a trite and insensitive way,” their statement said.
The lawmakers cited the recent signing of a Medina bill that will make ethnic studies a required course in California high schools.
“Unfortunately, for students of color, moments such as the one at John W. North High School are the few in which their heritage is represented in the classroom, despite how inaccurate and wrong they are,” the lawmakers said. “We need to ensure that students learn about themselves in positive, accurate, and appropriate ways.
The lawmakers said they will work with the district to make sure “incidents like this never happen again.”
Medina is a former teacher at Riverside’s Poly High School; Ramos, a lifelong resident of the San Manuel Indian Reservation in San Bernardino County, is the first California Native American to serve in the state Assembly.
As for the district statement, it said: “A recording of one of our teachers has been widely circulated on social media. These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices. Her actions do not represent the values of our district. The teacher has been placed on leave while the District conducts an investigation.”
The statement says the district “values diversity, equity and inclusion, and does not condone behavior against these values” and “will be working with our students, families, staff and community to regain your trust.”
As the video begins, the teacher asks students: “I don’t know? Tomahawks? Is that right?” while moving both arms up and down as if she were chopping something. She then dances across the front of the classroom, as some students laugh, repeatedly chanting “SohCahToa.”
As the video closes, the teacher pretends to be exhausted and says: “I get to go home and I get all of my feathers,” before touching the faux feathers on her headwear.
“SohCahToa” is a mnemonic device to help remember three basic trigonometry ratios “used to solve for missing sides and angles in a right triangle,” according to Calcworkshop.com.
“SohCahToa” was trending on Twitter on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.