The Texas clock controversy: a reminder to challenge stereotypes through empathy

The recent controversy at a Texas high school, which led to the arrest of a student, Ahmed Mohamed, teaches us why we need to look past the stereotypes we have come to accept as a society.

Across the nation, there are millions of parents (and teachers) who dream of an inquisitive student; one who constantly seeks new ways to learn or expand his or her skills. They pine for a child who won’t go to bed until they’ve read “one more chapter,” or the sort that always steps up to do the “extra credit” problems.

So with the start of a new school year, we all should be giving a big “attaboy!” to a Texas student who decided to use a little bit of his free time to build a digital clock with pieces he found around the house. The child wanted to see if he could do it. And he wanted to impress his new teachers, at the start of a new academic term, with his scientific knowledge and his passion for learning.

Instead, that student found himself in handcuffs. He had the very engineering teacher he was trying to impress with the clock tell him to put the clock away and not show it to anyone else. To add insult to injury, the student was suspended by the school district for three days.

Of course, this is the story of Ahmed Mohamed, a ninth grader at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. From the media coverage since his arrest and suspension, we know that Mohamed is an excellent science student. We know he has a talent for engineering (and was wearing a NASA t-shirt). We also know he has a Muslim last name.

That seemed to be enough for Mohamed’s teachers and classmates to think the worst of him. They saw the brown skin, the last name, and a digital clock and immediately thought he was carrying around a bomb. Those who should have known Mohamed the best, made the worst judgement possible.

What makes it worse is that the school district decided to double down and defend discrimination. After word of the arrest and the suspension made national headlines, the school principal sent a letter to parents, essentially blaming the student. He wrote of a “suspicious-looking item” and that they “will always take necessary steps to keep our schools as safe as possible” and cautioned against children bringing “items to school that are prohibited.” He even went to so far as to tell parents to remind their children “how important it is to immediately report any suspicious items and/or suspicious behavior.”

The suspension was upheld. MacArthur High said that Mohamed violated the school’s “Student Code of Conduct.” I’d be surprised if the code says that digital clocks are prohibited. It’s my guess that there isn’t a ban on science projects.

No, we don’t know what would have happened if the student’s skin was Northern European white instead of Middle Eastern brown. We don’t know what difference it would have made if his last name was “Michaels” instead of “Mohamed”. But we do know that our public need to stereotype and give in to phobias may have stifled a potentially strong scientific mind from pursuing his full potential.

Where we once had a student looking to excel, we may now have a student simply hoping to never be noticed again.

What becomes most frustrating about the experience is that, while we talk about the importance of empathy in the schools, we instead see a classic case of “defending” discrimination. Authorities could have taken a step back and tried to look at this through Ahmed Mohamed’s eyes; the pride of building a digital clock on his own, the confusion of being discouraged by a trusted teacher. The fear of being interrogated by police and then placed in handcuffs. All for building a digital clock.

As a father, a former school board chairman, an education advocate, and a former science fair geek (International Science Fair competitor and award winner), #IStandWithAhmed. No student should have to experience what Mohamed experienced.

We need more kids trying build clocks and go the extra mile in school, not fewer.

As General Douglas MacArthur, the assumed namesake of Mohamed’s school, once said, “A better world shall emerge based on faith and understanding.” Add a little empathy to that, and hopefully we have a real learning experience down in Texas that will make for a better world in the future, better for Mohamed and all of us.

Note: Since the controversy, Ahmed Mohamed’s case has been intensely covered by the media. His parents have also withdrawn him from the school.

Bio: Patrick Riccards is the Chief Communications and Strategy Officer for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, in Princeton, N.J. He also writes the Eduflack.com blog and is the author of Dadprovement (Turning Stone Press, 2014). Patrick is also an Ashoka Empathy Ambassador. He is on Twitter@Eduflack. This blog has been published as a part of the #StartEmpathy series, an ongoing campaign by Ashoka for the Think it Up! initiative.