This article unfurls in the aftermath of an event where three first grade children at a reputable progressive elementary school were found playing slavery during school recess. As word caught on, parents ignited into a frenzy: some railed against the teacher, others demanded an answer, while still others believed this was precisely the meaning of progressive schooling. In swift response, school administrators sent a conciliatory email apologizing for their misjudgment. Slavery, they declared, was too difficult a topic and developmentally inappropriate for such a young age. Guided by critical childhood studies and concepts of difficult knowledge, this reflective article explores how adults drew from developmental frameworks and used children as proxies to protect themselves from the complicated conversation of race and slavery. It unpacks this event through three entry points: encountering difficult knowledge in primary school; the moralization of child development; and the ongoing work inherent to social justice-oriented schooling. It is hoped that readers can take this example into their own teacher education programs and school faculty meetings to query how adults can open up spaces for critical encounters rather than launch accusations when faced with the emotional charge of oppressive histories.

中文翻译：

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在一年级玩奴隶制：当“发展适当性”在进步课堂上出错时

这篇文章是在一所著名的进步小学的三名一年级儿童在学校课间休息期间被发现做奴隶的事件之后展开的。消息一传开，家长们就火了：有人骂老师，有人要求回答，还有人认为这正是进步教育的意义。作为迅速的回应，学校管理人员发送了一封和解的电子邮件，为他们的错误判断道歉。他们宣称，奴隶制是一个太难的话题，而且在如此年轻的年龄发展上不合适。在批判性童年研究和困难知识概念的指导下，这篇反思性文章探讨了成年人如何从发展框架中汲取灵感，并利用儿童作为代理来保护自己免受种族和奴隶制的复杂对话的影响。本次活动通过三个切入点展开：小学难点知识；儿童发展的道德化；以及以社会正义为导向的学校教育所固有的正在进行的工作。希望读者可以将这个例子带入自己的教师教育计划和学校教师会议，以质疑成年人如何为批判性遭遇打开空间，而不是在面对压抑历史的情感冲击时发起指责。