Okay, before I move forward I just want you all to know that I have immense respect for our educators out there. They continue to teach and inspire people of all ages, while tirelessly defending constant criticism from parents, students and the education system in general.
My father was a high school math teacher for years and is currently enjoying his second year in retirement.
My mother was a teaching assistant in the special education department for a large portion of her professional career.
Many of my childhood and college friends became teachers.
Some of the most supportive adults I looked up to and admired were my teachers throughout elementary school, high school and college.
I honestly believe that being an educator, now, is probably one of the toughest jobs around. Teachers are constantly being bombarded with negativity from parents who think their child is a special star, destined for greatness; or they are feeling the pressure from administration to teach a certain curriculum, that is closely monitored (meaning: if your students don’t meet the state’s and administrator’s standards, then your job could be on the line).
I’m not here to talk about how messed up our education system has become, and I am certainly not here to tell teachers how to do their job. I respect you, and I commend your courage and toughness for continuing to pursue this career, despite the odds that have been stacked against you.
However, I am here to talk about the blatant lack of common sense from those few teachers who probably needed to take their own advice, and check their work before handing it in (or out, in this case).
On Friday, a picture of a high school math problem circulated the Internet, gaining negative attention and perplexed criticism (I read the story first from "BBC News"). Usually, mathematics caused confusion and headaches for me, personally, without being overly controversial. I was just not the greatest with numbers.
This question, though, resulted in raised eyebrows and people asking “why?” over solving for “y”.
The assignment was a poorly executed attempt to blend English and math for a multi-functional learning opportunity. According to Philadelphia Magazine, the algebra problems included further information from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
I have not actually read this work from the late poet, but I know that Angelou shares her traumatic experiences of being a woman of color during a time of intense racism and sexism. Angelou experienced sexual assault at a young age and many other heartbreaking experiences. She also documented her strength and ability to heal, leading to a successful life of activism, writing, entertaining and directing.
This is one work of literature that I would absolutely support within the school system but in an English class, not a math class. I don’t think Angelou’s life experiences should be broken down into an algebraic equation; as if solving for x and y helps us solve the complex, traumatic issue of rape.
We need to have educated conversations surrounding the topic of rape and violence against women, but a math equation does not offer a discussion. This particular equation definitely did not ask the student to elaborate on sexual assault, and honestly, the addition of Angelou’s rape was completely unnecessary to the question.
It wasn’t a word problem, although that may have been more insulting, in fact, the question would have made more sense without adding the question of who sexually assaulted Angelou at age eight.
The other disturbing issue is that there was no warning on this assignment that cautioned any of the students that their homework might trigger any kind of traumatic, emotional response.
What if a student reading this question was also a victim of sexual assault? These questions offer up answers to equations with a “fun fact” idea. Like, congratulations you solved for y, now fun fact: Maya Angelou was raped at age eight by her mother’s boyfriend.
Sexual assault is not a simple equation with a right answer. I try not to be too critical of others, and I don’t actually know what this teacher was thinking with this assignment, but I know Math class and algebra are not appropriate platforms to start the conversation.
Here is a picture of the complete worksheet (if you are somehow impartial to the sexual assault question, then please look at the question below that one).
The other assignment going viral was from an Adult Roles and Financial Literacy class in a Salt Lake City, Utah high school.
According to "attn" the teacher used this extremely sexist, misogynistic assignment to apparently invoke creativity and economic vigilance while going on a date with someone of the opposite sex. They could only spend $5.00, but the males and females received different worksheets, with “suggestions” on how to act during this date.
I shouldn’t have to point out the many issues with this assignment.
But, I will.
First, the content is incredibly outdated, making it seem like we were just transported back to the 1950’s where women were basically “put in their place” and told how to act. All of the suggestions set the tone that the ladies should be attentive to their date, making sure not to act “unladylike” in any way.
This “approved” assignment just set women back so far.
If I had taken any of these suggestions on my first date with Dom, he would have thought I was brain dead. I love to swear, and I tend to have a crude, sarcastic sense of humor. I shared drunken college stories, in which he enjoyed and laughed at, but were definitely inappropriate for a date if I was following any of the suggested behaviors given in this assignment.
The other issue I have with this homework is that there is no opting out of this “date”. We do not know how terrified some of these students could be, and if forcing two people to go on a date is uncomfortable, they should not be expected to attend.
No grade or “fun” experiment is worth the safety and comfort one of these students might compromise for the sake of this idiotic assignment.
I also want to point out that this worksheet completely ignores the fact that some students may not identify as heterosexual, or identify as a specific gender. I don’t need to hear your stance on transgendered youth in high school or your opinions of homosexuals. I am saying that in an 11th grade class, most of these students are old enough to form an idea of their true selves, whatever that true self may be.
Forcing a heterosexual “date” for someone who does not identify as heterosexual or a specific gender can open up some discomfort for both parties involved.
Finally, the last issue I will mention with this assignment is that despite the fact that the teacher who gave it to her students is reportedly “mortified”, according to "attn.", she still saw this within a database of approved assignments, and then continued to believe this would be a “light-hearted” assignment. I am not questioning her intelligence; I am questioning her judgment and lack of common sense with such a relevant topic.
Now that a womanizing, sexual predator has been sworn in to the highest position of power in our country, and many women feeling terrified for the future of their rights and bodily autonomy, why would either of these assignments even sound like a good idea for a high school assignment in the year 2017?
It appears our society still has a long way to go.
