Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Math and Social Justice! No No! Recently, I read a report in a national magazine on income levels of different groups of people in the US. The report especially featured income differences between males, females and different ethnic groups. Some of the statistics were very disturbing. For example, women holding the same job as men with same number of years in the job made considerably less money in most of the states. Differences between ethnic groups were even more disturbing. I decided to use these data in my math class with my 5th graders in a lesson on graphing. The purpose was for the students to be able to interpret graphs and create graphs using the information provided. Students enjoyed the lesson and learned some social justice lessons. Apparently a lot of my students talked to their parents about what they had learned in class when they went home. I received notes from about 10 parents the next day simply indicating that what I taught in my math class would lead to hatred among my students and that I should not be wasting their children's valuable time. Rather, they suggested, I should teach math with no controversial materials. I completely disagree with them and I plan to use similar materials in my other courses as well. However, my principals asked me to send an explanation to those parents. I know my explanation will not stop the complaints. How should I go about this potentially long battle? Or should I take the short cut simply remove such content from my lessons? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would write an explanation to the parents and tell them the statistics you used were facts supported by research. I would then tell them about the discussion the class had about the issues and that this is something you felt like the students needed to know. This is something they will probably face in their lifetime at some point or another. I would explain that this was not taught in order to make the students feel hate towards others, but that they are at the age where they know and understand that people are not treated fairly and this is something you felt like you needed to address and talk about in your classroom. I would not stop using controversial material in my room if I felt it was teaching them something important. But if need be, I may would be more choosey about the material I choose and when and with group of students.