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  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 not remove this type of content from your classroom lessons because it directly connects to real world issues in our society, which is an important part of learning in any discipline. In your explanation letter to the parents I would try to help the parents to see and understand where you are coming from. You might want to include the importance of connecting curriculum concepts to real world issues in the education process. I think that if you emphasize your goal of educating the students rather than the specific material in class many parents will understand the importance related to their child's educational success. Make sure that the parents know you have the best interests of the students in mind at all times.
 
     
     
  Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes
The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes
The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes
The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes
The suggested solution is original Yes
Comments: I think communicating with the parents the importance of relationships between mathematics and the real world is a great ideas, since this is the number thing kids ask math teachers to do.
Rated On: October 19, 2014 11:12 pm
Rated By: Adam Sanchez
 
     
     
  Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes
The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes
The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes
The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes
The suggested solution is original Yes
Comments: Great post!
Rated On: July 10, 2015 2:31 am
Rated By: RaMevy