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 don't think you should take the short cut by removing the content from your lesson. I would advise that you provide the parents with an explanation for your position regarding the teaching of social justice issues. You will certainly not be able to please all the parents, however, some parents can be won over with reason; they just have to understand the "why" and how it relates to their child's academic success. With that said, in your explanation to the parents I would convey the following to support your position: 1. As an educator, I am responsible for preparing my students for the real world, and that includes me teaching them about the inequities that exist and how they may or may not threaten their ability to compete with others. 2. As an educator, I am responsible for providing my students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be useful and productive citizens who are consciously aware of social injustices and see it as their duty to fight for equal opportunities for all. 3. My students are learning math through real-life experiences as well as attaining problem solving skills that will help them to solve real world problems. 4. Simply telling children about people or problems beyond their experience may not penetrate their understanding very deeply. Children need to have direct and active involvement with the group or issue of concern. (Sleeter & Grant, 2003, p. 203). Reference: Sleeter, C. E., & Grant, C. A. (2003). Making choices for multicultural education: Five approaches to race, class, and gender. New York: John Wiley & Sons.