TeacherServer.com
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!)
It seems to me that incorporating real life issues into your lessons is important to you so I would not back down from it. The issues that you discuss are very real and as the students get older they will begin to see more and more of it. It is better for them to be aware now than be shocked later and not have expected it. I would inform the parents that you were trying to teach the students how to use what is learned in math in the real world. You were able to take real life situations and tie it into your math lesson which does not seem to happen often. I think it is possible to have an explanation to give to the parents. I understand the parents concern but the parents cannot expect their children to live under rocks. It would also be important for the students to know that these situations should not cause any form of negativity within the classroom and that you are just using statistics.