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 not take the short cut and remove the content from the class. I think it is a valid, real-world example of how mathematics can be used. I would simply send home an explanation to parents outlining why I feel the inclusion of the data is valid and explain how it will be used in class and what applicable state standards the planned activities meet. It might not hurt to also include the source for the data so that parents can take a look at it. Maybe if parents are made aware of how and why the data is being used they will be more willing to see it as a "good" use of their student's time. Also, if they learn a bit about social justice in math class is that such a bad thing? It's not like the data you are using has been falsified.