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pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:25 PM Apr 2022

It turns out the example of a math worksheet mixed with Maya Angelou questions is real.

But, after many objected, it was eventually withdrawn.


If you've seen the example of a math worksheet, someone years ago DID think this was a good idea, though it's a poor way to teach math and it's a poor way to teach reading and it's a poor way to teach about the the late, great poet, Maya Angelou.

From the ASSOCIATED PRESS, in 2017:

PERKASIE, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania high school is apologizing after students were given a math homework assignment that asked which family member had sexually assaulted a girl.

The assignment focused on Maya Angelou and her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” It provided an algebra formula that asked: “Angelou was sexually abused by her mother’s ___ at age 8, which shaped her career choices and motivation for writing.” Pennridge High School students needed to solve the formula before deciding whether the answer was boyfriend, brother or father.

Screenshots of the homework posted by news organizations showed the subsequent question reads: “Trying to support her son as a single mother, she worked as a pimp, prostitute and ___.” Another formula must be solved to determine if the answer was bookie, drug dealer or nightclub dancer.

SNIP

A similar homework assignment caused controversy in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2015. In that case, a middle school teacher also downloaded the algebra homework from an external website. The district said the veteran teacher didn’t carefully examine the homework and called it an oversight that wouldn’t be repeated.

https://apnews.com/article/5b036a93d7de4dcf82d2fa1a495a4669


https://supercopyeditors.com/blog/writing/math-homework-question-goes-viral/

Over the past decade, at least three different school districts have been forced to issue public apologies because of a math homework sheet that contains content about sexual abuse.

The math “Person Puzzle” features biographical facts about the poet Maya Angelou, who died in 2014. The worksheet mentions sexual abuse and prostitution.

Outraged parents say the worksheet is not appropriate for high school math students. The controversial assignment has been removed and is no longer available for teachers to download for use with their students.

What the Worksheet Says

Until late February 2022, the “Maya Angelou Person Puzzle” was being sold on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. It was marked as appropriate for students in 10th through 12th grades.

107 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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It turns out the example of a math worksheet mixed with Maya Angelou questions is real. (Original Post) pnwmom Apr 2022 OP
Which textbook in Florida that was removed had those questions?  ( n/t ) Make7 Apr 2022 #1
Probably none, since it's been withdrawn everywhere. pnwmom Apr 2022 #5
Makes me wonder why the Press Secretary for the Governor of Florida put that on Twitter. Make7 Apr 2022 #12
It wasn't in a textbook, but it was included in worksheets that at least one FL teacher used. pnwmom Apr 2022 #13
So they are banning textbooks in 2022 over something not in a textbook from 2015? Make7 Apr 2022 #15
They were using it for P.R., obviously. But it was from a real worksheet pnwmom Apr 2022 #17
None. SergeStorms Apr 2022 #7
Right. There was a controversy in Missouri, but the example was from an online worksheet, pnwmom Apr 2022 #14
None, it's a doctored document taken from a free, on-line Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #35
The math puzzle writer has confirmed that the original worksheet contained those questions. pnwmom Apr 2022 #68
Thanks for posting. nt Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #75
I think that has been doctored Nictuku Apr 2022 #2
The original may have been doctored. But the original version--and that whole way of teaching math-- pnwmom Apr 2022 #8
It's a skills practice. Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #30
Life isn't cut up into separate little pieces, but there is nothing real life pnwmom Apr 2022 #39
If it makes math interesting for someone, then what's the harm? nt Gore1FL Apr 2022 #45
It trivializes the poet's life, and does nothing to enhance learning the math pnwmom Apr 2022 #47
If it helps reach one kid or breaks up the monotony of math for someone it's all good. Gore1FL Apr 2022 #60
If it's a waste of time or even confusing for a bunch of others, then it does do harm. pnwmom Apr 2022 #77
I would need to see the author's confirmation. But that's besides the point. Gore1FL Apr 2022 #84
Here is the Buzzfeed link. pnwmom Apr 2022 #85
It's not in a textbook as claimed originally. Gore1FL Apr 2022 #86
Have you ever taught math to kids? nt Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #55
As a mother of three, yes. I found many ways to incorporate math into my children's lives, pnwmom Apr 2022 #58
Trying to keep a classroom of kids engaged in a math Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #62
I don't believe this particular exercise will help, because there is a false connection pnwmom Apr 2022 #63
It's not about a concrete connection. Remember Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #66
Another problem is reverse engineering exboyfil Apr 2022 #81
That's where "and show your work" part comes into play. nt Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #91
It still makes no sense exboyfil Apr 2022 #40
Right. Personal finance examples, climate change examples, gerrymandering examples -- pnwmom Apr 2022 #50
I like it! NH Ethylene Apr 2022 #104
no, there are multiple 'real' versions, Celerity Apr 2022 #53
It was doctored. The original never appeared in a math book and was supplemental curriculum. Beakybird Apr 2022 #3
I'm not posting the doctored version. n/t pnwmom Apr 2022 #6
No, but DeSatan's staffer did, and you said it was real. lagomorph777 Apr 2022 #10
The nutty and abhorrent version is real, according to the person who wrote the puzzle. pnwmom Apr 2022 #69
This message was self-deleted by its author Mariana Apr 2022 #4
Dumb idea dalton99a Apr 2022 #9
Post #2 in this thread says this is fake dpibel Apr 2022 #25
The worksheet is real. The school district apologized: dalton99a Apr 2022 #27
Clint Clark is a moron exboyfil Apr 2022 #41
This is the link to the real one Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #32
That's not the original one. It's a version with the offensive parts edited out. n/t pnwmom Apr 2022 #78
It's the one that's been available for since 2017 on the Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #90
The author has acknowledged the original version. He must have had second thoughts pnwmom Apr 2022 #99
I have to wonder how many of the parents having a fit over Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #102
This is not real. It's a doctored document DeSatan's staff posted. Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #31
I like to use car driving analogies Turbineguy Apr 2022 #11
This cross pollination of subject material was adopted more than twenty years ago. Baitball Blogger Apr 2022 #16
I think this cross-pollination is a dumb idea, actually. It's an especially terrible way to teach pnwmom Apr 2022 #19
Actually, it was a very structured program. Baitball Blogger Apr 2022 #23
I can think of many instances where two subjects can be merged. Mr.Bill Apr 2022 #38
Exactly. De Santis is just strategically removing minority history. Baitball Blogger Apr 2022 #44
This is just a horrible way to teach math exboyfil Apr 2022 #49
I agree. A bit of an over-reach, even if well-intended. n/t Mr.Bill Apr 2022 #51
I guess it is a teaching approach exboyfil Apr 2022 #59
I should have said THIS particular cross-pollination idea. The format didn't lend itself pnwmom Apr 2022 #106
There is nothing "whole" about teaching a poet's life in a series of multiple choice questions pnwmom Apr 2022 #52
It's not really "teaching" about her so much as using her bio to draw students through fishwax Apr 2022 #26
They were using her painful life story as a "hook." It was trivializing the poet and her life's work pnwmom Apr 2022 #54
So much better not to make anyone uncomfortable and not mention it at all. Baitball Blogger Apr 2022 #61
No, it's so much better to use real life math examples. For example, when my daughter pnwmom Apr 2022 #65
I don't recall that you answered my question. Baitball Blogger Apr 2022 #70
Sorry, I didn't notice it. No, we never homeschooled. nt pnwmom Apr 2022 #76
it doesn't trivialize her -- those particular details weren't a good choice because fishwax Apr 2022 #74
But this doesn't get kids interested in actual uses of math OR teach them about poetry. pnwmom Apr 2022 #82
the point is not to teach them about poetry fishwax Apr 2022 #87
If the high school student who needed more math practice knew more about Angelou pnwmom Apr 2022 #88
I mean, that's not really a big deal either, because it's *one* worksheet fishwax Apr 2022 #92
You're wrong that "nobody is saying that kids shouldn't practice math that way." pnwmom Apr 2022 #93
that's a rather different conversation fishwax Apr 2022 #94
Not really. She's famous for saying she never had to learn her multiplication tables pnwmom Apr 2022 #95
I have no idea what that has to do with the conversation about the worksheet fishwax Apr 2022 #96
I don't think ALL math worksheets with non-math content are bad. pnwmom Apr 2022 #98
It is an interdisciplinary approach. NH Ethylene Apr 2022 #105
I can assure you that in the early 60s, Mr.Bill Apr 2022 #34
I didn't realize that the Metric system was invented by God. lagomorph777 Apr 2022 #36
I think he was trying to infer Mr.Bill Apr 2022 #37
Obviously it would depend on how crazy the teacher was exboyfil Apr 2022 #46
He obviously was trying to imply that. lagomorph777 Apr 2022 #103
This message was self-deleted by its author Tommy Carcetti Apr 2022 #18
The AP article doesn't say so. But either way, it's a dumb way to teach about Maya Angelou pnwmom Apr 2022 #20
This message was self-deleted by its author Tommy Carcetti Apr 2022 #21
AP doesn't say what? dpibel Apr 2022 #22
Angelou held many jobs, including some in the sex trade, working as a prostitute and madam for Celerity Apr 2022 #28
And all these discussions are valid in a Literature, History, or Sociology class exboyfil Apr 2022 #42
I agree, I was just confirming the actual history for that poster. Celerity Apr 2022 #43
Right -- because there's no context. It's just mining her bio for eye-opening details pnwmom Apr 2022 #79
I saw it pointed out that if you familiar with her story exboyfil Apr 2022 #80
Right! In my mind, I was automatically answering the questions about her, pnwmom Apr 2022 #83
It was. This is the link to the real one. Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #33
there are different 'real' versions Celerity Apr 2022 #48
Seems it was changed to the current one 5 years ago. nt Phoenix61 Apr 2022 #57
yes (although we do not now the exact date of change), but some schools had the old version Celerity Apr 2022 #72
This message was self-deleted by its author old as dirt Apr 2022 #24
looks like a dual class Tickle Apr 2022 #29
It's a terrible way to teach about the poet Maya Angelou, reducing her life to pnwmom Apr 2022 #56
I was being sarcastic Tickle Apr 2022 #64
You didn't offend me! But your idea is one lots of people are promoting, pnwmom Apr 2022 #67
This may have already been said, and maybe I missed it... NotTodayPutin Apr 2022 #71
I haven't seen the answer to that anywhere. Instead, they released some online worksheet question pnwmom Apr 2022 #73
How fucking weird, inappropriate, and stupid. Wingus Dingus Apr 2022 #89
The outrage still doesn't make sense since they support Trump and Roy Moore JI7 Apr 2022 #97
Example of random rubbish that can be found on the net JCMach1 Apr 2022 #100
This isn't a justification for Florida. But we shouldn't be responding by claiming pnwmom Apr 2022 #101
Exactly, and I think this had mad the RW FB rounds a number of years ago JCMach1 Apr 2022 #107

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
5. Probably none, since it's been withdrawn everywhere.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:37 PM
Apr 2022

But I had been mystified about the types of questions that were being objected to. This is an example, though I don't know that any FL school kids were ever subjected to it.

There is a progressive math education professor at Stanford, Jo Boaler, who has been leading a drive to get CA to teach math in a more "relatable" way, that mixes math with social concepts. I certainly hope this isn't the kind of thing she has in mind.

Make7

(8,550 posts)
12. Makes me wonder why the Press Secretary for the Governor of Florida put that on Twitter.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:52 PM
Apr 2022

Apparently they are unable to come up with examples from the textbooks they just removed from the Florida schools. Why post something not from a textbook and not even from Florida to demonstrate why actions are being taken in Florida?

Perhaps their criteria for vetting textbooks is just bullshit and they need to point to something so people don't ask too many relevant questions? Like: Can you give us any examples of CRT from any math textbooks that were just removed from Florida schools for containing CRT?

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
13. It wasn't in a textbook, but it was included in worksheets that at least one FL teacher used.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:56 PM
Apr 2022

Why did they use it as an example? Because it is a perfect example of a terrible math problem, and a terrible way to teach about a poet. So it served their purposes.


"The assignment focused on Maya Angelou and her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” It provided an algebra formula that asked: “Angelou was sexually abused by her mother’s ___ at age 8, which shaped her career choices and motivation for writing.” Pennridge High School students needed to solve the formula before deciding whether the answer was boyfriend, brother or father.

"Screenshots of the homework posted by news organizations showed the subsequent question reads: “Trying to support her son as a single mother, she worked as a pimp, prostitute and ___.” Another formula must be solved to determine if the answer was bookie, drug dealer or nightclub dancer.

SNIP

"A similar homework assignment caused controversy in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2015. In that case, a middle school teacher also downloaded the algebra homework from an external website. The district said the veteran teacher didn’t carefully examine the homework and called it an oversight that wouldn’t be repeated."

https://apnews.com/article/5b036a93d7de4dcf82d2fa1a495a4669

Make7

(8,550 posts)
15. So they are banning textbooks in 2022 over something not in a textbook from 2015?
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:02 PM
Apr 2022

If they are removing textbooks from Florida schools, it should be very easy for them to provide their justification for doing so for each and every textbook removed.

From the Press Secretary's twitter profile:

here to debunk false Narratives about Florida & @GovRonDeSantis

She seems to be creating false narratives rather than dispelling them.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
17. They were using it for P.R., obviously. But it was from a real worksheet
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:05 PM
Apr 2022

that at one point was used in FL. Unfortunately.

Yes, they INSTEAD should be providing actual examples from the textbooks they've just banned.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
14. Right. There was a controversy in Missouri, but the example was from an online worksheet,
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:58 PM
Apr 2022

not a textbook.


https://supercopyeditors.com/blog/writing/math-homework-question-goes-viral/

2022 Controversy: Missouri

Most recently, on Feb. 21, 2022, parents in Missouri were in an uproar on social media over the worksheet.

They even created a petition claiming the school district was “exposing children to sexually explicit content.”

The school system apologized a day later, saying the “content does not align with the beliefs or mission of the Lincoln County R-III School District.”

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
68. The math puzzle writer has confirmed that the original worksheet contained those questions.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:06 PM
Apr 2022
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/high-school-math-problem-sexual-assault-maya-angelou#.hn3QJEy08

"This is not the first time I have had concerned parents or teachers on this particular lesson," Clark said, adding that he had taught many students who were victims of sexual abuse.
"I wrestled with whether to include her experience with sexual abuse, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was integral because Angelou herself found it integral," he said, citing her writing about being a rape survivor.
Angelou was sexually assaulted by her mother's boyfriend at the age of 8.
Clark said he wanted to "show that other kids who have gone through difficult experiences are not alone."
"I wanted them to know they could live to perhaps be the greatest poet in American history."
He said that he provided a cautionary message with his online resources and that he trusted teachers to use their discretion while selecting an assignment. "I certainly paired the biography with what I believed to be an age-appropriate math topic (10th-11th grade)," he said.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
8. The original may have been doctored. But the original version--and that whole way of teaching math--
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:42 PM
Apr 2022

Last edited Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:14 PM - Edit history (1)

and that whole way of teaching about Maya Angelo -- makes no sense.

Phoenix61

(18,769 posts)
30. It's a skills practice.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:51 PM
Apr 2022

“Person Puzzles are quick skill practice assignments that integrate biographies of humanitarians and inspirational people. As students solve math problems, they learn facts about the person's life.“ it’s about integrating teaching subject matter. Life isn’t cut up into separate little pieces, why should learning be.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
39. Life isn't cut up into separate little pieces, but there is nothing real life
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:10 PM
Apr 2022

about mixing up factoids concerning the poet's life with Algebra.

Algebra is intrinsically connected with real life -- so use a real life example, not a stupid puzzle reducing a poet's life to a series of multiple choice answers.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
47. It trivializes the poet's life, and does nothing to enhance learning the math
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:40 PM
Apr 2022

that couldn't have been done with another "real life" example.

Math is all about making connections -- but it's not about connecting to random things that can't be solved with math.

Gore1FL

(22,896 posts)
60. If it helps reach one kid or breaks up the monotony of math for someone it's all good.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:53 PM
Apr 2022

Ultimately, it does no harm. That is, unless it is edited beyond recognition in an effort to stir right-wing angst.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
77. If it's a waste of time or even confusing for a bunch of others, then it does do harm.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:41 PM
Apr 2022

And this Maya Angelou puzzle was real -- the original included the question about her rape. The author of the puzzle confirmed it to Buzz Feed.

Gore1FL

(22,896 posts)
84. I would need to see the author's confirmation. But that's besides the point.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:54 PM
Apr 2022

This isn't a new type of worksheet. I filled out similar in the 1970s. While this might not math interesting for you or while it might not introduce you to an interesting person you could read more about later, it fills that need for some.

Your persistent outrage about this topic on this thread seems misplaced.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
85. Here is the Buzzfeed link.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 07:13 PM
Apr 2022

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/high-school-math-problem-sexual-assault-maya-angelou#.hn3QJEy08

"This is not the first time I have had concerned parents or teachers on this particular lesson," Clark said, adding that he had taught many students who were victims of sexual abuse.
"I wrestled with whether to include her experience with sexual abuse, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was integral because Angelou herself found it integral," he said, citing her writing about being a rape survivor.
Angelou was sexually assaulted by her mother's boyfriend at the age of 8.
Clark said he wanted to "show that other kids who have gone through difficult experiences are not alone."
"I wanted them to know they could live to perhaps be the greatest poet in American history."
He said that he provided a cautionary message with his online resources and that he trusted teachers to use their discretion while selecting an assignment. "I certainly paired the biography with what I believed to be an age-appropriate math topic (10th-11th grade)," he said.

Gore1FL

(22,896 posts)
86. It's not in a textbook as claimed originally.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 07:38 PM
Apr 2022

The textbook one is linked below. They didn't even change the math when they altered it. So, OK, a doctored one exists; we knew that.

https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Person-Puzzle-Systems-with-Substitution-Maya-Angelou.pdf

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
58. As a mother of three, yes. I found many ways to incorporate math into my children's lives,
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:53 PM
Apr 2022

whether it was figuring out how to divide the Barbie dolls and equipment into equal piles, figuring out how much to feed the dogs, or planning for the things we'd need to take on a family vacation.

And before that I was a student of math, and I've seen the pendulum swing many times over the course of my life.

Phoenix61

(18,769 posts)
62. Trying to keep a classroom of kids engaged in a math
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:55 PM
Apr 2022

exercise is challenging. Anything that helps that happen should be embraced not ridiculed.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
63. I don't believe this particular exercise will help, because there is a false connection
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:57 PM
Apr 2022

between the Maya factoids and the completely unrelated math equations.

Phoenix61

(18,769 posts)
66. It's not about a concrete connection. Remember
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:01 PM
Apr 2022

then the math facts work sheets that were like jig saw puzzles? All the pieces that equaled 2 you would color red, 3 got colored blue etc. Not a single thing to do with math but the kids liked it and thought it was fun.

exboyfil

(18,348 posts)
81. Another problem is reverse engineering
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:49 PM
Apr 2022

You know her story then you know the answers to the math questions. Kind of defeats the purpose of the worksheet.

exboyfil

(18,348 posts)
40. It still makes no sense
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:11 PM
Apr 2022

The biographical information would be more appropriate for an English, Social Studies, or History course and not a math course. I don't see how its inclusion advances math education, it is distracting to the goal of teaching Algebra. Less than half of a school day is given over to quantitative and scientific activities (Math and Science with occasionally Social Studies using some math). Personal finance examples would make more sense if you want to include life skills in the math instruction (and I think you should).

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
50. Right. Personal finance examples, climate change examples, gerrymandering examples --
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:43 PM
Apr 2022

there are endless numbers of interesting topics that could be used to teach math.

NH Ethylene

(31,301 posts)
104. I like it!
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 10:20 AM
Apr 2022

It's a different kind of task to practice the algebra skills. There's nothing more dull than having a column of problems to complete. This is just a way to spice it up while learning a little bit of history. It seems fine as long as it is interspersed with other techniques and as long as it doesn't appear to serve any underlying social or political purpose.

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)
10. No, but DeSatan's staffer did, and you said it was real.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:44 PM
Apr 2022

Last edited Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:57 PM - Edit history (1)

The original is nutty; the fake is nutty and abhorrent.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
69. The nutty and abhorrent version is real, according to the person who wrote the puzzle.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:09 PM
Apr 2022
"This is not the first time I have had concerned parents or teachers on this particular lesson," Clark said, adding that he had taught many students who were victims of sexual abuse.
"I wrestled with whether to include her experience with sexual abuse, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was integral because Angelou herself found it integral," he said, citing her writing about being a rape survivor.
Angelou was sexually assaulted by her mother's boyfriend at the age of 8.
Clark said he wanted to "show that other kids who have gone through difficult experiences are not alone."
"I wanted them to know they could live to perhaps be the greatest poet in American history."
He said that he provided a cautionary message with his online resources and that he trusted teachers to use their discretion while selecting an assignment. "I certainly paired the biography with what I believed to be an age-appropriate math topic (10th-11th grade)," he said.



https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/high-school-math-problem-sexual-assault-maya-angelou#.hn3QJEy08

Response to pnwmom (Original post)

dalton99a

(92,846 posts)
27. The worksheet is real. The school district apologized:
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:40 PM
Apr 2022
"We apologize to anyone who was offended by the content of the assignment and have taken steps to avoid such occurrences in the future," Pennridge School District superintendent Dr. Jacqueline Rattigan said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News.

"The homework worksheet in question was downloaded from a website that allows teachers around the world to share educational resources. It is not part of our approved curriculum," Rattigan said in her statement.

BuzzFeed News found the question in a "Maya Angelou Person Puzzle" worksheet available to download from two websites: NextLesson and Teachers Pay Teachers. Pennridge High School did not say which website the assignment was downloaded from.

Clint Clark, a high school teacher who created the Maya Angelou "Person Puzzle" worksheet that includes the sexual assault question, told BuzzFeed News that he wanted "to honor [Angelou's] desire to advocate for the voiceless victims of abuse."

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/high-school-math-problem-sexual-assault-maya-angelou


exboyfil

(18,348 posts)
41. Clint Clark is a moron
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:14 PM
Apr 2022

and should have gone into teaching Literature, History, or Social Sciences instead. Nothing is gained by this distracting and confusing worksheet.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
99. The author has acknowledged the original version. He must have had second thoughts
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 01:38 AM
Apr 2022

after all the bad publicity. This piece is from Jan. 2017.


https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/high-school-math-problem-sexual-assault-maya-angelou#.hn3QJEy08

"This is not the first time I have had concerned parents or teachers on this particular lesson," Clark said, adding that he had taught many students who were victims of sexual abuse.
"I wrestled with whether to include her experience with sexual abuse, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was integral because Angelou herself found it integral," he said, citing her writing about being a rape survivor.
Angelou was sexually assaulted by her mother's boyfriend at the age of 8.
Clark said he wanted to "show that other kids who have gone through difficult experiences are not alone."
"I wanted them to know they could live to perhaps be the greatest poet in American history."
He said that he provided a cautionary message with his online resources and that he trusted teachers to use their discretion while selecting an assignment. "I certainly paired the biography with what I believed to be an age-appropriate math topic (10th-11th grade)," he said.

Phoenix61

(18,769 posts)
102. I have to wonder how many of the parents having a fit over
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 07:53 AM
Apr 2022

this have no problem with their little darlings playing Grand Theft Auto.

Turbineguy

(39,913 posts)
11. I like to use car driving analogies
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 02:46 PM
Apr 2022

most people can grasp that. Especially with the behavior of automated systems.

Baitball Blogger

(51,899 posts)
16. This cross pollination of subject material was adopted more than twenty years ago.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:03 PM
Apr 2022

I remember, because my kids were still in school. The concept is a good one. De Santis just wants to erase minority history. Shame on him.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
19. I think this cross-pollination is a dumb idea, actually. It's an especially terrible way to teach
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:06 PM
Apr 2022

about a poet and her poetry.

Baitball Blogger

(51,899 posts)
23. Actually, it was a very structured program.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:33 PM
Apr 2022

The kids would hear the same subject matter in various subjects. It was a reinforcement.

I think it was called Whole learning and it came from California.

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
38. I can think of many instances where two subjects can be merged.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:08 PM
Apr 2022

For instance, there's a lot of math in music. And how can you teach science without talking about the historical figures behind discoveries? And how they were persecuted for discovering things that contradicted certain religious beliefs.

If you are trying to purge all other subjects from a textbook except the subject being taught, you are not enhancing education, you are limiting it.

exboyfil

(18,348 posts)
59. I guess it is a teaching approach
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:53 PM
Apr 2022
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Solve-Systems-of-Equations-by-Substitution-Digital-Mystery-Puzzle-Activity-7899048?st=ef5ca85298350e7ce4239bc3447df3f4


I would be curious to know what other Person Puzzle Solving Systems with Substitution activities are out there. I mean I could construct one for Charles Lindbergh that would bring the house down. I mean would they object to a similar one regarding Ernest Hemingway for example.

Here is a partial one for Napoleon.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
106. I should have said THIS particular cross-pollination idea. The format didn't lend itself
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 11:03 AM
Apr 2022

to any thoughtful consideration of the poet's life or poetry. And the questions about her had no connection to math, unlike the cross-pollination ideas you proposed.

She was being used as the "hook" for some math practice, nothing more. It trivialized the great poet and her work.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
52. There is nothing "whole" about teaching a poet's life in a series of multiple choice questions
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:45 PM
Apr 2022

mixed in with Algebra equations.

fishwax

(29,346 posts)
26. It's not really "teaching" about her so much as using her bio to draw students through
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:37 PM
Apr 2022

the review/practice of the mathematical material. (It isn't really about teaching the mathematical concept, either, but rather providing an opportunity to practice the concept. Math at most levels has long since used this sort of thing to get students to practice/review (as a supplement or an alternative to endless banks of problems). For instance, you might find math sheets where each number corresponds to a letter, and as you solve the problems you begin to reveal a secret message. Or there are worksheets in, say, elementary school where students connect the dots for each answer and wind up with a picture of a mountain. They aren't teaching students geology, just offering a different little incentive for working through the review. So in this case the student gets some practice with the concept and maybe learns some facts about a writer worth knowing about. Nothing wrong with that in principle, though it is not at all surprising that the specific facts in that version got a negative response.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
54. They were using her painful life story as a "hook." It was trivializing the poet and her life's work
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:48 PM
Apr 2022

There were any number of better examples they could have used, related to students' lives.

Baitball Blogger

(51,899 posts)
61. So much better not to make anyone uncomfortable and not mention it at all.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:54 PM
Apr 2022

Because that's the alternative.

In public school, you do your best. But it will never be as good as, say, a special class on the subject in college.

BTW, I could be wrong. But, didn't we have a discussion where you said you home schooled?

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
65. No, it's so much better to use real life math examples. For example, when my daughter
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:01 PM
Apr 2022

was little, I taught her division. We practiced dividing up her toys when her friends came over to play.

I taught her to count coins. That taught her to count by 5's and 10's, and paved the way for multiplication tables.

We learned math from weighing the dog and measuring the dog food.

On long car trips, we calculated distance and miles per hour, and how many hours till we would reach Grandma's house.

In high school, kids today could be studying the math of gerrymandering or climate science.

There are countless real-life examples that can be used to teach math without resorting to this ridiculous "person puzzle."

fishwax

(29,346 posts)
74. it doesn't trivialize her -- those particular details weren't a good choice because
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:51 PM
Apr 2022

they were bound to incite controversy and tonally they don't reconcile with the activity. But there is nothing wrong dishing out facts about an important historical or cultural figure as a way to possibly get kids interested in either the person or the process while doing review/practice exercises.

Sure, they could have used other examples related to students lives, but they didn't in this one example. Nothing about introducing facts about Maya Angelou precludes them from doing just that the next day.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
82. But this doesn't get kids interested in actual uses of math OR teach them about poetry.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:50 PM
Apr 2022

There are endless numbers of ways to connect math with real-life situations that kids could be interested in. (I've learned about this, being in an extended family with half a dozen engineers.)

There's no good reason to connect math practice with totally unrelated multiple choice questions -- but in this case it's especially badly done.

fishwax

(29,346 posts)
87. the point is not to teach them about poetry
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 08:30 PM
Apr 2022

or even to offer instruction in math. It offers practice in the skill, and it gives them a little different incentive for them in doing so, which (because most kids aren't psyched about endless worksheets or skill practice) can be really useful in an instructional setting. Nothing about this worksheet precludes them students from also getting math through real-life situations. Obviously that is essential, and that's the kind of thing that is going to particular appeal to budding engineers and may have the potential to draw new students into thinking more deeply about math. But even that isn't going to resonate with all kids, nor is it necessarily going to get them excited about doing practice sheets. Nor is it necessarily ideal to be in that mode every minute of every lesson. Without any context as to the rest of hte curriculum, it's rather silly to judge this single worksheet as absurd in its approach. Connecting to other things (decoding hidden messages, revealing a picture, learning facts about some unrelated thing, etc.) has been used for years to pull groups of students through the process of practice. (I remember in junior high algebra a teacher doing something similar to this, but with facts about sports figures, for example.)

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
88. If the high school student who needed more math practice knew more about Angelou
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 08:34 PM
Apr 2022

than the math, then they could answer the Angelou questions correctly -- and not learn any math. (Just knowing the answer is "2" doesn't mean you understand why that's the answer.)

Hard to see how that's useful.

But another point. We never ask why high school athletes need to run laps or do pushups. Why is there this idea that kids shouldn't have to practice math skills in a similar way?

fishwax

(29,346 posts)
92. I mean, that's not really a big deal either, because it's *one* worksheet
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 09:05 PM
Apr 2022

Nobody is going to wind up horrible at math because they were able to rely on their knowledge of Maya Angelou to skate through high school algebra.

Besides, there is actually pedagogical value in that, too, as a supplementary approach. A hypothetical student who is not confident in math but is sort of confident in Maya Angelou facts could select from the multiple choice and then check their answer, thus getting practice at math (and potentially building confidence in so doing). Those kinds of exercises are actually really useful pedagogically, providing students who may not connect with a concept head on (or in the particular way that it is taught) the opportunity to sort of reverse-engineer their way into the concept. Now, an exercise like this on, say, an exam would be a different story altogether. But this is one worksheet. Not a curriculum.

But another point. We never ask why high school athletes need to run laps or do pushups. Why is there this idea that kids shouldn't have to practice math skills in a similar way?

This analogy doesn't work at all, for a variety of reasons. For one thing, nobody is saying that kids shouldn't practice math that way. (It's silly to judge one exercise as though it's a curriculum.) But there's also no reason that kids should *only* practice math in a similar way. Even athletes don't *only* practice by doing pushups or running laps or even doing skill drills. Coaches also incorporate all kinds of little mini-games and competitions (some of which include situations students would never encounter in a game) in order to break up the monotony and keep things interesting. Another difference, of course, is that athletes are a self-selecting population pursuing and approaching excellence in a particular discipline, whereas every kid in high school is going to be taking math class at some point. Similarly, nobody who absolutely hates basketball or thinks they're no good at it is going to be running laps or doing pushups at basketball practice, because the people who hate basketball or don't think they are any good at it are very unlikely to be at basketball practice. Those who are there probably don't (in most cases) love laps or pushups, but they're incentivized to push through it because they're motivated to get better at basketball and help the team succeed. A high school math teacher can't expect everybody in his third period trig class to be similarly motivated by the task. (A high school coach who also teaches PE is probably not going to approach basketball practice with the varsity squad the same way he approaches the basketball unit with the seventh-period sophomore PE class.)

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
93. You're wrong that "nobody is saying that kids shouldn't practice math that way."
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 10:40 PM
Apr 2022

You should read about the proposed California Math Framework CMF, which will impact the whole country if it passes (since textbook publishers design textbooks to meet the requirements of the biggest states). It was designed by a Stanford math education professor named Jo Boaler who thinks that if "boring" tasks like memorizing the times tables are eliminated, then racial disparities in math performance will disappear (which is kind of insulting, when you think about it.)

From her position as a Great White Savior, she was also was pushing to eliminate Algebra from middle schools and drastically lower the number taking calculus in high school, but that idea seems to have been shot down. Now her CMF merely encourages districts not to offer Algebra in middle school; and suggests students could prepare for Calculus in high school by taking two full year math classes at once: for instance, to take Algebra and Geometry in the same year.

The irony is that her plan was supposed to increase the number of Black and Latino students ready to major in STEM in college; but reducing the numbers of students with Calculus would reduce the number ready for a STEM major. And parents of means will find a way to make sure their children get a strong math education in high school, even if they have to pay for private school, online classes, summer classes, etc. So her plan, by reducing the numbers of high school students who could receive a free public education in Calculus, would put poorer kids at an even greater disadvantage than they are now.

Professor Boaler's opinions about how to improve the performance of Black children in math aren't shared by Professor Jelani Nelson, an engineering professor at Berkeley, who points out that none of the people on Boaler's team for developing the CMF are Black themselves -- and that Boaler's team sought no input from college math and engineering faculty when developing its plan. Recently, the professors were involved in a Twitter skirmish. Professor Nelson tweeted that she had emailed him that she had reported him -- a Black man -- to the police, because she'd felt threatened by a tweet he had reposted -- a tweet linking to a contract she had with a poorer school district to the tune of $5000 an hour. The contract itself contained her home address, so she'd reported the tweets to the police.

https://www.dailycal.org/2022/04/12/uc-berkeley-stanford-professors-face-controversy-debate-state-math-curriculum/

Opponents of the proposed framework say that limiting the availability of advanced math courses in middle school and early high school will make it harder for children to be ready for college-level STEM courses and might also extend their time in college if they have to take more introductory math courses.

“This pathway leaves students unprepared for quantitative four-year college degrees via a newly proposed pathway for teaching mathematics that lacks essential content,” Nelson said in an email. “Instead of reducing the gap, the CMF proposal will worsen disparities as students from affluent families will access private instruction and tutors while under-resourced students will be left behind.”

In December 2021, Nelson co-authored an open letter citing the objections to the proposed framework. The letter is currently signed by over 1,700 STEM academics and professionals.

The letter also states that favoring emerging subjects like data science without prioritizing foundational math subjects like calculus and algebra is “deeply worrisome.” In a tweet, Nelson also noted that while the framework aims to aid Black students in math learning, there are no Black authors.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
95. Not really. She's famous for saying she never had to learn her multiplication tables
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 11:16 PM
Apr 2022

and she's certain it never held her back. She thinks memorizing facts or formulas is unnecessary and math should always be "relatable."

However, she's not teaching in a quantitative field; she's teaching in the College of Education.

fishwax

(29,346 posts)
96. I have no idea what that has to do with the conversation about the worksheet
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 11:23 PM
Apr 2022

other than that you think both the proposed CMF as well as any math worksheets that include non-math content are bad approaches to math education. On the former I'd likely find some common ground, but as I said that's a different conversation altogether.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
98. I don't think ALL math worksheets with non-math content are bad.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 11:40 PM
Apr 2022

I think the Angelou one is bad because it had zero connection to the math being taught. We remember things better if they're in a logical context. This was just a bunch of Maya Angelou fill-in-the-blanks sprinkled in with some math equations.

An example of non-math content that would make sense in a math problem? The students could work on math equations related to climate changes. The climate changes themselves are non-math content. But they create the need for mathematical thinking.

Or students could learn about homelessness, and the things that cause it. At the same time, they can use math to analyze housing options. There are an endless number of ways that math can be connected to real-life non-math situations.

NH Ethylene

(31,301 posts)
105. It is an interdisciplinary approach.
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 10:25 AM
Apr 2022

They used it to combine English and Social Studies in my kids' middle school some years ago, where the reading material was historical fiction and worked on in both classes. I absolutely hated Social Studies at that age because it was so dull. My kids loved it! One of my kids is now a history professor!!

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
34. I can assure you that in the early 60s,
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:55 PM
Apr 2022

in Catholic school, the nuns took every opportunity available to mix religion with any other subject that was taught. I don't recall it in the textbooks, but it was often used in the classroom.

In public high school in the late 60s, I had a math teacher tell us that the fact (?) that a cubic centimeter of water weighs exactly one gram is proof of the existence of god. Trust me, it was not enough to bring me out of Atheism.

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)
36. I didn't realize that the Metric system was invented by God.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:58 PM
Apr 2022

Maybe that's in Numbers; I should look it up...

(and for those a bit rusty on this: the gram was defined as the mass of 1 cc of water - or maybe the other way around - but it's not a coincidence).

Mr.Bill

(24,906 posts)
37. I think he was trying to infer
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:06 PM
Apr 2022

that the gram and centimeter has already been agreed upon and someone weighed a cubic centimeter of water and found it miraculously weighed one gram. Math was never a strong subject for me and I don't even know if it is true. I never bothered to investigate it. I don't even know the history of the gram or the centimeter or when or how they became agreed upon as a standard. Maybe someone here knows.

This particular teacher was very good, and never mentioned religion any other time in class. He may have just been prodding us to investigating it for ourselves, but it was never challenged or mentioned again in that class.

exboyfil

(18,348 posts)
46. Obviously it would depend on how crazy the teacher was
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:37 PM
Apr 2022

but I had several friends in high school that wouldn't have let that statement stand (along with me). Some of them were evangelical Christians too.

I know this because of very incompetent Physics teacher made some statements nearly as stupid during the year (not religious based - just horribly wrong). I missed by a year getting one of the best Physics teachers in the state. He moved to a better job before my senior year. The replacement was hired on short notice and came with an exemption. Fortunately I also took a Physical Science class at the Jr. college before my senior year so it wasn't a big deal for me. My evangelical buddy took the summer class with me. He is a great guy.

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)
103. He obviously was trying to imply that.
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 08:28 AM
Apr 2022

He was either joking, or ignorant, or religiously dishonest. Based on your general impression of him, he was probably joking.

"The basic units were taken from the natural world. The unit of length, the metre, was based on the dimensions of the Earth, and the unit of mass, the kilogram, was based on the mass of a volume of water of one litre"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_metric_system

Response to pnwmom (Original post)

Response to pnwmom (Reply #20)

dpibel

(3,833 posts)
22. AP doesn't say what?
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:33 PM
Apr 2022

Are you saying the AP article doesn't quote the pimp, prostitute "question"?

Because it's right there in your OP, and it's in the AP article you linked to.

Or are you saying the AP doesn't say the claim was based on doctored images? Which of course the AP doesn't say because it was apparently as taken in by the hoax as everyone else.

I mean, I can't definitively say this was a hoax. I guess it's possible that the original was the one with the scandalous matter and the more anodyne one posted elsewhere is this thread is the fake.

But that seems a stretch.

Celerity

(54,006 posts)
28. Angelou held many jobs, including some in the sex trade, working as a prostitute and madam for
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 03:46 PM
Apr 2022
lesbians, as she described in her second autobiography, Gather Together in My Name. In a 1995 interview, Angelou said,

I wrote about my experiences because I thought too many people tell young folks, 'I never did anything wrong. Who, Moi? – never I. I have no skeletons in my closet. In fact, I have no closet.' They lie like that and then young people find themselves in situations and they think, 'Damn I must be a pretty bad guy. My mom or dad never did anything wrong.' They can't forgive themselves and go on with their lives.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou



Ignoring Maya Angelou's Past As A Sex Worker Simplifies Her Legacy

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maya-angelou-sex-worker_n_5440822

After literary legend Maya Angelou passed away on May 28, she was extolled for her contribution to the world through works like "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," "And Still I Rise" and "Phenomenal Woman." But have writers focusing only on the highs of Angelou's long and complex life "reduced her" to "a greeting card"?

That's the argument of Aya De Leon, a writer and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, who joined HuffPost Live's Alyona Minkovski to discuss Angelou's past as a sex worker -- and why no one is discussing it in the wake of her death.

Angelou worked as a prostitute and a madam when she was a struggling mother, De Leon said, and to omit that from her obituary is to ignore the transformative parts of Angelou's life that made her special.

"She wrote about [her sex work] openly and really wasn't ashamed of it," De Leon said. "I don't think it was a pleasant time in her life. It was a rough time in her life. But she really modeled holding in authority all the things she experienced in her life and speaking about them as part of what made a rich, powerful and interesting life filled with transformation."

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
79. Right -- because there's no context. It's just mining her bio for eye-opening details
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:44 PM
Apr 2022

to somehow get kids interested in completely unrelated math equations.

exboyfil

(18,348 posts)
80. I saw it pointed out that if you familiar with her story
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:47 PM
Apr 2022

Then you don't actually need to know how to solve 2 variable 2 equation Algebra. Kind of defeats the purpose of the math assignment.

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
83. Right! In my mind, I was automatically answering the questions about her,
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 06:53 PM
Apr 2022

not doing the math. So how did that teach me math, exactly?

Response to pnwmom (Original post)

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
56. It's a terrible way to teach about the poet Maya Angelou, reducing her life to
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 04:50 PM
Apr 2022

a series of multiple choice answers.

And the math equations, isolated from any real-life problem, aren't any more interesting than if the Maya Angelou bits had been left out.

 

NotTodayPutin

(86 posts)
71. This may have already been said, and maybe I missed it...
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:13 PM
Apr 2022

But why doesn't Florida just release the list of the textbooks that they rejected, with the reason for each?

Is Florida trying to hide something?

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
73. I haven't seen the answer to that anywhere. Instead, they released some online worksheet question
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 05:47 PM
Apr 2022

from a non-Floridian years ago.

Wingus Dingus

(9,173 posts)
89. How fucking weird, inappropriate, and stupid.
Mon Apr 18, 2022, 08:36 PM
Apr 2022

Here's a tip, teachers: teach your subject, and only your subject, and vet your sources for homework. I'd be calling my kids' school if I saw this too. This isn't math, this is someone's agenda.

JCMach1

(29,144 posts)
100. Example of random rubbish that can be found on the net
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 02:42 AM
Apr 2022

Any teacher with half a brain would never give this out.

As usual, why is this precisely a reason to ban/burn/censor books and dumb down our schools?

pnwmom

(110,218 posts)
101. This isn't a justification for Florida. But we shouldn't be responding by claiming
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 03:05 AM
Apr 2022

the exercise has been doctored, as some here have.

We can agree that it is stupid, and also point out that it's not part of any of the banned books.

Why are they passing out this old online worksheet instead of showing actual examples from the math books they've banned?

JCMach1

(29,144 posts)
107. Exactly, and I think this had mad the RW FB rounds a number of years ago
Tue Apr 19, 2022, 08:29 PM
Apr 2022

While this is an online worksheet, there are some absolutely rubbishy textbooks (in all kinds of ways) out there.

Rejecting textbooks based on RW premises is nothing new. What IS new are governors trolling over what would have happened anyway...

Disingenuous and stupid...

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