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

[fishwax]

87. the point is not to teach them about poetry

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.)