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In reply to the discussion: It turns out the example of a math worksheet mixed with Maya Angelou questions is real. [View all]pnwmom
(110,316 posts)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.