Teacher Put Math Problem About 9/11 Attacks on Test

[Beechwoodfan]

I am anything but PC most of the time, but I do think having students calculate the speed of planes in an American tragedy does show poor judgement. She meant to harm. It should have been quietly handled by the school. I don’t think it was newsworthy. Unfortunately people are always trying to find some new offense to drag out to the world.

[True blue (and gold)]

I am anything but PC most of the time, but I do think having students calculate the speed of planes in an American tragedy does show poor judgement. She meant to harm. It should have been quietly handled by the school. I don’t think it was newsworthy. Unfortunately people are always trying to find some new offense to drag out to the world.

I'm truly not trying to be argumentative, but what would be there difference in calculating the velocities of the planes vs. reading the velocities or hearing them in a documentary?

[Jumper_Dad]

I'm truly not trying to be argumentative, but what would be there difference in calculating the velocities of the planes vs. reading the velocities or hearing them in a documentary?

 

Context I think is the difference. While I understand the point you are making, what the teacher did is in the least, bad taste. What if she had them figure out the Kool Aid to cyanide ratio for Jim Jones to be able to kill 900 people or how much "Gas" Auschwitz needed each month? How would that have went over?

 

Some things are just in poor taste as this is. Considering that it was at a school in Massachusetts, about 50 miles from where the flights originated...there is a chance that someone in that class room's family may have been touched by the tragedy. None of us know what her real motives are, but I think we should be able to agree that she could have taught the same lesson with any of a 1,000 other examples.

 

She made a mistake and owned it, I'm fine with that.

[Irish Cat]

I love math, but I would say that teaching/discussing only math might get old. Seems like that this teacher was trying to make a connection and foster discussion.

 

I guess that we can go back to "Sue has some apples and Tom has twice as many...."

 

That might offend those that have fruit allergies.

[True blue (and gold)]

Context I think is the difference. While I understand the point you are making, what the teacher did is in the least, bad taste. What if she had them figure out the Kool Aid to cyanide ratio for Jim Jones to be able to kill 900 people or how much "Gas" Auschwitz needed each month? How would that have went over?

 

Some things are just in poor taste as this is. Considering that it was at a school in Massachusetts, about 50 miles from where the flights originated...there is a chance that someone in that class room's family may have been touched by the tragedy. None of us know what her real motives are, but I think we should be able to agree that she could have taught the same lesson with any of a 1,000 other examples.

 

She made a mistake and owned it, I'm fine with that.

Good point. I still see it as slightly different than the other examples given, but erring on the side of caution might have been a good idea.

[Science Friction]

Context I think is the difference. While I understand the point you are making, what the teacher did is in the least, bad taste. What if she had them figure out the Kool Aid to cyanide ratio for Jim Jones to be able to kill 900 people or how much "Gas" Auschwitz needed each month? How would that have went over?

 

Some things are just in poor taste as this is. Considering that it was at a school in Massachusetts, about 50 miles from where the flights originated...there is a chance that someone in that class room's family may have been touched by the tragedy. None of us know what her real motives are, but I think we should be able to agree that she could have taught the same lesson with any of a 1,000 other examples.

 

She made a mistake and owned it, I'm fine with that.

 

I agree with you. Bottomline, I wouldn't have written the problem in the same context as she did. It was certainly not a tastefully-constructed problem, to say the least. However, it seems like her intent was to educate, not to hurt. She apologized. Nothing more she can do. I'd say she will write more generic math problems from now on.

 

For my fellow teachers on the board, would you be okay writing a problem like this one?

[Jumper_Dad]

I agree with you. Bottomline, I wouldn't have written the problem in the same context as she did. It was certainly not a tastefully-constructed problem, to say the least. However, it seems like her intent was to educate, not to hurt. She apologized. Nothing more she can do. I'd say she will write more generic math problems from now on.

 

For my fellow teachers on the board, would you be okay writing a problem like this one?

 

I like the idea she had to use a real world situation, just a bad choice of subject matter.

[Science Friction]

I like the idea she had to use a real world situation, just a bad choice of subject matter.

 

Yep, her real world problem idea, I like it. I try to do that as well. But there are many real world problems to write. She didn't have to do one about mass murder.

[hoops5]

 

For my fellow teachers on the board, would you be okay writing a problem like this one?

Perhaps 70 years or so from today, when the incident is not so raw. I have given my students math problems that included things like calculating the percentage of casualties of the North and the South at a famous Civil War battle. For the students it is doing math and learning about a Civil War turning point battle. If you personally knew someone that was a casualty, it could be seen as being in poor taste.

[Beechwoodfan]

Context I think is the difference. While I understand the point you are making, what the teacher did is in the least, bad taste. What if she had them figure out the Kool Aid to cyanide ratio for Jim Jones to be able to kill 900 people or how much "Gas" Auschwitz needed each month? How would that have went over?

 

Some things are just in poor taste as this is. Considering that it was at a school in Massachusetts, about 50 miles from where the flights originated...there is a chance that someone in that class room's family may have been touched by the tragedy. None of us know what her real motives are, but I think we should be able to agree that she could have taught the same lesson with any of a 1,000 other examples.

 

She made a mistake and owned it, I'm fine with that.

 

 

Very well said!

[Science Friction]

Here's a actual quiz that a woman in Alabama gave to her eighth-grade class at Burns Middle School in Mobile, Alabama near the end of the last school year. Seriously, who wrote these questions... Rick James??? The teacher looks to be a middle-aged white woman. What in the heck was she thinking???

Edited November 5, 2017 by Science Friction

[Fear the Nation]

Here's a actual quiz that a woman in Alabama gave to her eighth-grade class at Burns Middle School in Mobile, Alabama near the end of the last school year. Seriously, who wrote these questions... Rick James??? The teacher looks to be a middle-aged white woman. What in the heck was she thinking???

 

FIRED

[Science Friction]

FIRED

 

I think she was put on administrative leave. I don't know if she's back teaching or not.

[hoops5]

Ok. That’s a bit much.

[Run To State]

Here's a actual quiz that a woman in Alabama gave to her eighth-grade class at Burns Middle School in Mobile, Alabama near the end of the last school year. Seriously, who wrote these questions... Rick James??? The teacher looks to be a middle-aged white woman. What in the heck was she thinking???

 

:no: She shouldn't be allowed within 1000 feet of any school ever again.