NEW YORK CITY — New York City educators have learned the hard way that there are some things that just don’t mix — like using slavery to teach math.
The principal of P.S. 59, a well-thought-of elementary school that draws students from Midtown and the area around the United Nations, told the Daily News that she was “appalled” by the assignment and has ordered sensitivity training for all of the staff.
Last month, one of the fourth-grade teachers sent pupils home with math problems that were based on slavery. The pupils wrote the questions themselves after the teacher, Jane Youn, 32, told them to blend the lessons they had learned in social studies class with their math assignments, New York media reported.
Question 1 on the sheet, entitled “Slavery Word Problems Homework,” was written as a matter-of-fact subtraction problem. NY-1, a 24-hour news channel, reported that the question asked:
“In a slave ship, there can be 3,799 slaves. One day, the slaves took over the ship. 1,897 are dead. How many slaves are alive?”
The second question, the cable television station said, had multiple parts multiplication and addition. It said:
“One slave got whipped five times a day. How many times did he get whipped in a month (31 days)? Another slave got whipped nine times a day. How many times did he get whipped in a month? How many times did the two slaves get whipped together in one month?”
A student-teacher said she was shocked by the wording and later refused to hand out the worksheet in another class.
“I looked at the questions and was like, ‘Wow! This is kind of inappropriate,’“ Aziza Harding told the New York Post, saying the questions contained “desensitized” violence.
“I just found it alarming that this would happen in a state that you would think was more liberal,” Harding said.
The Department of Education released a statement, saying, “This is obviously unacceptable and we will take appropriate disciplinary action against these teachers. The Chancellor spoke to the principal, and she has already taken steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
Los Angeles Times
11 Comments to “New York Teachers Use Slavery to Teach Math, Cause Uproar”
February 23, 2013 at 6:07 PM
In a city with Bloomberg, it figures
February 23, 2013 at 8:13 PM
The stupid b… went to a federal prison, how many inmates have a good night?
What's with the teachers lately???
February 23, 2013 at 9:37 PM
They want to teach that way to get the kids mad at "whitey".
February 23, 2013 at 10:50 PM
…sensitivity training…haaahaaaahaaahaa….sounds like they need some serious education in Diversity and Community Relations and to spend time researching slavery and being taught by those of color who have had ancestors that were enslaved so they can get a real knowledge of the matter not just from some books or Hollywood movies.
February 24, 2013 at 3:19 AM
just like i keep telling you all,,,,,NOBODY LIKES NEGROES!…
February 24, 2013 at 3:27 AM
Wow, you would think a teacher would have more common sense. When they wrote the math questions, you would think that they were trying to get fired and bring a tremendous negative amount of attention to themselves.
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February 24, 2013 at 7:00 AM
At least the math problems did not involve guns.
February 25, 2013 at 9:34 AM
She had to do whatever keep's/get's her students attention. America alway's trying to cover up slavery… Math is suppose to teach you how to solve problems.. critical thinking… this is why men are better at math than women.. men solve problems better ..
February 25, 2013 at 9:34 AM
Sorry for the incomplete comment.. gotta go.