Teacher Fired for Giving Morbid Math Homework to Third Graders

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Didn't see this posted already, so I figured I'd share.

A Washington, D.C. teacher who sent home violent, morbid and traumatizing math problems to third graders from Center City Public Charter School's Trinidad campus has been fired, WUSA-TV reports.

The teacher assigned problems "about baking humans in ovens, and a child waking up screaming after thousands of fire ants made a nest in the subject's brain."

I find the whole thing to be hilarious and would have loved these problems as a kid. In the teachers defense, apparently she was "forced" to hand out the problems. The person behind the questions argues that he wanted to make math more interesting and fun for kids.

Well, this is certainly more fun and interesting than boring math problems:

My 3 friends and I were caught and tied up by 1023 screaming cannibals in a jungle last night. Soon we were feeling terribly itchy because of the mosquitoes. We begged the cannibals to scratch us. 219 cannibals refused because they were busy cutting vegetables. The rest of them, however, surrounded us in equal numbers and began to scratch us with their teeth, just like dogs. It felt good! How many cannibals scratched me?

John's father gave him 1359 marbles on his birthday. John swallowed 585 marbles and died. 9 of John's friends came for his funeral the next day. John's grieving father gave the remaining marbles to John's friends in equal numbers. How many marbles did each friend get?

Here is the link to a bunch of the problems, for those who want to get a kick out of reading them: The Problems

LOL, this one will increase the membership to ATS in a few years.

Green aliens landed in Chicago and rounded up 1479 math teachers. Thebloodthirsty aliens then sucked the blood of 828 teachers and left themfor dead. The aliens tied up the rest of the teachers and marched theminto 3 UFOs. If there were an equal number of poor math teachers ineach UFO, how many teachers were in each UFO?

Source

What. The. F

reply to post by DestroyDestroyDestroy


Someone freaked out about it. No matter what you do as a teacher to try to get kids motivated, someone will have a problem. They may have taken a little more time to try to "tone down" the problems, i.e. not make them so graphic, but she/he should not have been fired for it. I bet the person who complained probably exposes their kids to even worse things occasionally.

What the hell is WRONG with people? Some peoples' definitions of "creative" escape me.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

School systems, whether public or private, really need to come up with some sort of "filter" so these kinds of tests or homework assignments don't even make it to the classroom. Create a proofreading position to where the material is checked before it gets to the students. Hire me, I need more work. And just to clarify in case some peoples' "creative" side takes over, proofread for content as much as how it's presented.

You want to get creative with math problems to help hold the students' attention and make learning fun? Why don't the adults ask the students for ideas about what's fun for them? Get them involved. Take some of those ideas and form questions around them.

There's creative and then there's just plain weird. And no, it's not nearly a matter of perception. Sorry.

Math Problem 12
A UFO landed in my backyard yesterday. I had 34 pieces of $20 notes in my pocket. I bought8 laser guns at $43 each and 25 cute long-haired zulags at $5 each from a purple-eyed alien.How much money did I have after that?

I'm not sure I even understand this question. Pieces of $20 notes... 34 pieces? This was just laziness on the teacher's part, i think. But I worry about the person who created the test. Homeschooling? Next report will be snacks of blood jelly and brainbutter sandwiches?

Still I laughed pretty hard at some of these.... Good find OP

reply to post by DestroyDestroyDestroy


Doesn't this look like yet another example of a person simply being unable to differentiate right from wrong?

It appears the worlds events are at least partially responsible for this type of odd behavior.
Thnx for the post

Math Problem 13
Brian, a brave member of a SWAT team in California, had a terribly busyweek last week. He had to work for 7 whole days. He killed 163 terrorists,296 murderers and 206 arsonists. How many criminals did he kill onaverage each day?

Wow, this one is just fantastic...

Did the arsonists really deserve to die?

This is madness. They gave this to students?! We should stop teaching Shakespeare as well. That has to be some of the most vile, graphic and murderous drivel ever written. It's neither interesting nor relevant to the human condition, and anyone who permits it to grace the eyes of our children should be severely punished.

Originally posted by Bigfoot12714

Math Problem 13
Brian, a brave member of a SWAT team in California, had a terribly busyweek last week. He had to work for 7 whole days. He killed 163 terrorists,296 murderers and 206 arsonists. How many criminals did he kill onaverage each day?

Wow, this one is just fantastic...

Did the arsonists really deserve to die?

edit on 23-4-2012 by Bigfoot12714 because: (no reason given)

I'd say that depends on how many people were in the buildings they burned down.

reply to post by Orwells Ghost


Well then that would make them murders right?

reply to post by Bigfoot12714


Touche sir

Originally posted by Bigfoot12714

Math Problem 13
Brian, a brave member of a SWAT team in California, had a terribly busyweek last week. He had to work for 7 whole days. He killed 163 terrorists,296 murderers and 206 arsonists. How many criminals did he kill onaverage each day?

Wow, this one is just fantastic...

Did the arsonists really deserve to die?

edit on 23-4-2012 by Bigfoot12714 because: (no reason given)

Are each of the crimes mutually exclusive, or can one be both a murderer, arsonist, and terrorist? If they are mutually exclusive, are terrorists criminals or enemy combatatns or revolutionaries? Also, can we call any of them criminals without first having a trial and a verdict of guilty? Shouldn't it be how many "suspects" did he kill on average each day of last week? Also, does Brian get overtime? If he worked two extra days, and he was on time and a half for those days, do we use 7 days, or the number of work hours to find his average?

My teachers loved my work, but hated my questions. I was asking this stuff in elementary school.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple


Personally, I'm for less regulation in schools, especially in regards to what and how teachers teach. Teaching has become so streamlined and regulated in our that it's become an awful job, and as a result, quality of education has decreased. I understand that schools have to meet state standards, but a teacher should be allowed to pursue education however he or she wishes provided it is producing good results in children.

One important counterpoint to these problems being too grotesque is that third graders (8-10 year old's) are the demographic for R.L. Stine novels, which are rather morbid. To allow a child to read R.L. Stine, which he or she would probably take pleasure in, exposes them much more morbid and macabre imagery than a few morbid math problems.

Shielding children prevents them from developing emotional callouses and finding their own self worth, this leads to entitlement issues and over bloated ego's later on in life, which hurts them much more as adults.

reply to post by Orwells Ghost


Shakespeare is read in high school, not elementary school. The reason why this caused outrage among parents is that third graders were being assigned these math problems.

I wish my math teachers wrote up amusing problems, it would have made math a less banal subject.

reply to post by getreadyalready

My teachers loved my work, but hated my questions. I was asking this stuff in elementary school.

You and me both. The question where "Suzy" had to travel back the distance of her train because she forgot her purse at home, I asked the teacher "What was in the purse?" and "How did she get on the train without it?"



I probably would have liked the ones in the OP though just because they were different. Still would have disliked math though....

Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
reply to post by Orwells Ghost

 

Shakespeare is read in high school, not elementary school. The reason why this caused outrage among parents is that third graders were being assigned these math problems.

I wish my math teachers wrote up amusing problems, it would have made math a less banal subject.

Really? I read Shakespeare in the seventh grade; Taming of the Shrew. Made me the misogynist I am today.

I don't see a problem with this, arithmetic can be a dry subject, and if this engages students then so be it; it's no worse then what they see and hear on the news every day. I wish my math lessons had been so colourful, it would have been a lot more interesting.

These kids would be what, 9 or 10 years old? By the time I was 9 I had noticed girls in that special way and was quite accustomed to the rough stuff thanks to houseleague hockey and growing up in Rexdale. I'd also developed a healthy affinity for WWII history which was encouraged by my parents and teachers, A-bombs and all. Somehow I managed to get my degree, not murder anyone and required no therapy. However, I'm not all that great at math.

reply to post by DestroyDestroyDestroy

I personally feel math is a lot funner in the guise of a game. I remember playing those games on the apple computer and solving math problems. It actually had a purpose since I wanted to play. I think people will learn from games more than ever as more educational games are produced.

Maybe I am just numb but it did not bother me that much. Yes, before you ask, I have kids and I really would not care if they has this as homework or not. It has to be better than the nonsense in the in their corporate generated textbooks now.

I would sincerely hope they at least get the answers right.

As a teacher, I've accidentally traumatized a few students. Usually happens around Halloween, when I tell spooky stories. Apparently some of those stories made a lasting impression; ten years later and I still have former students asking if it was true.

Personally, I think the word problems could have been toned down just a little and been fine. I would have loved these types of math problems!

A few years ago my school held a funeral for overused words. The fourth graders dressed in their Sunday best, placed the words in a cardboard casket, had a funeral service, and buried the casket. The words they buried? Nice, good, sad, fine.....the point was to get the kids to use synonyms.

Worked, too. Every kid that participated improved their writing grade.

One parent complained, got a lot of people in trouble. We later found out that same parent would regularly drop her child off at the movies to see the latest gore flick.

Teachers try to be creative, but it usually backfires.