Every math teacher has heard the question: How am I going to use this in real life?
But Chelsey Williams, a 4th-grade teacher at Discovery Charter School in Las Vegas, is in big trouble with parents for showing her students how valuable math is in the real world.
She gave them problems to work out. Correct answers scored play money. After the problems were all completed, she charged the students rent and utilities for their desks. If they couldn't pay the bills, she evicted them and made them sit on the floor.
Congratulations!
You're homeless now!
But as you might expect, some parents were none too happy about their kids learning something useful in such a way.
And it sounds like it hit some students harder than others:
'I was confused why she took away our desk,' Bryce Clevinger, a student at Discovery Charter School near Rampart and Lake Mead Blvd, said. Clevinger said he was afraid to protest the teacher's decision 'because then she's going to get angry.'
Bryce's adoptive mother said he was adopted out of a bad situation and had experienced homelessness, which may have contributed to his fear in the classroom more so than the exercise.
After the Clevingers complained, the charter school released the following statement:
Discovery Charter School is aware of a parent voicing concerns about a classroom management system. We're extremely sensitive to the plight of unhoused people, so we're investigating these allegations immediately. The school's core values include compassion and inclusivity, so if this teacher's project had incorrect elements, we're correcting that before classes resume on Monday. We value our families' input, so we're tweaking the system over the holiday to ensure everyone, including that parent, is happier with the outcome. At this Thanksgiving time, we're so thankful for our families and their desire for a first-class, emotionally-sensitive education.
My question here is why no one is worried about Bryce's ability to do enough basic math to pay some bills. I feel bad for the kid, but he doesn't need to be protected from the skills he needs not to fall into the same problems when he's an adult.
These kids are all going to grow up eventually, and feelings aren't going to pay the bills.
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