Teacher Assigns Extremely Offensive Math Homework
Teacher Assigns Extremely Offensive Math Homework
Lakeland Union High School Math Assignment Has Lac Du Flambeau Members Upset Over Cultural Insensitivity
An offensive math homework assignment issued to students at Lakeland Union High School has members of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin urging administrators to bring more cultural sensitivity to the school’s curriculum, Indian Country Today Media Network reports.
Abbey Thompson, a member of the Lac du Flambeau Tribe, posted a photo of her son Noah’s completed homework assignment to Facebook, attracting inflammatory responses from across the country and Canada.
“What happened after Chief Short Cake Died?” is the question posed at the top of the assignment — the answer to which was “Squaw Bury Short Cake.”
Richard Vesbach, a third-year math teacher at LUHS and the one responsible for assigning the homework, has since written a number of apology letters.
Vesbach explains that he found the assignment in an outdated book of worksheets from the 1980s that had been left in the classroom when he started teaching. He says he has gotten rid of the book.
“None of that excuses what has happened and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Vesbach wrote. “No one else is to blame but me. As a result, LUHS has appropriately sent me home for the day. I recommended that they not pay me.”
School administrators would not comment on whether Vesbach would face further disciplinary action.
In January, a suburban Atlanta teacher resigned following an investigation over third-grade students being assigned math homework that included word problems about slavery.
One of the problems read: "Each tree has 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?"
Another was: "If Frederick got two beatings each day, how many beatings did he get in one week?"
that's bad. I'd be pissed too. and I'm white.
that's so bad.
Oh good grief. I think it was tacky...but not worth such a huge amount of hoopla....and I am Native American enough to put it on a college app and not be lying about it.
This page looks like it is part of some kind of curriculum...and not something he made up. If they want to be outraged they should look there imo.
Once again, a mountain is made out of a mole hill.
Jesus Christ.
If I had gotten upset every time I saw a cartoon of a fat German with a beer stein or a stereotypical green-clad, angry, red-faced Irishman while I was in school, I would have had a stroke by now.
"Roger that. Over."
R A D I O H E I D
Yes, it is offensive but I don't feel that it is extremely offensive. The teacher did the right thing with the written apology.
(I can think of more things that can be classified as extremely offensive; more so, than this test)
Quoting pittawadda:
Well, it's offensive but he totally owned up to it which I think was right. So I think the issue is resolved.
Agreed.
Quoting Donna6503:
This
Yes, it is offensive but I don't feel that it is extremely offensive. The teacher did the right thing with the written apology.
(I can think of more things that can be classified as extremely offensive; more so, than this test)
Quoting pittawadda:
Well, it's offensive but he totally owned up to it which I think was right. So I think the issue is resolved.
lol There's nothing offensive about it IMO. It was made out to be a silly joke. If the content of the joke itself was derogatory or insulting toward the Native American people, I could see the problem but it's not.
We need to maybe investigate the idea of over-correcting some political correctness's.
Is Yoga a religion?
- futureshock
on Oct. 7, 2012 at 11:09 PM