elconquistador Mon Feb 22, 2021 4:28 pm
Guide: U.S. teachers to tackle racism in math
SALEM. The U.S. state of Oregon has declared war on racism in math classes. In the future, teachers are to learn by means of a guide that even supposedly correct results of arithmetic problems are about "white supremacy".
The state's education bureaucrats want to use a total of five steps to guide educators "toward continuous self-reflection" "as they seek to develop anti-racist math practices," according to the program. To that end, teachers should also abandon supposedly outdated notions that there are "neutral answers." Adhering to this belief is "in itself a trait of white supremacy." Black, Latino and multilingual students in grades six through eight are expected to benefit from the new guidelines.
In order not to discriminate against these groups, at least two answers will apply in the future. To that end, the letter says, "The concept that math is purely objective is false. Preserving the idea that there are always right and wrong answers perpetuates objectivity."
Mathematics serves to preserve capitalism
Past homework practices also belong under scrutiny, according to the new guidelines. For example, the "homework policy should be adapted to meet the needs of students of color," he said.
In the future, teachers should also consider the overall social dimension of their subject. Thus, they are asked to work out "how mathematics is used to preserve capitalist, imperialist, and racist views."
The state of Oregon in the northwestern United States is considered a liberal stronghold. The city of Portland, located there, was the site of months of rioting by the Black Lives Matter movement last year. Democratic Governor Kate Brown nevertheless rejected the use of federal police against the rioters.