A poem shouted by Shraddha Shirude
It’s nearly spring, which means high-stakes standardized testing season in K–12 schools. Arguably, math is the most soul crushingly affected by these less than useless (racist and harmful) practices. For history, context, and outcomes, read any of Dr. Wayne Au’s scholarship on the subject.
Fortunately, students can be opted out of these tests with a simple email or phone call. Check out the resources WAESN has curated to support opting out, including opt out form letters translated to various languages commonly spoken in Seattle-area schools and WAESN’s Board Vice President and author of this month’s blog post, Shraddha Shirude, speaking on how standardized testing harms math education.
I just wanted to teach kids math
So they could see how cool math is
And appreciate it
But how could they when it’s all just digits (letters) that make numbers (words) that make equations (sentences) they’ve never heard, seen, or used and never will again
Meaningless.
I just wanted to teach kids math
So they could see how poems are math
And feel the math flow
But how could they when it’s all disjointed rules with nothing to bring them together
Purposeless.
I just wanted to teach kids math
So they could spot a lie from a mile away
And never let anyone manipulate their minds
But how could they when all they’ve been taught is to manipulate their variables and lie about their understanding to pass a class
Deception.
I just wanted to teach kids math
So they could learn about their own minds
And be the reason for their success
But how could they when their success was measured by a test and their minds limited by the highest score possible
Controlled.
Is this what math is? Meaningless, purposeless, deception, and control?
If I could just teach math
They would learn about their own minds
And be the reason for their success
I’d challenge them to walk me through their journey and ask them what’s next
Boundless
If I could just teach math
They would understand what makes a lie
And dismantle the systems that tried to manipulate them
I’d teach them proofs of the world that control the human mind and ask them what’s next
Criticality
If I could just teach math
We would play with rhythm and harmony
And find the numbers within our hearts
I’d teach them of the histories of these numbers we play with and ask them what’s next
Creativity
If I could just teach math
I would help students to see why learning is the most joyous thing you can do
And how thinking is the most human of endeavors there ever was
Our class would ebb & flow however we pleased, only our whims would guide us, only our own minds could assess us
Humanity
This is what math is, boundless, critical, creative, human.
In the meantime, I must go back to work, where I teach course code HMA2692/4.
Shraddha Shirude is the Board Vice President of Washington Ethnic Studies Now and a math educator and department head at Cleveland STEM High School in Seattle.