Kerby Anderson

Several educators have been injecting critical race theory into the classroom, but would you believe these ideas are even making their way into math classes? Apparently, it is happening and that is why the state of Florida rejected several dozens of mathematics books that contain “indoctrination concepts.”

When politicians and pundits criticized the move, the Florida governor’s press secretary said these critics needed a “reality check.” She tweeted some math homework from a public school district in Missouri and asked, “How does this help kids learn algebra? No wonder China is winning.”

The math problems are used to answer questions in a “Person Puzzle” about black poet Maya Angelou. The answers help students determine if she was “sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend, brother or father.” Answers to another question are used to determine if she worked as a “pimp, prostitute and bookie or Drug Dealer or night club Dancer.” The Florida press secretary concluded, “I promise you, in China kids aren’t learning about pimping in math class.”

James Lindsey posted a screenshot of math problems in Pennsylvania that asked students to do calculations based on race. Students were to calculate seven different probabilities for whites and non-whites. These included calculating the probability of a white person living in poverty and then calculating it for a non-white person.

He explains that the math lesson was retooled through social theory examples. It then served as a basis for theory-based discussion that follow the assignment. He then added that this is how Soviets influenced students in their schools.

When we first hear the claim that race is being injected into math classes, we have reason to be skeptical. But once you see some of the screenshots on Twitter, you can see that these ideas are being deliberating injected by educators.