The National Science Foundation has granted Appalachian State University $1,165,039 to induce college kids to pursue a career in teaching rural math and science.
This can mean that schools need a pool of qualified teachers who are well prepared for life in a rural area and who have the flexibility to meet the needs of students who may have experienced inconsistent mathematics and science teaching. Cultural values related to community and individuals must also be respected in classroom instruction and discussion.
“Many textbooks or materials feature strictly suburban or urban contexts, scenarios and values,” [Tracie McLemore Salinas from the Department of Mathematical Sciences] said. “Providing alternatives that are respectful of the rural experience is key to engaging students in a way that develops their ability to interact with both the STEM culture and that of their families and communities.”
As you may know, I taught math and physics for about a decade. I started in suburbia, and I used all those suburban textbooks. So, imagine my surprise when, upon accepting a rural assignment, I discovered them-thar hicks thought 3 + 4 = 12.
Not really. What I did discover was that country folk were an inferior breed. [SENSITIVITY TRAINING: I speak as a fool.] They didn’t listen unless you spoke with a wang. You couldn’t talk about adding apples and oranges; you had to talk about adding cows and pigs. You couldn’t ask them to figure out how much carpeting you would need to cover a triangular floor of certain dimensions. You had to change words to ask them how much hay was needed to cover a planting of that size. What’s more, you couldn’t use multicultural names like Latrina and Abdul Qayyum in story problems, you had to substitute names like Billy Bob and Daisy Duke. One had to get out the crayons because all those photographs in the texts of posed interracial children overrepresented Asian and African-American populations.
Yes. The first step in cultural sensitivity is to underestimate the emotional development and adaptability of others. In other words, all this relationship building is a lie, which is a hard-sell to people who commit their lives to searching out truth; a.k.a. hard-core scientists.
