Story Archive

Why Do They Need Math to Figure it out If They’ve Read the Book?

“We apologize to anyone who was offended by the content of the assignment and have taken steps to avoid such occurrences in the future,” said Pennridge School District Superintendent Jacqueline Rattigan. The homework assignment, for a math class at Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pa., contained questions based on poet Maya Angelou’s autobiography, which has long been assigned reading at the school. Using math, students were asked to fill in the blank with boyfriend, brother, or father: “Angelou was sexually abused by her mother’s ___ at age 8, which shaped her career choices and motivation for writing.” Rattigan claimed the assignment was “downloaded from a website that allows teachers around the world to share educational resources.” The incident came to light just weeks after a math teacher at Pennridge North Middle School in Perkasie was sentenced to prison after asking for — and receiving — sexually explicit photographs and videos from a 14-year-old girl in his class. (RC/WCAU Philadelphia) ...Of course, they only expect the kids to pay attention and learn, not the staff.