The mind reels:
Third graders in in Gwinnett County, Ga., were given math homework Wednesday that asked questions about slavery and beatings.
Christopher Braxton told ABC News affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta that he couldn't believe the assignment his 8-year-old son brought home from of Beaver Ridge Elementary school in Norcross.
"It kind of blew me away," Braxton said. "Do you see what I see? Do you really see what I see? He's not answering this question."
The question read, "Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?"
Another math problem read, "If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?"
Another question asked how many baskets of cotton Frederick filled.
According to the school district, the teachers had put together interdisciplinary coursework, incorporating what they had been studying in Social Studies into their math, but holy cow! What were they thinking in devising these questions for third graders? Did anyone...any person...have a gut check on the appropriateness of these questions? How many beatings did Frederick the slave get? Who thinks this is an acceptable way to introduce algebraic thinking to third graders?
