“That’s all I have to say. I have another meeting in a few minutes…are we done here?”

A former leader said this me during an impromptu meeting. I was pulled out of class by my coach because of the lesson I was teaching. I was told it was “inappropriate” and that it was “triggering” for students. You’re probably wondering what the heck was going on! Alright, let’s go back to the beginning.

During this time I was teaching in a suburban district in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. I was teaching Geometry and Algebra 1, and 99% of my students were students of color. One night, I watched the Kalief Browder Story on Netflix. His story literally shook my world, and I wanted to find a way to bring his story into my mathematics classroom. We were transitioning into a new unit in geometry, and I thought that would be a perfect time to integrate the story.

Kalief Browder, a 16-year old Black boy spent almost three years in Rikers Prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He never went to trial, and most of that time was spent in solitary confinement. You can read more about his story here. I decided to use solitary confinement and the dimensions of the cell to create a lesson around it using the standards of the upcoming lesson.

I was soooo excited about this lesson! I put it together and was excited to share it with my coach. I told him about it, and the hesitation was palpable. He told me that he would think about it and get back with me. I said okay, but fully planned on teaching it the following day. He never got back to me lol.

That year, I had five geometry classes on my course load. I taught the lesson in the first 4 classes and it went great! Students were engaged and we were having conversations about issues that impacted them and they were able to use mathematical reasoning to work through the activity and develop solutions. Their solutions were not just around the math, but they brainstormed solutions to the greater issue of unlawful policing, youth in adult prisons, and solidary confinement.

So my 5th and final geometry class rolls around and I’m still excited to teach. Right before I show a clip of a Kalief Browder interview, my coach knocks on the door and asks me to step into the hallway. When I stepped out, he said to me, “you can’t teach this lesson.” I asked him why not. He said, “you can’t teach it. It’s inappropriate.” I looked him in his eye and said, “okay.” I think he knew that I was not changing my mind, so he suggested that we go and speak with the principal. At this point, I’m with all the smoke lol, so I’m ready to have a chat. I go back in and tell one of my paraprofessionals that were in the room to start with the second half of the lesson and I’ll be back to finish up.

When we got down to the office, my principal told me that I couldn’t teach a math lesson on jail. I told him that the lesson was not about jail and proceeded to explain. We went back and forth for a minute, and he said that it would be too triggering for students. He even suggested that we study the dimensions of a college dorm room instead of a solitary confinement cell. While that was cool, I told him that what we were doing was much more engaging. I told him that I gave each class a disclaimer and that students did not have to participate in that part of the lesson if they were uncomfortable. He turned away from me, looked at my coach, and said, “that’s all I have to say. I have another meeting in a few minutes…are we done here?”

I’d never felt that much righteous anger. I got up and walked out of his office. On my way back to class, I determined that that year would be my last teaching at that school. I poked a bear, and though I was proud of my courage to do so, I did not want to be in an environment where issues that were important to my students were discouraged from being talked about in the classroom.

Here’s my point. Sometimes, it’s okay to shake the table. Knowing your content is ESSENTIAL in order to shake the table though. Tackling social justice issues through math is a great way to have students critique the world around them AND deepen their mathematical understanding. Bring up the social justice issues, but make sure your content and grade-level standards are wrapped up in it. If you don’t want to shake the table like I did lol, below are some questions to think about to get you started:

1. What is a social justice issue that impacts my students?
2. What content/standards do I have coming up that could lend themselves to this issue?
3. What math would I want students to come away with at the end of the lesson? What resolve might they have about the issue?
4. What might be some outcomes of the lesson?
5. If the lesson went exactly how I wanted it to, what would that look, sound, and feel like?
6. What are my apprehensions? How might I reach out to for support?

Alright you all, sound off in the comments! When was a time where you shook the table for the benefit of your students?

Thanks for reading, y’all 🙂