In a rather unfortunate incident, a math teacher from Cleveland, Ohio, found himself under scrutiny after assigning a highly inappropriate word problem to his junior high students. This lapse in judgment led to a formal reprimand.
The father of two 14-year-old students in Mike Jennings’ math class at Middleburg Heights Junior High School expressed his outrage after his children showed him the peculiar math problem displayed on the overhead projector. The problem read: “Tony can send 5 texts and 3 explicit photos in 19 minutes. He could also send 3 texts and 1 explicit photo in 9 minutes. How long would it take him to send one text and one explicit photo?”
First off, one has to wonder how anyone could possibly solve that problem. Secondly, the thought of sending multiple explicit images in such a short timeframe raises concerning questions about the appropriateness of the content. Are these all being sent to the same person? If so, the sender might need to reconsider their approach, as there’s only so much anyone can handle. If they’re being sent to different recipients, it’s likely that at least a few were shocked and shared the images with friends.
The school district’s superintendent, a visibly uncomfortable Mark Thompson, commented on the situation, stating that discussions took place to clarify the rules surrounding appropriate content in the classroom. “We addressed the situation with the teacher and clarified what happened, providing the necessary consequence—namely, a reminder that such content is completely unacceptable,” he explained.
While Thompson described Jennings as a competent educator who simply made a poor choice, it’s noteworthy that this wasn’t an isolated incident. There was previously a written reprimand in Jennings’ file for a similar issue, though Thompson refrained from elaborating.
This incident caught the attention of many, with local news outlets highlighting the absurdity of the problem. As one commenter noted on a news post, this is what today’s youth are now being asked to ponder in their math classes.
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In summary, a math teacher’s ill-conceived word problem has sparked controversy and raised questions about appropriateness in educational settings. While he has faced a reprimand, discussions about boundaries and professionalism in classrooms continue.