Teaching Math History: No Longer an Option But a Moral Imperative
10 years ago this summer, my journey as math educator took an unintended, sharp turn towards math history/storytelling/equity. I gave a presentation at York University’s Summer Institute in August 2010 on Equity and Mathematics. In the audience were about 40 people.
There were also a dozen black students, who came with their camp counsellor. I had no idea that there would be students. My presentation was designed more for educators. Before the presentation started, they had their arms rightfully crossed — suggesting that they would rather be anywhere else but hearing stuff about “math”. I was operating from a position of doubt and skepticism with those teenagers.
Subconsciously at least, they became my target audience.
My presentation included lots of YouTube videos, including the entire talk by ethnomatician, Dr. Ron Eglash.
A week or so before my presentation, I emailed the Director of Education, Martyn Beckett, of the Board I taught with. YouTube was banned, and I wanted to change that, as it deprived students and teachers of valuable knowledge with regards to mathematics education. He responded back in 2 days.
Not only was the ban lifted for the upcoming school year, he visited my classroom. Twice. To this day, he has been the most proactive and approachable high-level administrator I have ever come across.
After my presentation was over, it was a lunch break. I went to the cafeteria, got a sandwich, and sat down at a long, empty table. After about 10 minutes or so, I was joined by some other people who were at the presentation. Would you like to guess who?
Many of the students that sat at the back of my presentation, who probably never identified themselves with mathematics at a core cultural level, that’s who.
After seeing the video from Ron Eglash and other images, these kids were begging for more. Their faces beamed with curiosity and pride. They saw their reflections with positive images of intellectual depth and creativity. In addition to keeping all our students safe, we also need to embolden and inspire those that have been traditionally uninspired and left without hope in mathematics. There are so many moving plates here, and math education is just but one plate. Yet, it has the potential to be liberating for students and educators towards a lasting humanization of math education.
Also known as justice.
The black students had found some critical footing to feel valued in the world of mathematics — which at that time was seen predominately through a prism of whiteness.
Rarely do I write more than one Medium piece per week. However, the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police officer prompted me to go to DEFCON 1 for a variety of topics — including math education. I needed to write one more time this week.
If you are either racist or anti-racist, then those same binary options must be folded into math education. Math education must become a pillar for making anti-racism a structural and moral foundation for our future. There are so many systemic things that need changing with regards to the safety and well-being of people who have been traditionally valued less by a significant segment of our population. However, math education and the skewed presentation of mathematics has had a history of racism — what we teach, who learns what, and what is valued.
Racism’s fuel is superiority, and to devalue the human life of those that are deemed to be inferior. Math education, admittedly, is a tiny piece of fighting that poisoned ideology. But, recalling my interaction with black students a decade ago, and seeing them feel so empowered and invigorated by their critical history of mathematics, I realize that we all should do what we can do.
While we can.
Three years ago, Junaid Mubeen through down a heavy tax on teaching mathematics without history — our souls.
In 2020, with racism still not being confronted with the directness, candor, and scaling required by the white population to alter the violent and marginalizing narratives written daily, the tax just got raised.
Teaching math history is no longer an option. While illumination of it is critical for weaving and braiding the thematic development of mathematics as a global endeavor, it is even more critical for creating a curriculum that is equitable, culturally responsive, and…just.
If racism is founded on lies. Then anti-racism is founded on truth.
It’s about time we start telling the fuckin’ truth about mathematics. If you have a problem that I just swore(out of frustration) or that I drew a straight line between two points(calling it a murder of George Floyd), then you have seriously confused me with someone who gives a fuck.
Decolonization of mathematics is now teeming with flashing red lights and blaring sirens. What are we going to do…?
