Exit Slip #4 - Sustainability and other group discussions

 Today in class I had the pleasure of talking to a few classmates about a number of topics. One that stood out to me was the contrasting thoughts towards what kinds of questions should or should not be included in the classroom, and what are the boundaries to the types of questions we can ask. One member mentioned that they believed mathematics should be used in a more pure sense, and political questions should be shied away from. The argument was that there are often many negative things going on in the world, and to bring those negativities into the classroom can be actively harmful and often times too much for the students to handle -- in this sense, math can be a form of escapism, and used as a way to help students forget about the negativity of the world for a little. And while I saw the argument and understood where this was coming from, I didn't completely agree. I believe as teachers we have somewhat of a duty to address controversial (and often times hard) topics within the classroom, to make sense of the world. Within the case of global warming and climate change, I believe we have a duty to address these topics in whatever form we can, to help students connect and understand how they can make a difference...to me, ignoring the topic and keeping it out of the classroom is almost worse than denying the existence. The teacher I would like to be is one that encourages critical thinking that goes beyond the scope of the classroom, and students can see the application and real-world importance of lessons.