Alternative Math (2017 Short Film)
Summary
TLDRThe video script satirizes a math teacher's struggle with a student and parents who refuse to accept the standard answer to 2+2. The teacher faces backlash from the parents, a school board, and the media, leading to her suspension for insisting on the correct answer. The absurdity of the situation highlights the conflict between academic integrity and ideological bias.
Takeaways
- 😅 A teacher humorously tries to teach a student that 2+2 equals 4, but the student incorrectly writes 22.
- 😡 The student's parents confront the teacher, accusing her of being biased and wrong in her teaching.
- 🤔 The teacher stands by her mathematical knowledge, asserting that 2+2 indeed equals 4, not 22.
- 🏫 The school administration gets involved, with the principal and board members discussing the issue.
- 📉 The teacher faces backlash from the parents, who threaten to sue the school for emotional distress.
- 📢 The situation escalates into a media frenzy, with news outlets reporting on the 'math controversy'.
- 🚫 The teacher is suspended for her 'extremist views' on math, highlighting a clash between academic integrity and perceived open-mindedness.
- 💸 The teacher is fired and receives her final pay, but there's a dispute over the amount, with the teacher claiming it should be 22,000 instead of 4,000.
- 🙏 The teacher is shown receiving support from some, suggesting that not everyone agrees with the school's decision.
- 🤔 The script satirically explores themes of authority, knowledge, and the absurdity of challenging fundamental truths.
Q & A
What was the initial mistake made by Danny in the script?
-Danny initially wrote '22' as the answer to the addition problem '2 + 2'.
How did Mrs. Wells, the teacher, explain the correct answer to Danny?
-Mrs. Wells used a physical demonstration with markers to show that when you have two markers in one hand and add two more from the other hand, you get four markers, not '22'.
What was the reaction of Danny's parents when they found out about the test result?
-Danny's parents were upset and accused Mrs. Wells of being biased and calling their son stupid.
What was the principal's initial response to the situation?
-The principal was not initially aware of the situation and asked Mrs. Wells to explain how she wanted to handle it.
Why did the parents threaten to complain to the principal?
-The parents threatened to complain because they believed Mrs. Wells was wrong to correct Danny's answer and that she was imposing her views on their child.
What was the principal's decision regarding Mrs. Wells after the meeting with the parents?
-The principal decided to suspend Mrs. Wells while they reconsidered her extremist views, as she refused to accept that there might be multiple correct answers to '2 + 2'.
What was the outcome of the lawsuit mentioned in the script?
-The parents sued the school for emotional distress to a minor, and the school board decided to fire Mrs. Wells.
How did the media portray the situation in the script?
-The media portrayed Mrs. Wells as an activist teacher who was abusing her students' First Amendment rights by telling them their answers were wrong.
What was the final payment made to Mrs. Wells by the school?
-The school paid Mrs. Wells $4,000 for her last pay period, but she insisted it should be '22,000'.
What was the underlying message of the script regarding the teaching of math and academic integrity?
-The script satirically highlights the importance of academic integrity and the teaching of objective truths in math, despite societal pressures to be more 'open-minded' or accommodating to alternative viewpoints.
Outlines
📚 Misunderstanding in Math Class
The script starts with a teacher attempting to teach a student, Danny, that the sum of two plus two is four, not 22 as he had written. The teacher uses a physical demonstration with markers to explain addition. The student's parents arrive and argue with the teacher about Danny's answer, insisting that their son is a 'free thinker' and that the teacher is wrong. The situation escalates, with the parents threatening to complain to the principal and accusing the teacher of bias. The teacher stands her ground, arguing that math has definitive answers.
📰 Public Backlash and Consequences
The narrative shifts to a broader conflict where the teacher, Mrs. Wells, faces public scrutiny and potential legal action from the parents for causing 'emotional distress' to their child. The principal suggests an apology, but the teacher refuses, maintaining that teaching correct answers is part of her job. The situation spirals into a media frenzy, with the teacher being labeled as 'abusive' and 'elitist' for insisting on the mathematical truth. The school board pressures her to recant her stance, but she remains firm. Ultimately, she is suspended and faces financial penalties, which she humorously corrects by insisting on receiving 22,000 dollars instead of the offered 4,000.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Addition
💡Mistakes
💡Education
💡Parents
💡Respect
💡Math
💡Bias
💡Academic Integrity
💡Suing
💡First Amendment
💡Activism
Highlights
A teacher tries to explain to a student that 2+2 equals 4, not 22.
The student's parents argue with the teacher about the correctness of their child's answer.
The teacher is accused of being biased and not respecting the child's free thinking.
Parents threaten to complain to the principal about the teacher's approach.
The principal discusses the issue with the teacher and suggests an apology.
The teacher defends the mathematical fact that 2+2 equals 4 and refuses to apologize.
The situation escalates to a lawsuit for emotional distress to a minor.
The teacher is called to a board meeting to explain her stance on the issue.
The board pressures the teacher to recant her statement that 2+2 equals 4.
The teacher is suspended for her refusal to compromise on academic integrity.
Media coverage sensationalizes the story, creating a debate on the 'correct' answer to 2+2.
The teacher is fired for her extremist views on mathematics.
The teacher receives her final paycheck, which is incorrectly calculated by the school.
The teacher corrects the school's mistake, stating that her pay should be 22,000 instead of 4,000.
The video ends with applause, suggesting support for the teacher's stance on academic integrity.
Transcripts
oh honey Danny come on in
looks like you're having some trouble
with addition until P upset you're here
to learn and we learn from mistakes
everybody makes mistakes
nah-ah look at this question here what
is two plus two see you wrote 22 but
when we do addition we don't just put
the numbers next to each other
that's stupid all right
I think about this way if I have two
markers in this hand and then I add the
two markers from this hand how many
markers do I have now 22 no Danny it's
four
[Music]
mrs. well we're Danny's parents oh yes
hello oh please please come in now don't
worry it is completely normal for kids
to get frustrated when they're
struggling with a subject so what's this
about Danny getting some answers wrong
on the so-called test of yours we had a
test one of the questions was what is
2+2
Danny answered 22 and and that's not the
right answer
he says who says Matt are you calling my
son stupid oh no course not
who are you to say that your answer is
right and that his is wrong no no no
she's right
thank you right out of Nazi Germany you
can't honestly tell me that you don't
know what two plus two equals yeah it
all figured out don't you a smartass
little trap we some kind of
alright I'm sorry I am NOT gonna be able
to continue this conversation we're
gonna complain to the principal about
you Danny is a free thinker I'll have
your job not if you can't add two
and two together you won't mrs. Wilson
oh sorry principal I didn't see you I
understand you had an issue yesterday
with the parents of one of our students
did get a little crazy when things get
out of hand I really need you to let me
know about it
sure so how do you want to handle it I
guess you could apologize his mom hit me
I understand you told Danny he had a
wrong answer on his test he did have a
wrong answer on his test yeah it's not
our job to tell students when they're
right and wrong this is exactly what our
job is parents don't want you ramming
your biased views down their kids
throats
that's not biased that's how math works
you know it doesn't work your attitude
look maybe I can explain this in math
terms so you can understand if you took
all the kids in this classroom and
divided them by zero that's exactly the
amount of respect you're giving them
something you'd like to say you can't
divide a number by zero and get zero so
now I'm stupid some crazy administrator
doing paperwork while your superstar
teachers change the world
[Music]
please have a seat mrs. wells thank you
you know I honestly think this will all
blow over if we just wait a week or so
I'm afraid we can't do that why not
they're suing for what the emotional
distress to a minor this as well as can
you please tell the members of this
board exactly when you became aware of
this fiasco and the events leading up to
the riot riot I just told a students
that two plus two equals four we need
for you to recant that what just say
that you're open to the possibility
there might be multiple correct answer
but that's not true we can't let them
bully us and this is so stupid stupid
that's your problem
anyone who disagrees with you is stupid
there is nothing to disagree with there
is only one correct answer for your sake
I certainly hope you have that correct
answer when the media gets wind of this
I do it's for I have my own answer this
school minus u equals tomorrow
you're firing me suspending while you
reconsider your extremist views you
brought this on yourself
[Music]
breaking news in what's being called
masking an activist elementary school
teacher was caught abusing her students
First Amendment rights okay so this
teacher this liberal elitist tell this
innocent little first-grade kid that his
answer is wrong only her answers except
yeah from what I hear she didn't even
keep these students for more than a year
after that they all leave her and go to
another teacher
it's called graduating so it's creating
some good healthy debate in this country
some experts say that two plus two
equals four others say that it's 22 no
they don't hate America that much why
don't you just go teach you commie
friends
hello for everyone's benefit how about
the kids
[Music]
[Music]
mrs. wells thank you so much for coming
you know I'm just so sorry it happened
this way if only you'd been willing to
be more open-minded about math what
about academic integrity you were warned
given an explanation
and yet you persisted but we will of
course fulfill our financial obligations
now that's $2,000 for your last pay
period in two thousand for this one so
that's $4,000 wrong its 22,000
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
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