A Divisive Lack Of Knowledge

(I am teaching a language development course. The students in this class are all in an elementary teacher credentialing program, for teaching kindergarten through sixth grade . I have just demonstrated a procedure for estimating a language development stage for young children. The procedure involves doing some very basic math to calculate the average length of utterance a child produces. We begin a practice exercise.)

Student #1: “But how do I find the average?”

Me: *repeating what I have just explained to the whole class* “You count up the total number of morphemes and divide them by the number of utterances. For example, we just counted 57 morphemes in 14 utterances, so we divided 57 by 14. This comes to just about 4.”

Student #1: “How do you know how to divide 57 by 14?”

(I am a bit stunned since the student is a college graduate, and calculating the average is something kids in 3rd or 4th grade learn to do.)

Student #2: “[Student #1], this is third grade math. How can you not understand it? You are going to teach it.”

Student #1: “I am not going to teach math. I am going to be a K-6 teacher.”

Student #3: “You do know that K-6 teachers teach all subjects, including math, don’t you?”

Student #1: “Oh, shut up.”

Student #4: *under her breath* “God help the kids in her class.”