A math teacher from California has found herself at the center of controversy after wrongly thinking it would be a brilliant idea to wear a Native American headdress and chant in front of her trigonometry class.
Candice Reed, an employee of the Riverside Unified School, is seen in the video dancing while chanting, chanting “soh-cah-toa,” and making tomahawk actions.
The chant is a mnemotechnic method often used to learn the trigonometric functions sine, cosine, and tangent.
The video went viral and people were not happy.
The school district quickly released a statement informing parents that Reed had been placed on leave amid the backlash.
The video was shot by Native American Instagram user Shadae Johnson.
“This was taken at John W. North high school in Riverside, CA. At first the student noticed the teacher was pulling out a fake feather headdress and when she put it on he thought, ‘what is she going to do?'” Johnson wrote in the caption of the Instagram video.
The school district has condemned the video.
“These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices,” the Riverside Unified School District administration said in a statement.
“Her actions do not represent the values of our district. The teacher has been placed on leave while the District conducts an investigation. We are deeply committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that honor the rich diversity of our district and the greater region,” the district stated. “We will be working with our students, families, staff and community to regain your trust.”
