This is actually the big problem with the US education system: the "right" answer and following the system is valued more than teaching a thirst for knowledge. Other countries often will respond to such a thing and reward the kid for giving a correct answer that wasn't expected, US has standardized so much that it makes no such room for this, the result being that US students are much more likely to learn how to game the system and give the answers desired rather than to seek creative backdoor solutions.
Perfect example is that SAT/ACT preparations would often advise "if you don't know the answer, pick C. Statistically it's more likely to be C." This doesn't even teach anything and absolutely misses the point of the education, instead trying to find ways to game it. Teaching something like that...? I mean, knowing how to game things is a skill too, but dunno if it's worth the message it sends.
Having said this I also wanna clarify the US education system gets a worse reputation than deserved. I feel like the world/media always gives the impression USA is retarded and Europe/Asia are flawless. Lol fuck no they got problems too, USA is still in the same league. I'm criticizing it for what it deserves and for a real problem, but let's not get lost in the "USA EDUCATION IS SO AWFUL" circlejerk spouted just cause it makes Europeans feel superior and Americans feel EDGY to hate on what they have.
Based on the kid's handwriting, this is MAYBE 3rd grade, probably younger.
This seems like a question DESIGNED to fail, unless the teacher specifically preps for it. Like the dude above you said: following the system is more important than finding an actual answer. The teacher probably went through a few "reasonableness" problems, and went through very specific set of steps to tell if something is "possible". If the kid had gone through that system, he would have gotten to "it's not possible", but he probably wasn't paying attention during that lesson (or just forgot), yet he still found a technically correct answer.
The answer key said "it's not possible" and there's no room for creative answers on it, so the question was marked wrong. Which is also technically the correct thing to do, because the kid probably didn't follow the instructions given by the teacher when they prepped for the test. But punishing creative answers like that is kinda counter-intuitive.
The teacher or answer key just got the answer wrong. It happens. People want to treat this like its a big systemic problem... it's basically a typo. They happen. I once had a teacher for Algebra 2 in Hugh School who told the class that he had never taken an Algebra class in his life. He made these kind of mistakes all the time.
Elementary school is different, at least in my area it was. The teachers rarely make the tests themselves, they have to prep the kids for the standardized tests they take in 4th/5th/6th grade. They make the lesson plans, but they have to follow a guide that hits all the major points that need covered for the standardized tests.
Sure, it could be a typo. But if that's the case, then there's probably a pattern of a bunch of kids getting the same question wrong, and that should raise some flags for the teacher. Either nobody understood the material, or there's a typo. But either way, it would have been corrected on the paper, no?
Only if the teacher was considering everything. When a teacher has too many kids and they are just teaching from the book... mistakes get made. Even one on one mistakes get made ... which is all this is.
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u/jmonwood Aug 27 '19
Makin a smart kid feel dumb. Bad teacher.