A high school math teacher, writing under the pen name “Yellow Heights,” says he was labeled “ideologically violent” while defending standardized testing during his education training. The incident took place at a top U.S. teacher‑preparation institution around 2020, against the backdrop of rising criticism of conventional assessment methods.
Yellow Heights describes himself as a first‑generation immigrant from China, former climate researcher, software engineer, investment manager, and now high school math teacher. He says he was motivated to teach math because he “takes great joy in seeing other people learning math” and wanted to show both the beauty and practicality of the subject.
In his book, Unbalanced: Memoir of an Immigrant Math Teacher, he recounts being labelled a “white supremacist” in one class after he and a classmate asked basic academic questions. He also reports another class incident: following the death of George Floyd, students were given a short mourning period and then asked to return to class—but the teacher facilitating that was later made to cry after being accused of lacking empathy.
When Yellow Heights argued in favor of standardized testing, saying it’s “not perfect” but offers an objective assessment of learning outcomes, he was labeled “ideologically violent.” He says the label came not because of violent language or threats, but simply for advocating for a system of measurement many educators criticize.
The teacher’s story raises broader concerns about ideological pressure within higher‑education programs and K‑12 training pipelines. If a future teacher can be branded “ideologically violent” for supporting assessment tools, it suggests educators with unconventional views may face professional risks. For families, students, and taxpayers seeking accountability and reliable assessment in schools, this story highlights questions about the resilience of objective standards.
