On Tuesday, March 3, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article about controversial test questions given to students by Lowell math teacher Tom Chan, who has taught at Lowell for more than 20 years, citing an anonymous parent as a source. The Chronicle detailed word problems revolving around a ‘fat kid’ and the weight of girls, as well as ‘bonus questions’ that asked students to share their height and weight and one that read “Pick one: Pretty or Smart. And why?” On March 3, according to the Chronicle article, Chan had gone on leave. According to one Lowell student, Chan’s AP Calculus BC classes were told that there was a ‘staffing situation’ being investigated at a district level.

Several Lowell students who agreed to be interviewed said that while Chan was an engaging teacher, he sometimes crossed boundaries and violated student expectations of classroom conduct. Kara, a Lowell senior under a pseudonym in his AP Calculus BC class, described an incident in which Chan was drawing a graph and commented that it resembled breasts before altering the drawing to include nipples. Another time, she said Chan had referred to a concept as “math-turbation” during a video lesson. Despite these incidents, Kara emphasized that Mr. Chan was an engaged teacher who did his best to connect with students. While she acknowledged that some of his behavior may have been inappropriate, Kara stated, “I don’t think it extended past saying weird things or writing weird questions. He never went past that barrier.” 

Carmen, another senior under a pseudonym in Chan’s calculus class, acknowledges his insensitive comments, but believes that his teaching and role as an educator was overall positive. “I definitely oppose the comments he made, as someone who has struggled with body image stuff, and as an outspoken feminist,” she said. However, she believes that Chan’s intention with his problems was to engage students with quirky questions, not make them uncomfortable. “I don’t think he realized that people might have been hurt by his jokes. I think he had fundamentally good intentions, and that he was just trying to find a way to connect with what he saw as immature teenagers who were struggling to pay attention in class,” she said. 

However, other students felt that Chan’s comments and actions were harmful and created an uncomfortable environment. Tabitha, a senior under a pseudonym and a former Algebra 2 student of Chan’s, found Chan’s behavior concerning. While she also experienced strange comments in class and questionable math problems, she also highlighted what she saw as inappropriate behavior online. “He followed many of his girl students on Instagram, including me, who were underage… he likes their posts, he’s commenting on their posts,” she said. On one occasion she ran into him outside of school, and he later messaged her on instagram. “I also spotted him in public once and he DM’ed me afterwards and he was like, ‘I saw you’,” she said. Once, during class, he asked her if she had a ‘sugar daddy’ when she mentioned that she was waiting for her dad to pick her up.

Additionally, Tabitha believes that he favored his female students and treated them differently than their male counterparts. “I feel like he did take a favoritism towards the girl students. Sometimes he would give them food and snacks and little rewards and such, which kind of seems unprofessional to me,” she said. Other students said that Chan had given out food in class, but Kara said, “Whenever he had food it was an invitation for the whole class to eat.” She did not interpret it as preferential treatment.

Tabitha wasn’t the only student who was uncomfortable with Chan’s actions. Emma, a senior under a pseudonym who took his Algebra 2 class junior year, said that she liked him as a teacher but was uncomfortable with certain behaviors he would show. He would come to help her with math, she said, and touch her shoulder while doing so. One time, she said, he came up to her and a friend in class and said “Girls are either pretty or they can do math.” After Emma had left his class, over the summer, Chan’s Instagram account began following her. He would like Instagram stories that she posted in “Festival outfits,” she said. Once, he DMed her to ask about access to Baker Beach, where she had previously posted pictures in a bikini. She did not respond, and Chan did not pursue further contact on Instagram after that one instance.

San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) School Employee Code of Conduct with Students lists “maintaining personal contact with a student outside of school by electronic communications, including social media,” as a violation of Professional Adult/Student Boundaries.

Chan’s absence has left his classes without a teacher. With the AP Calculus BC test rapidly approaching in early May, students are worried that they will not be prepared. A student teacher and another Calculus BC teacher, Mr. Hoffman, are taking over Chan’s classes, but students still feel unsupported. Mary, a student under a pseudonym, wants to do well on the AP exam to get college credit and take fewer math classes in college. But, since Chan’s indefinite leave began, she feels less confident in her ability to succeed. Now, she says, she feels unmotivated to learn and has less support in his class. Kara and Carmen echoed these concerns, and Kara added that the disruption was especially impactful after students already missed a week of the course due to a United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) strike that closed schools in February.

It is unclear whether Chan will return to teaching, and when that return would be. A petition started by Lowell students to support Chan on change.org states that “Responsible journalism demands that all sides be represented, and we are concerned that the current coverage falls short of that standard,” and requests that “media outlets covering this story publish a follow-up article that incorporates the perspectives of the students who were actually present.” Over 350 students have signed. The Chronicle has since published an article acknowledging student comments. In a statement to The Lowell, the Lowell administration said that “we are aware of the allegations regarding inappropriate questions on a teacher’s exam and other related concerns. We take these concerns seriously and are actively investigating… We are following district procedures to address these concerns, which include the process outlined in our collective bargaining agreements. Students and families with concerns regarding these proceedings are welcome to reach out to Lowell administration or staff for support.“ Chan was not available for comment.