Was Pythagoras Chinese?

 I think that it can make a huge difference to all of our students' learning if we acknowledge non-European sources of mathematics. On a surface level, we might expect students from non-European backgrounds to find this history motivating and empowering: this is likely true, although it isn't something I have a great deal of knowledge of. More to my interest, and to a broader use, is the fact that this history will help all students in the learning of mathematics. A great number of students struggle with math because they think that it is a fixed body of knowledge, to be memorized and repeated. When we tell the stories behind the math, it tells students that there is more to it, that math is creative. It also gives examples of how different cultures approached problems differently (geometrically vs. algebraically, for instance) based on what they understand and what results they needed. Also, on a short but hugely important note: it is more accurate. I think it is truly unjust that all mathematical credit is given to a few Greeks and Englishmen when this is so very far from the truth.

As for the idea of named theorems, I have nothing against them in principle. In fact, I think that the name of a theorem is an excellent opportunity to bring the history into the classroom. The reading suggested that every high school student would know who Euclid and Pythagoras were, but I would contest this. I imagine that they have heard the names, but couldn't say much more than "the guy from the theorem." If we are going to embed history in our teaching, we should do so intentionally rather than by happenstance.