She was the rookie teacher of the year. Her kids loved coming to her classroom.
Seventeen years later, she'll tell you those same kids probably still hate math.
"I was the tier one problem," Phonisha Hawkins told me. "I didn't know that I was the problem."
Here's what should stop you: the system worked exactly as designed. It certified her. It awarded her. It put her in charge of teaching mathematics to children. And none of it told her why keep-change-flip works.