Comments on: Separating parents from the story http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/ Thinking and Linking by Joanne Jacobs Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:51:22 +0000 hourly 1 By: Ragnarok http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32961 Ragnarok Tue, 24 Apr 2007 02:22:02 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32961 "For example, the math teacher could point out to students that Pythagoras was a Greek." And not that lowest of all human life forms, a geek who enjoyed math... “For example, the math teacher could point out to students that Pythagoras was a Greek.”

And not that lowest of all human life forms, a geek who enjoyed math…

]]> By: David Foster http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32960 David Foster Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:50:51 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32960 Hi, Catherine! Where've you been? I'm guessing that for a typical middle school principal, it may be new information that Pythagoras was a Greek. Hi, Catherine! Where’ve you been?

I’m guessing that for a typical middle school principal, it may be new information that Pythagoras was a Greek.

]]> By: Catherine Johnson http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32959 Catherine Johnson Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:09:53 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32959 That was the actual example given by the middle school principal at the school board meeting, fyi. That was the actual example given by the middle school principal at the school board meeting, fyi.

]]> By: Catherine Johnson http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32958 Catherine Johnson Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:09:03 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32958 <I>America’s educational system is being run by people who want to turn every subject into either “arts & crafts” or “social studies.”</I> YES! BRILLIANTLY SUCCINCT! Our middle school is now trying to "implement" the "middle school model." We've successfully staved it off for one year - a reprieve! - but after that it's curtains. The middle school model, we're told, being interdisciplinary, will allow math teachers to bring social studies into the classroom. For example, the math teacher could point out to students that Pythagoras was a Greek. (Hi, David!) America’s educational system is being run by people who want to turn every subject into either “arts & crafts” or “social studies.”

YES!

BRILLIANTLY SUCCINCT!

Our middle school is now trying to “implement” the “middle school model.” We’ve successfully staved it off for one year – a reprieve! – but after that it’s curtains.

The middle school model, we’re told, being interdisciplinary, will allow math teachers to bring social studies into the classroom.

For example, the math teacher could point out to students that Pythagoras was a Greek.

(Hi, David!)

]]> By: noname http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32957 noname Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:38:44 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32957 Given the popularity of Kumon and less formal drill courses around here, there's no doubt that many parents don't rely on public school teaching of math, especially in the lower grades. The Chinese-American parents I know in the burbs happily and voluntarily choose to subvert the grade school teachers. When we asked about the local policy of "no homework and tests" for first graders in her area, one mother laughed and said, "Not in this house!" The Mom -- a CPA, I think -- tests her kids regularly on multiplication and division at the end of first and second grade. Given the popularity of Kumon and less formal drill courses around here, there’s no doubt that many parents don’t rely on public school teaching of math, especially in the lower grades. The Chinese-American parents I know in the burbs happily and voluntarily choose to subvert the grade school teachers. When we asked about the local policy of “no homework and tests” for first graders in her area, one mother laughed and said, “Not in this house!” The Mom — a CPA, I think — tests her kids regularly on multiplication and division at the end of first and second grade.

]]> By: david foster http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32956 david foster Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:19:54 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32956 A guy who is a successful entrepreneur was telling me how he almost flunked out of 4th grade. The hot educational theory at the time was to use *colors* to represent numbers, so he had to learn "color multiplication"--as in "blue times green equals yellow." He tried to deal with this by converting the colors back to numbers, multiplying the numbers, and converting back to colors, but was told this wasn't allowed. America's educational system is being run by people who want to turn every subject into either "arts & crafts" or "social studies." A guy who is a successful entrepreneur was telling me how he almost flunked out of 4th grade. The hot educational theory at the time was to use *colors* to represent numbers, so he had to learn “color multiplication”–as in “blue times green equals yellow.” He tried to deal with this by converting the colors back to numbers, multiplying the numbers, and converting back to colors, but was told this wasn’t allowed.

America’s educational system is being run by people who want to turn every subject into either “arts & crafts” or “social studies.”

]]> By: Twill00 http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32955 Twill00 Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:30:45 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32955 For a charitable interpretation, the operative word is "conflict". If you teach another method well, it does not "conflict". It either "supplements" or "supplants". However, if I ever saw a homework paper where (as in a recent video I saw) the paper asks for 36 / 6 to be solved two different ways, I will personally lead the villagers with the pitchforks and torches. Rote memorization is the proper way to deal with all trivial addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. Yoda: There is no "solve 36/6". There is only "6". For a charitable interpretation, the operative word is “conflict”. If you teach another method well, it does not “conflict”. It either “supplements” or “supplants”.

However, if I ever saw a homework paper where (as in a recent video I saw) the paper asks for 36 / 6 to be solved two different ways, I will personally lead the villagers with the pitchforks and torches.

Rote memorization is the proper way to deal with all trivial addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems.

Yoda: There is no “solve 36/6″. There is only “6″.

]]> By: Ragnarok http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32954 Ragnarok Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:23:36 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32954 "You have to be a friggin’ moron to fail the CBEST." Yep, that's true, but they fail in droves nonetheless. “You have to be a friggin’ moron to fail the CBEST.”

Yep, that’s true, but they fail in droves nonetheless.

]]> By: Winston Smith http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32953 Winston Smith Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:32:42 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32953 This probably has something to do with the inability of the teachers to understand math. I know several elementary teachers who failed the math portion of the CBEST multiple times. You have to be a friggin' moron to fail the CBEST. This probably has something to do with the inability of the teachers to understand math. I know several elementary teachers who failed the math portion of the CBEST multiple times.

You have to be a friggin’ moron to fail the CBEST.

]]> By: Mike G http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32952 Mike G Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:26:17 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/22/separating-parents-from-the-story/#comment-32952 I take a backseat to nobody in my concern over the fuzzy math. However It's possible to reach a paranoid level where you see "fuzzy math" everywhere. The DOE advice, on its face, is not bad. Obviously if the teacher teaches a method like "adding on your fingers," or sticks or beans or manipulatives, a parent would be right to teach an alternative strategy...the "normal" way. BUT a good "no-nonsense old-fashioned" math teacher might teach one form of how to find the slope of a line. A parent could teach another form. That's fine if the kid understands the multiple ways to approach the problem. If not -- and this happens frequently -- the kid ends up combining half of the "teacher method" with half of the "parent or tutor method" and gets confused. I take a backseat to nobody in my concern over the fuzzy math.

However

It’s possible to reach a paranoid level where you see “fuzzy math” everywhere. The DOE advice, on its face, is not bad.

Obviously if the teacher teaches a method like “adding on your fingers,” or sticks or beans or manipulatives, a parent would be right to teach an alternative strategy…the “normal” way.

BUT a good “no-nonsense old-fashioned” math teacher might teach one form of how to find the slope of a line. A parent could teach another form. That’s fine if the kid understands the multiple ways to approach the problem. If not — and this happens frequently — the kid ends up combining half of the “teacher method” with half of the “parent or tutor method” and gets confused.

]]>