New Math

[sumdumguy]

Has anyone tried to help kids with Math today?

It is a pitiful, confusing mess.

Kids are not taught basic Math, cannot add,
multiply and divide.

To watch these kids fumble around this confused
mess and not be able to help them is the most
frustrating feeling.

They call this discovery based math. I have an
Economics degree and don't have a clue. I
remember the satisfaction that we felt when we
Learned math in steps and the outcome was
defined. Teachers are at a loss, too.

This is very sad. I asked department of education
if there are any schools teaching standard math.
There aren't any.

[agstar77]

Our 19 year old never overcame the system of using your fingers to add and subtract. They don't seem to get that they need to learn basic math skills, like multiplying and dividing in their head. Mental acuity. Real genius.

[cottonpicken]

"god made the idiot for practise,then he made the
school board"

Mark Twain

[JDGreen]

Not so fast. My oldest is in grade 8 and does very good math. Help him with his homework and the basic math principles are still being taught.. What has alarmed me is that they can not read and write. No longer teaching a phonics based system but rather a visual system that doesn't work in my opinion.

[Cattleman]

sumdum, what province are you in?

[JohnGalt]

What really concerns me is that in Sask, you can no longer fail kids.

If you child writes an exam and doesn't like the score, they are allowed to re-write the exact same exame as many times as the like.

Each kid is also scored acording to their ability, so the one who struggles with math might get the same score on a test as the one who excels at math.

My son is in grade 2 and there is only him and another boy in his grade. My son can't figure out why he is doing grade three spelling words and the other is getting easy grade 1 spelling words. My boy feels like he is being punished for doing well and the other guy thinks he is getting away with slacking off.

We have been seriously considering homeschooling because of the school boards policies.

[Cattleman]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/02/27/sk-math-consultations-parents.html

[freewheat]

John, we have begun homeschooling for so
many reasons it is hard to even explain
it. But when schools in Saskatchewan get
a health "consultant" to come in and
peek through the kids lunches,
critiquing them regarding what is
healthy or not, that type of thing makes
the decision a whole lot easier. Also my
wife is a stay at home mommy to four, so
it is a no brainer.

That reason above, is one tiny fraction
of what goes on in school that made us
do the switch. We are loving it, and the
kids are too.

And don't get sucked in by the lies
that homeschooled children have no
social skills, no friends etc. It is not
a ticket to hermit-hood. Our kids do
dance, karate, music classes, they sing
at church with no problem, the look
their adult peers right in the eye and
speak to them well. Not socialized, my
arse...

[cottonpicken]

If you home school do you get to keep your education
portion of your property tax?I'll guess probably
not,but i think you can somehow direct your tax to
your system,i.e. catholic?

[BTO_farmall]

[video=youtube;]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[/video]

[freewheat]

Cotton, you still need to pay the ed
portion indeed. I have no idea about
redirecting it though. I'll have to look
into that.

[BTO_farmall]

Scares The Bejesus outta Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Burbert]

Never ever, ever, ever, stiffle
creativity. Who cares about math,
spelling, english? DO NOT STIFFLE the
creative mind of children in any way
shape or means. Reading, writing, and
math will follow. Creativity is the
most important of all. There are
computers and calculators that can be
used fer grunt work. BUTT DO NOT
STIFFLE CREATIVITY. It is the edge that
we have right now. Times tables,
multipication tables and english are a
waste of time. Get over it you OLD
FOGGIES, times have changed. Greed is
good too!!! This stuff will make the
world turn in future..........

[sumdumguy]

Cattleman, i am in sk.

I just can't believe that any curriculum developers
could come up with this program. It is so hard on
the kids. They are so lost and the teachers, too.

What could possibly be wrong with a system that
works great? I went back to university after 20
some years, took calculus, econometrics, stats,
16 econ classes and my math came back to me
presto, because nuns taught me basic skills that i
never forgot. Now i see kids deprived of that
confidence and I don't think they feel good about
their abilities. It helps to be sure of what you
know.

[sumdumguy]

Is that what happened to you Burbert, the
ultimate in creativity?