Last night I listened to a third grade teacher from a local school district present the same math lesson she had given to her class earlier in the day. It's the basic stuff; addition, subtraction, multiplication,and division. Nevertheless I failed to understand it.
Like most teachers she seemed like a very genuine and caring person. She understood basic math but like me her students were struggling to understand. The kids were frustrated and anxious and so was she.
One of the best teachers I ever had was my fourth grade math teacher, Mrs. Collins. For several decades at Ellisville Elementary if you learned long division you learned it from Mrs. Collins. Like all great teachers Mrs. Collins was a study in contradictions. She was tough but caring, demanding but patient. She loved us but was determined we were going to learn math.
And we did. We learned to draw the long division symbol. We put the number to be divided inside and the number to divide by outside. We kept track of the ones and tens and hundreds. We learned about remainders.
Sadly even Mrs. Collins would have failed the lesson last night. The kids now have to use number lines and circles outside of other circles and things I still can't comprehend. I am not sure how I passed four semesters of calculus in college.
I realize kids learn things in different ways. I am all for being flexible in how to teach something. But that is the problem; there is no flexibility. I asked what would happen if she taught the kids the way Mrs. Collins taught me. She said without hesitation that she would be fired.
You can call this new math or Common Core or whatever you want. The key point to understand is that it is mandatory. The correct answer is not sufficient; you must show how you did it. And your method must be their method.
Schools are being rated by the testing they are required to perform. And the testing requires specific methods. Teachers are given specific lesson plans.
The kids are not only frustrated they are also perceptive. There is rampant sarcasm regarding the new curriculum. "It's Common Core math, the answer doesn't have to be right"! And then they giggle.
Regular readers know I often write about politics and economics and philosophy. I offer lots of opinions and I realize people have a right to disagree.
But this is not a partisan issue. It is not Democrat or Republican. It is not conservative versus liberal. This is math. These are our children. If they don't learn math at this point, they will struggle the rest of their lives.
I know the "new math" didn't work so well the first time. And I know for certain the old way does work.
Simply put, teachers are no longer allowed to teach as Mrs. Collins did. Gone is long division. Gone is rote memorization of times tables. Most importantly, gone is the flexibility to teach kids the way they learn best.
They have replaced the flexibility with a mandate. The new math is the only acceptable way. Maybe I am missing something and this is a great way to teach kids, but I doubt it. Do we really want to experiment with an entire nation of kids by mandating a new way of teaching math?
Many of you do not believe me. I would like to encourage you to visit your local school. Talk to an elementary math teacher. Talk to some kids. Ask parents if they have seen their kids homework. Go to a school board meeting. Do not take my word for it, find out for yourself.
There is nothing wrong with the new methods if they help kids learn. But there is something wrong with a lack of flexibility. And the world has gone completely nuts if today's teachers cannot emulate Mrs. Collins.
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