Math Homework

Is anyone else trying to help their children with math homework and finding that the curriculum is absolute garbage? I spent an hour trying to learn what the hell was going on in my son's 3RD GRADE math homework.

I use fairly advanced math in my job and earned college degrees in Finance and Economics, so it isn't that I'm a complete dumbass (although I'm probably fairly average in intelligence). But if I'd have been taught how they are teaching these kids now, I would have thrown my hands up and given in.

Sorry... I'm just frustrated and didn't know where else to vent.

 

YES!!!!!!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY ARE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN THESE DAYS!!!

Try having a dyslexic child trying too learn math the way they teach it these days. My daughter loses her mind. She learns better with the way we learned....not how they are teaching it. She's been having issues since 2nd grade and she is in 5th now.

I would love to throat punch the fuck out of whoever thought this was a good way too teach math.

 

It just seems like they are making the simple complex... The terminology is completely different and the kids have to use asinine methods to show their work even if they know the answer the "old" way.

 

Preach it, sister! I'm glad I'm not alone!

 

Definitely not alone! We as adults shouldn't feel stupid trying to help our elementary school students do math

 

We have had to contact the teacher to understand how the hell they are supposed to come up with the answer.

 

Only got as high to Algebra II, barley remember it

 

Are they using Common Core Math like in New York?
It is the worst!

 

Yes! And it fucking sucks!

 

It is!


How are you feeling?

 

I tried helping a friends daughter with math...

I failed miserably.

 

I must have learned the old way because I wanted this guy to give me the answer asap.

 

What I wanted to do to him

 

Have to have exploratory surgery

 

The overall educational standards for grade school here in America is lagging behind the rest of the developed countries. I have lived overseas in Europe and Asia during my military career. I were completely amazed by the very high levels of learning that the kids were subjected to from a very early age.

My wife is a elementary school teacher and she would always get work on base or the international schools. She always commend the education systems of these countries. My two boys took advantage of those foreign education as well. They both were able to complete high school by age 17 and obtain their college degrees here in the U.S., in three years.

My last son is in high school down here I. Florida and he is nowhere near his two brothers’ level of education at the same age. My wife and I have to invest in after school tutoring for him to be able to stay above average.

Just look at the annual Script Spelling Bee Championships. The majority of the kids who reach the final rounds are foreigners. And most of them are much younger than our American born and raised kids. We need to demand better and higher level educational standards for our kids here in America. Give them a fighting chance against their peers overseas.

 

My kid would be an utter failure. She does good to keep her head above water as is and that is with tutoring 4 days a week and help at home (at least from me....I can't speak for her father).

So not that I totally disagree, but not all kids can perform at that level, let alone what we currently have here. Or educating system as a whole SUCKS. They were MUCH better when my grandmother and mom taught. Though part of that stems from what they are taught at home...which most aren't taught crap any more. I'm sure if we learned at that level, w would also find learning disabilities a lot quicker and would be able to help out much better.

The school district doesn't want my daughter in it because of failing the state test 2yrs in a row, but they have no choice....we live here. Texas has this stupid testing crap that is they don't pass they don't move up to the next grade level (believe this goes into effect at 6th grade....but they get the test starting at 3rd grade) and won't graduate if they can't pad the tests by the time they are to graduate. The test is stupid. Even the teachers agree and hate it and want it gone.

 

I completely agree with you all. This common core crap is the worst. I couldn't figure my son's first grade math problem today because the problem was worded so retarded.

This is coming from someone who works as an analyst and graduated fourth in my class doing multi-variable calculus in Senior Year. Now I can't do that to save my life now but GEEZUS!!!! I HAVE SOME BRAIN CELLS LEFT AND THIS COMMON CORE NEEDS A SWIFT KICK IN THE COMMON COCK!!!! Sorry just venting like you all . Peace .

 

I completely agree. My wife is from the Czech Republic and everytime we go to visit her home, I'm just blown away by the level of education all the kids have. In addition, they all speak English more grammatically correct than most people I converse with.

 

When my youngest boy was in the 8th grade, I went to one of his parent teacher conferences. Lets just say a heated debated happened between me and the math teacher. I was told my way (our way) of learning was archaic. Enter the mental throat punch. When I asked if they are teaching to standard or teaching for testing he looked at me like I was speaking another language. So I repeated myself, and this mealey mouth, meat missile told me to my face they teach to testing. That is where I lost my mind and began to stutter while trying to not curse. Shortly after that I was asked by the principle not to go to the math teacher anymore for parent teacher conferences.

 

1950’s high school testing and aptitude tests. Compare them to todays tests.

When you make it harder to solve a problem, you are just creating another problem. More problems mean more upper level admin/teachers and union grants. The teacher unions are not about teaching but about making more money/protection.

Why make it harder to solve problems? Start with that question and you will see the answer.

 

so, for this example, it does make sense. I can understand how visualizing the problem helps in learning. However, once you learn what is going on, then you can easily just use the quick method to find the solution. I am not saying that common code math is all good (I have seen some F'd up ways of "solving" problems), but teaching how multiplication works with this example does make sense.

 

Not to my child it doesn't.

 

I didn't want to mention anything tin foily. But.....

 

My son's 3rd grade teacher admitted during parent teacher conferences earlier this month to teaching to the test rather than to standards because the schools are assigned their own grades off of the test results. And this is at a private school so I don't have anywhere else to turn except for homeschooling.

She also admitted that the way they are teaching math now often frustrates the more advanced kids, and that current teaching methods are designed more to bring the bottom of the class up to somewhere closer to the middle. Listen, I'm all for making math accessible to as many kids as possible, but not to the detriment of the kids that already get it. It seems like the current methods are designed to discourage or even eliminate exceptionalism. The schools don't want to hurt the kids' feelings who don't understand the traditional math concepts so let's convolute the subject for everyone so everybody struggles and is frustrated. WTF????

I asked my son's teacher point blank whether or not he would get credit for correct answers if he didn't use the solving methods being taught in class, and she flat out said no. I was floored. I told her that I was comfortable telling my son to get the right answer even if it isn't deemed by her as the "correct" way of getting to it. She wasn't happy, but I don't care.

I don't know how else to fight it. I've told my son to ignore his letter grades; that if he can get to the right answers while understanding the underlying concepts then I won't say a word to him about B's or C's.

 

You got further than I did. I passed algebra 1, only because they handed me a multi choice test the day before graduation. Basically told me “pass this test and you’ll graduate”. Probably only happened because they were terrified of me being there another year.
I couldn’t figure out math the old way, much less the new way. I did very well with other subjects, but math was like Greek to me. I just couldn’t grasp it. I can do what I need to get by in life, but pretty much couldn’t ever figure it out past basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication. I’d say my math education halted around third or fourth grade.

My wife, on the other hand, is a math genius. She did the UIL math contests, all that stuff. Graduated as valedictorian, while I barely did at all. She graduated college with an accounting degree, but had already completed her college math credits in high school. Didn’t even have to take math in college. My daughters are the same way.

Me, on the other hand, barely graduated high school and had to do three “credit by examination” tests at the last minute. No college. Got by on charm for the most part.

 

This is infuriating. If they still show their work of how they got the answer....WHO CARES HOW THEY GOT IT!!!! There is more than one way to do math....and not every way is easy for everyone to learn. Some get the way we learned (my kid) others learn with this "new" way....and some learn a total different way