I teach high school English and social studies. You would not believe how many of my students can’t even read. We have a whole-word reading program in our elementary system and the kids do fairly well until middle school. That’s when we stop requiring them to memorize whole words. Since they have few phonics skills, they remain at a fifth grade reading level. The elementary teachers outnumber the high school teachers, so we will never get rid of the program. Among other things, the entire program is scripted for the teachers. Teachers don’t have to plan anything.
Scripted... That’s what Saxon Math is all about! Which is why some school systems choose it - no planning for teachers AND no thinking required. BS. I believe in teaching students to think about the math and how we can apply it to solve problems. I tell them, “whatever we learned yesterday, we have to know today because we will use it tomorrow!”
If you would like to, private message me so we can commiserate.