Posted on 01/13/2008 6:57:00 PM PST by K-oneTexas
As ED Watch explains, "Fuzzy" math's names are Everyday Math, Connected Math, Integrated Math, Math Expressions, Constructive Math, NCTM Math, Standards-based Math, Chicago Math, and Investigations, to name a few. Fuzzy Math means students won't master math: addition, subtraction, multiplications and division.
In our family we call it "Rainforest Math", because if you peruse a modern math textbook you see more pictures of the "rainforest" than equations.
Having to carry around these 800-page textbooks (i.e., rainforest photograph albums) is also doing serious physical damage to students.
“Have a classroom full of 20 nine year olds who come from poor families, parents who dont have time to work with them (or just don’t work with them at home), and can barely read. And you take them from that and getting them to pass state standards and bring them up to a 4th grade level at the end of the year. Then after you do that, tell me if it was easy or if you had to put a whole hell of a lot of work into it!”
Why did the students come to your third grade barely able to read? They’ve already had two years of school, and maybe Head Start or kindergarten before that.
I’m not criticizing the teaching profession. Many teachers in my family, but I do believe many unsound approaches are being used in some states or school systems, and a fair amount of time wasted teaching feel good PC nonsense that does little to actually educate children and teach them to think and solve problems.
There is no collective bargaining in Georgia, and no teacher looks to the NEA or even thinks about the NEA on a daily basis. I personally have no use for them because they are too left-wing for me. I only belong to PAGE because it gives me insurance against wrongful termination (Yes, it does happen) and access to legal advice in the event that I am falsely accused of unethical or inappropriate behavior (This also happens more than you know).
We live in a small farm community with an average graduating class size of 80. Yes, there are some families with money but I don’t think the average income is that high.
The parents here are very involved in their kids lives, based on the attendance I see at local sporting events and plays and concerts. The school parking lot is always packed for stuff like that. The teachers also have high expectations from the students both academically and behavior wise, from what I’ve seen from my kids in high school and other parents have told me about.
This public school is regularly sending kids to Harvard, Syracuse University, Clarkson, RIT, RPI, to name a few.
The level of ridiculous statements about education in this forum never ceases to amaze me.
Probably, as in many other government jobs, many teachers enter their profession with commitment and a desire to do good. Between the government bureacracy and the union corruption, those poor souls are leading with their chin (that's an old boxing analogy for someone foolishly facing off against an overwhelming opponent and presenting themself for an easy knockout).
You pointed out in your response, "If parents would care about their children at home, it would help the education system out greatly...". Those parents who are able to help educate their children at home might as well homeschool them. As more parents homeschool their children, there will be less need for taxpayer-supported education, property taxes can be decreased accordingly, more children will be better educated, and the less-committed teachers can pursue other careers not requiring forced funding from productive citizens.
The education system doesn't need to be "helped out"; it needs to be dismantled. Only a small fraction of the tax money devoted to "education" goes for anything related to education. Homeschool parents provide a better education, with full curricula from kindergarten through high school for much less money than one beginning teacher is paid in one year. And they still have to pay property taxes to support the government school waste.
Private school, church schools, parochial school anything but public schools.
“In my classroom I do sometimes use cooperative learning. Although I teach a 3rd grade class. The receive below grade level, at grade level, and above grade level on their grade cards. I do cooperative groups when we are doing scientific experiments (what impact does friction have on a moving object). In my classroom they do not receive a group grade. They did the experiment together and had to analyze the data on their own.
My daughter goes to a private school and cooperative learning is there in their reading program - individual unit tests and a “group” project on say, Sequencing. They use Foundations & Frameworks.
http://www.briarwoodchristianschool.org/content.asp?id=87132
It’s okay. Luckily we have a bright child and she cruises through it. I think it would be more beneficial to kids who have reading and comprehension issues. It is useful in presenting concepts in flow charts. It also uses repetition questions for the various comprehension concepts.
“As for math, I do not use everyday math. My student are just now learning their multiplication facts. (no 9x9 estimation) We have NO calculators. The students work every problem out and I hand papers back if they do not show their work. I want them to know how to get the correct answer.”
That’s not allowed at her school either. It’s memorization. I don’t like their curriculum - SAXON.
What text do you use for Math? What is your opinion of Saxon? I’m thinking about supplementing her with a Houghton Mifflin Math book. I find Saxon to be too SLOW in moving on and their word problems to be too easy and a cookie cutter approach.
“In English, we use Shurley English. My 3rd graders know noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition and object of the preposition. I also do not accept answers that are not in complete sentences. The students will be handed back their paper and write it again.”
LOL!!! So does my daughter’s school - complete with jingles! Ditto ... .
“Furthermore, on every spelling test the students have two of the States names. I also show them where the state is on the map and a few facts about the state. Anything we are learning and if they mention a place, I will show it to them on a map or globe.
Yeah, we’re doing the states and capitals, locations etc.. We just finished up a poster on Alaska. Sounds the same as her class.
If you don’t mind my asking, what book do you use for Science?
“This saying of course, I have very conservative values. For the article, believe the education system today is failing because of where education starts... in the home. Teachers have all of these standards to follow... parents have none. If parents would care about their children at home, it would help the education system out greatly. The students who succeed greatly in my class have very involved parents. Those who don’t, I usually stay with after school or before school to help them get caught up.”
I hear ya! I am a stay at home Mom and I keep after her. I am blessed that she’s a smart kid. As for other kids it varies there ... .
It’s easy to pick out the kids of divorced parents and easily see the impact of that ... it’s sad. IMO it is not up to teachers to raise the kids too! The advantage we have is that if kids are acting up in serious ways, they WILL and are asked to leave.
I’d appreciate your feedback on my questions. My daughter is also in 3rd grade.
That is just an example. He came to love history, and read on his own. He just entered college in the fall and wants to be a History teacher because he says “they don’t teach history” And this is no easy task, he is working full time, and going to school full time. I try to encourage him, so he doesn’t get too discouraged. Here everything is so expensive, it makes it really rough.
(we don't need no stinkin' words from the dictionary to write our articles)
Yes I agree, there must be bad approaches. Furthermore, to hold the student back, you have to have parents agree to it. They would rather pass the student on and have them behind. (in elementary grades) Which makes it very hard when they get to 3rd grade and everything we do consists of reading!
Luckily this year I only have one student that is very below average and four that are just slightly behind. My first year teaching I had a student who could not read a word! He was in special education, but when he was in my classroom... its very hard!
I also agree that some teachers take too much time with good feeling stuff. Teach the facts. What students are going to need for life! Real-world problems. How to count back change (thats a head-ache day teaching that in my classroom). How to write a complete sentence. History.
Pathetic!
No it's not a new definition. It may be different from the one you're using but it isn't new. Are you referring to estimates that you provide to prospective customers? If so, you're right, the estimate is fully calculated from the best information available.
In grade-school math classes, though, an estimate is a quick approximation of the answer to a complicated calculation. If that approximation says that the result should be around 100 and your calculated answer is over 300, you immediately know that your result is suspect.
Public education isn’t failing. It is doing exactly what Democrats want it to do - dumb down the masses. An uneducated voter is one that the Democrats can count on.
I saw an article once in a newspaper showing a parent working on school work with a child. At first I thought it was an article about homeschooling, but it turned out to be something about parents being able to help their kids with homework.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks that when parents are *helping* their kids with homework, they WERE homeschooling.
So many parents say they can't homeschool, but this shows that they really can.
Any parent who knows enough to help their children find the correct answer in any subject is qualified enough to teach that subject. I daresay, any reasonably educated parent could get their children through at least 6th grade, enough to give them a very solid foundation in English and Math.
There is a lot to be said for the fact that the more liberal the area, the worse the schools are.
Teacher’s Unions.
Very left wing local school boards.
Imploded nuclear families.
No daddies.
Demographics.
(not money)
I am living this as we speak.
It ran just fine in the 1960s when I attended before forced busing and racial gerrymandering started.
I have often had to use estimates, until I had time and/or tools to do an accurate answer.
To me 80 or 90 would be correct, 9 up to 10 x 9 = 90- 10% =80
I have used this method many times.
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