[Boatanchors] OT: School

[Dennis DuVall]

I disagree.  The Common Core methods are aimed at imparting a FUNDAMENTAL understanding of mathematical concepts, not rote memorization.   The old way which  was being taught when I entered the First Grade (and still the norm today) was "3 X 3 = 9 because I say so and you better memorize it because if you don’t you will fail the next test!  And if I catch you doing anything like counting on your fingers or adding 3 + 3 + 3 on the side of your test sheet you’ll also flunk.”  This didn’t make any sense to me when I was 6 even though I was keenly interested in "how those numbers worked" and so I came up with a bunch of alternate constructs on my own and in my head that made sense to me and still gave the “right” answers on the tests.  Got A’s on my report card, was Valedictorian of my Senior class and waltzed through Engineering school.  When I recently looked at the new Common Core math material it was like old home week, I could have written much of what I saw  myself based on what I came up with on my own back in 1941 to keep Miss Johnson off my back.  (She was actually a good teacher BTW and a nice person as well.) 
 
Please go back and take another look and try to keep an open mind.  I am certain that the first lessons don’t start out with something as heavy as 30 X130.  This is not part of the LIBERAL PLAN TO DESTROY AMERICA!

Training teachers to properly present and impart the new methods and concepts is a huge matter, of course.

Language skills are a separate but also a perennial problem.  When I entered college back in the 1950s sizable numbers entering freshman had to be put into remedial English classes which I understand is still the case today. Common Core addresses these problems as well but I haven’t seen the material.

Dennis D.  W7QHO
Glendale, CA

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> On Dec 28, 2014, at 9:08 AM, n2lxm at juno.com wrote:
> 
> Those School Districts that embrace the Common Core Curriculum will be
> makers of IDIOTS. I personally witness a teacher describing how to do a
> simple math problem. Old School 30 X 130 = 3900, total of six steps.
> Common Core way total of twenty steps. The poor students were totally
> confused.  This is Our education system at it's finest.  I can tell you ,
> when I interview for job opening at my Plant. How many young people can
> read, write( without Text Lingo) or put a proper sentence together. So
> the Three R's are going the way of the dinosaurs.
> 
> 
>                                                    Jeff N2LXM
>                                                      American
>                                                        Patriot
>                                    Proud Father of Two U.S. Marines
>