Fuzzy Math

[Said1]

What can be done about this? Who can we talk to to get REAL common sense back into the curriculum? Can't anything be done?

Rallying other parents would be a start. Fighting the school board isn't easy, but it can be done. You'd have to be very clear in what you want though, you can't approach them unprepared. Even then, anything short of picket signs and bull horns will probably fall on deaf ears. Too bad you couldn't rent an activist.

 

[Nienna]

Rallying other parents would be a start. Fighting the school board isn't easy, but it can be done. You'd have to be very clear in what you want though, you can't approach them unprepared. Even then, anything short of picket signs and bull horns will probably fall on deaf ears. Too bad you couldn't rent an activist.

Here's an even scarier thing... my mother-in-law is ON the school board! So starting a battle with them is going to cause family problems. I would still do it if I thought I would get anywhere. Is the local school board the place the buck stops in curriculum decisions? They have to answer to the state board, don't they?

 

[Said1]

Here's an even scarier thing... my mother-in-law is ON the school board! So starting a battle with them is going to cause family problems. I would still do it if I thought I would get anywhere. Is the local school board the place the buck stops in curriculum decisions? They have to answer to the state board, don't they?

Good question, I don't really know. Most of the battles I've witnessed did not involve curriculum changes for more than one student. Perhaps Kathianne could take over from here.

 

[Nienna]

Here's a follow-up on this. My daughter is now learning subtraction. Guess what? They're going from right to left, like in the old days. But remember how they said it was confusing for the kids to READ left to right, and do math right to left? Guess how confused they are when they READ left to right, do ADDITION left to right, but SUBTRACTION is right to left. Why not leave it with READING left to right, MATH right to left? Ah well. We must just do what we can.