Maria's Day by John Zakour and Scott Roberts for September 30, 2013

“Math Made Hard”?, as if not were hard enough, now they have an expert level?

It’s actually the “old” math that has one correct answer to a problem, instead of a range of acceptable answers.

The ‘new’ math of the 60’s hit when I was in third gradeWe had just had our standard math books- the ones the school had used for years- for maybe a week, when we were told to turn them in, and the new books were handed out. America’s paranoid rush to keep up with the USSR, after Sputnik, caused this sudden switch. The ill conceived plan was to create an entire generation of math geniuses by having a system designed by math geniuses. The detail they all overlooked was that geniuses don’t know how to explain things to people who are not at their level. We were not all Sheldon Cooper. From that day on, math was a baffling, byzantine mystery to me.

I don’t remember them going back in my school. I just remember never doing well in math after the switch. There’s no shortcut to creating geniuses. That occurs naturally, and you are one or you’re not. People don’t think of proficiency with numbers as being a talent, because it’s not the arts or sports. So we’re all ‘supposed’ to be equally good at handling figures and doing business…even figuring our taxes… and if you’re not, it’s assumed that you’re just not trying.

And they just switched methods here again. My 5th grader started learning multiplication in 2nd grade (basics) and a lot in 3rd grade. While my 3rd grader has just started the basics (x0 and x1). They claim that they’re going more in depth and showing them many different ways of doing the same problem, but I think it’s ridiculous. So they go to a math tutor on the side so they will feel comfortable with numbers and not be bored or overwhelmed.

It’s overreaching to try to teach kids multiple way of doing things they’re only just learning to do at all. It could well be counterproductive. Let them get one way right, and let them feel confident in it. That’s better than having them struggle with three or four ways. We’ve had generations to get education right, but we just can’t stop second guessing every method, including the ones that actually work. Perhaps too many people want to be the genius who came up with the better way.

I had enough trouble with “old” math and when i was in junior college had to take a “new” math class as part of the curriculum for teaching. Oy!

Me and a friend has been reading her since the beginning, and we agree she’s becoming less funnier than before.

I am good at math but I’m not very good at drawing. I am in 8th grade taking precalc but I can’t draw intricately, just a few messy sketches.