kitchen table math, the sequel: all the answers are belong to us

Thursday, May 17, 2007

all the answers are belong to us

Just noticed this comment from Steve H:

One of the issues I have with EM is that the kids just bring tear-out sheets home for homework in their folder. We have the reference book at home (not helpful), but I want to see the two workbooks. I want to look ahead and behind. I also want to see which lessons the teacher is skipping!!!

Yes, well....

I want to see the answer key.

I learned from my neighbor today that her son, who is one year ahead of C. in school, will be using the same textbook next year that he used this year.

C. will be using the book next year, too.

That's a problem, because my neighbor owns the one and only Teacher's Manual available on the black market, and, as we all know, Teacher's Manuals cannot legally be sold to parents. Selling Teachers Manuals to the parents who are actually teaching the course would be wrong.

My neighbor says she'll Xerox it for me, but ..... I don't want a Xerox.

I want the book.

I'm teaching the course; I want the Teacher's manual.

I've decided to ask the math chair to order one for me.

I'll tell her I'll pay for it.


all the answers are belong to us
email to the math chair
second request
teacher's manual
it would be unusual
more stuff only teachers can buy
inflammatory
2 weeks off
the return of Ms. K

2 comments:

LSquared32 said...

Good luck. You might also try your local university library. Mine has a collection of HS curricula, complete with teacher manuals.

Catherine Johnson said...

Thank you!

I'm going to the mat on this one. The school's refusal to provide answer keys to students gets to the core of the problem:

-- they care more about power and turf than they do about students

-- they take no ultimate responsibility for whether or not an individual student learns math

-- they focus on "understanding" not the ability to do math

-- they are deeply uninterested in improving either the teaching or the curriculum