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Some people here write about the nuts and bolts of math, but I think many of us use our time well to TEACH math to our own kids, and then we go to KTM to vent our frustrations over paying taxes only to end up doing this ourselves.
I'm one of the crazies that teaches math to their kids AND writes about it.
Clueless Mom blog
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36 comments:
Where is your cupcake recipe, woman?
1. Go to supermarket
2. Find bakery section
3. Buy cupcakes
I try to teach math to my kids.
I try to undo the reform garbage shown or muddled with at school.
I spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars doing what my taxpayer dollars should be covering.
And I have that same cupcake recipe.
The more that speak up and write, the better education will become.
I did not participate in walk to school week because morning is math time when kid three.
Oh well. Can't do it all.
I wish I'd kept track of how much I've spent.
I wouldn't be surprised if I'm hitting $1,000 on materials.
But the big item, for me, is time. I've put huge amounts of book-writing time into teaching math.
HUGE.
The further I go with this, the more apparent it becomes that when your own math education was poor, overseeing your child's math education is at least a half-time job.
To a very large degree the nearly-countless hours I've spent writing AND READING this blog have been hours spent on "professional development."
I don't want to know how much I've spent.
I've been teaching middle school math for 9 years in New Jersey. It is upsetting to read that so many parents feel they have to teach their kids math when they get home as if they are not learning in school. I speak on behalf of the many teachers who spend countless hours at home preparing for the math lessons that will reach all students, despite their many varying levels of comprehension and ability. Summers are not spent relaxing by the pool, but preparing for another year to teach your kids as best as possible, and keep them motivated in a fast paced, technological world. Professional development is done on our own time, after school, on weekends, and in my case, during the summer, as I take 4 graduate level courses to further my education for the benefit of my students.
It is upsetting to hear parents complaing about spending quality time with children working on homework, but remember, not all children are A students. Brain development in the area of problem solving necessary for math is different for every child, although curriculum states we must teach the same material to all students within a grade level, even if developmentally, they are not be ready to master the skills taught. This may be a contribution to the difficulty children have in math, that is taken home with them. I am insulted that you would insinuate teachers are not doing their job.
This is my first time on your blog, as I am researching for one of my classes. I am curious to know what state you are from.
Anonymous,
It's a fact that U.S. public schools do a terrible job of teaching kids - no ifs, ands or buts. Look at TIMSS and other worldwide measures.
Additionally, they're extremely overfunded.
So tell me: You have more money than you need, you can't even teach kids so that they can compete with the rest of the world, do you really claim that you're doing your jobs?
You say that you take 4 graduate-level courses over the summer. What are these courses? When I was in grad school, 3 graduate courses per semester was standard; 4 over summer would have been extraordinarily difficult.
Assuming a teacher is skilled in mathematics and has a deep understanding of the subject, I see the problem more as that of reform math undermining the importance of a strong foundation necessary for advanced mathematics. Teacher's don't necessarily like reform math but don't really have a choice of the curricula chosen by administration.
I sympathize with many math teachers I know who are frustrated that they have no other choice and must do the best they can to plug the terrible gaps of reform math.
I don't complain about having to teach my children after school (it is expensive and time consuming) but as a parent I need to make sure my children are prepared and it's clear they are not getting what they need from reform math like Everyday Math and TERC that is in so many of our schools.
I have always supplemented my children's education at home, not as an insult to the teachers, but because it is of benefit to my children.
I just find that lately I am doing more and more supplementing and it means that my kids don't get to spend most of their summer lounging by the pool either. This is most unfortunate.
"I speak on behalf of the many teachers who spend countless hours at home preparing for the math lessons that will reach all students, despite their many varying levels of comprehension and ability."
This is not about you. Too many teachers get very defensive about this. As I have said many times before, the problems of education are not what walks into your classroom or what you have to do to get these kids ready for standardized tests. This is important to the teacher, but it's not what's important to parents. Teachers see only one grade-slice of the problem. Parents know their kids and see the multiple-grade system and curriculum problems.
It's about the curriculum. It's about full-inclusion. It's about low expectations starting in Kindergarden. It's about allowing kids into fifth grade without knowing their times table. A fifth grade teacher may be in a very bad position trying to meet standardized test requirements, but that is not the problem. The problem is why are kids getting into fifth grade without knowing their times table.
"Brain development in the area of problem solving necessary for math is different for every child, although curriculum states we must teach the same material to all students within a grade level, even if developmentally, they are not be ready to master the skills taught."
What do you know about brain development? What is your degree in?
"...but remember, not all children are A students."
This is a classic copout. How do you calibrate this comment? How do you know that it isn't the stinking, lousy, math curriculum? If it is a brain issue, then what on earth are these kids doing in your class? If schools and teachers are going to lecture me on brain development and expectations, then they better be prepared to answer some very detailed questions.
You can't have it both ways. You (the school) can't have full-inclusion or social promotion and then hide behind that as an excuse for not being able to do more for the kids who are willing and able.
"I am insulted that you would insinuate teachers are not doing their job."
You have to be very specific here. Where does anyone say that teachers (in general) are not doing their jobs? By the way, your job, as defined by your school, may not be what we parents want. The fact that you might be working very hard is irrelevant.
"It is upsetting to hear parents complaing about spending quality time with children working on homework, but remember, not all children are A students."
Emotional reactions such as "upset" and "insulted" are unproductive. Instead, look for the region of validity in what is being said, and go forward to your school with recommendations.
That's the professional thing to do.
Hi anonymous!
I'm not sure we're from a particular location more than any other --- though if I had to guess I'd say we're heavy on people from the tri-state area & the Midwest.
Not sure.
Brain development in the area of problem solving necessary for math is different for every child, although curriculum states we must teach the same material to all students within a grade level, even if developmentally, they are not be ready to master the skills taught.
I'm curious about this research - can you leave us some references?
I am insulted that you would insinuate teachers are not doing their job.
Teachers and administrators will tell you the same thing.
There is no field of life - not one - in which every single member performs at a high level at all times.
When Ed headed the CA History Social Science Project teachers routinely told him that 15% of all teachers were extraordinary & probably around 15% were very bad.
The rest were in the middle.
I don't complain about having to teach my children after school (it is expensive and time consuming)
I do complain about this!
I'm teaching far too many basics; I'm also in charge of virtually all of the formative assessment the needs to be done to know whether my son has mastered the material covered in class.
If I could do afterschool teaching as a form of enrichment, I'd be happy - and I wouldn't complain.
But that's not what's going on here.
I'm teaching:
spelling
vocabulary
math
I speak on behalf of the many teachers who spend countless hours at home preparing for the math lessons that will reach all students, despite their many varying levels of comprehension and ability.
I've learned that one shouldn't appoint oneself spokesperson for "parents" or "teachers" or any other group.
At ktm-2 I speak for myself, with the knowledge that there is a fairly large group of parents who share my experience and views.
However, I'm aware that there are many parents who don't share my experience and views. In fact, most parents aren't as obsessed with math & math education as I am!
Parents (and teachers, presumably) are a large and diverse group. We have some core goals in common, but beyond that we vary considerably.
It is upsetting to read that so many parents feel they have to teach their kids math when they get home as if they are not learning in school.
I am glad to hear that you are upset by it.
Personally I worry more about the kids whose parents are incapable of teaching their children maths at home if they are not learning at school.
I speak on behalf of the many teachers who spend countless hours at home preparing for the math lessons that will reach all students, despite their many varying levels of comprehension and ability.
Well firstly the evidence is that maths lessons are not reaching all students, judging by international test results.
Secondly, the problem appears to be more with schools than with individual teachers. For example, you say:
we must teach the same material to all students within a grade level, even if developmentally, they are not be ready to master the skills taught
Now a kid should be ready to master the next grade's teaching if the kid understands the previous grade. So why do you have kids in a grade that have not yet mastered the material in the previous grade? This is not a problem caused by individual teachers, it is caused by how the school is organised.
And why are teachers spending so much time developing lessons each summer? Why aren't teachers trained in appropriate lessons so they don't have to spend all their time reinventing the wheel?
Anonymous said, "It is upsetting to read that so many parents feel they have to teach their kids math when they get home as if they are not learning in school."
Is your school using reform math? If so, please, teacher, campaign on behalf of our kids to get a more rigorous math program into your district.
All your hard work should pay off. But if the administrators give you a curriculum with important stuff missing, our kids won't get what they need, and you might not notice. All your hard work won't be noticed if the parents are frustrated over stuff that's missing, and stuff that's unnecessary taking its place. Time is short in the classroom, as you know.
The STEM (science technology engineering and math) professionals among us have a better bird's eye view of what our kids need. We can see the holes.
Instead of defending yourself, please help us. We really don't want to be spending our time this way, but we've had to become education professionals in our own right, because the curricula are failing our kids.
Thank you for considering my plea. You can't know how frustrating this is. I can only try and tell you as best I can.
"It is upsetting to hear parents complaing about spending quality time with children working on homework, but remember, not all children are A students."
By the way, I have to work with my A+ Everyday Math son at home to make sure he knows what he needs. KTM parents don't work with their kids because their grades aren't high enough. They work with their kids to make sure they learn math properly.
The presumption is that if some kids do OK with a curriculum (get good grades?!?), then there is nothing wrong with the curriculum and that the problem must be with the child. This is the rationale that will lead my son's (ex) private school to justify continued use of Everyday Math. They basically said the same thing: "Not all kids are 'A' students." They are blaming the students. The real problem is that the school does not have the mathematical knowledge to separate one curriculum from another.
"Summers are not spent relaxing by the pool, but preparing for another year to teach your kids as best as possible, and keep them motivated in a fast paced, technological world."
I hope you learn that our "fast paced, technological world" is still based on mastery of old-fashioned algebra by 8th grade (9th at the latest). Please don't try to redefine math without giving us parents a choice to go somewhere else. By the way, what percent of teachers spend their summers preparing for the next year?
".. as I take 4 graduate level courses to further my education for the benefit of my students."
I hope some of them include math.
steveh said, "I hope some of them include math."
Steveh, I think this is happening less often. In constructivist thinking, the teachers are no longer content specialists.
Instead, they tend to do their advanced studies in things like child development. Their expertise is in facilitating children to discover what they need to know. They need to understand how children learn in order to achieve this.
It's not balanced, but educators steeped in this stuff can't see it.
It's not balanced, but educators steeped in this stuff can't see it.
No they can't see it. While I see it so clearly my eyes hurt.
"By the way, what percent of teachers spend their summers preparing for the next year?"
This is a stupid question. Steveh you really need to let go of your bitterness toward teachers.
They are called summer HOLIDAYS for a reason. I would love to take two weeks holidays anytime I wished, but I can't because my collective agreement doesn't allow it.
I am sure your spouse would be really happy if you brought along a bag of work on the family's trip to Disney.
"The fact that you might be working very hard is irrelevant."
Now there is a line to win over a school district. I think you need to move to Singapore, but they aren't happy with their education system either. You'll fit right in!
"Verghis Koshi said...
It's a fact that U.S. public schools do a terrible job of teaching kids - no ifs, ands or buts. Look at TIMSS and other worldwide measures."
So, schools CAUSED this? Gee Dr. Koshi, isn't it sad that you might be missing a few factors from your equation.
"By the way, what percent of teachers spend their summers preparing for the next year?"
"This is a stupid question. Steveh you really need to let go of your bitterness toward teachers."
You were the one griping that you couldn't go to the beach as if this were the case for all teachers. I just questioned your argument. I get along quite nicely with many teachers, thank you. In fact, I taught for a number of years. I think you're the bitter one and not carefully reading my posts.
By the way, I have worked on both sides of the school fence, and you seem to have very little idea of the requirements and pressures of jobs that teachers so much like to compare themselves with.
"I would love to take two weeks holidays anytime I wished, but I can't because my collective agreement doesn't allow it."
So, you would take a two week vacation anytime you wanted if the agreement allowed it, even though you chose teaching as a career? If you think that professionals can take off two weeks whenever they want, then you should do a little bit more study of the issue. Vacation (often only two weeks a year unless you've been there 10 or 15 years, and few are able to stay at a job for more than 10 years) has to be planned far ahead and not conflict with anyone else's vacation. Then, when you have a vacation, the work doesn't stop. It piles up until you get back.
"I am sure your spouse would be really happy if you brought along a bag of work on the family's trip to Disney."
My spouse is a Senior Unix Administrator and SHE is on-call 24/7 365 days a year for certain hardware and software. There is no one else cross-trained in the work. This is a multi-billion dollar company and this is the modern corporate ethic. We go nowhere without her laptop, pager, and business cell phone.
This is common for many professions that teachers dearly love to compare themselves with. Should I bring up the time when she got called into work late at night and had to work 36 hours straight? There is a Dilbert cartoon where the pointy-haired boss tells the woman (Alice?) that she has to take her vacation before the end of the year or else she will lose it. She comments that if she takes the time off, then she won't meet her quarterly goals. That would directly affect her review and raise. My wife has had the same problem - use it or lose it, even though it's not when she wanted to take the vacation.
I can go on. I could talk about the project I was on once that required six months of 70 hour weeks of programming. No overtime. No compensation. Part way through the project, they cancelled all vacations.
I'm not complaining. I'm just stating some facts. Actually, I'm all in favor of school choice and allowing teachers to work union-free.
"The fact that you might be working very hard is irrelevant."
"Now there is a line to win over a school district. I think you need to move to Singapore, but they aren't happy with their education system either. You'll fit right in!"
The problem is not how hard a teacher works, it has to do with the other issues I raised and which you now conveniently ignore. The biggest have to do with grade-level expectations and curricula.
As for winning over, I would once like it if schools felt the need to "win over" parents. I don't expect them to do whatever I want, but I do expect a process. There is no process for winning anyone over. The school just does what it wants.
So, according to you, the onus is on me to "win over" the school, but there is no process for doing that. And, if I don't like that, I should move somewhere else? Is that it?
By the way, I was talking about Singapore Math, not their whole educational system. I would love to have a process whereby I could make my case to our schools about basic assumptions, expectations, and curricula. There isn't any, but apparently, the onus is on parents even though we pay the bills and have no choice.
Anonymous,
It's quite clear that you haven't the foggiest idea about how professionals work. I suggest that you take a look at Steve's last two posts.
Now let's get back to your rather dubious claim that you do 4 graduate-level courses in the summer. What courses, and where? In the interest of full disclosure, I took stuff like Theory of Computation, Massively Parallel Computing, Numerical Analysis etc., and 3 such courses were quite enough to keep me busy during a full semester. What did you take? I'd like to know how I could get get 3 grad-level courses over the summer.
As for the horrifyin' job that U.S. public schools do, may I assume that your defense is that it ain't your fault?
You said, "So, schools CAUSED this? Gee Dr. Koshi, isn't it sad that you might be missing a few factors from your equation."
Do tell, what factors are missing from "my equation"?
Sorry, that last post was mine.
"This is my first time on your blog, as I am researching for one of my classes."
By the way, anonymous, what exactly is your research, what class is it for, and what do you hope to learn? Did your professor suggest that you go to KTM? Is the goal to learn what might be missing from math curricula, or is the goal to learn how to argue against it?
You need to know that the onus is on schools, teachers, and schools of education to explain why their views are anything more than opinion or guesswork. Unfortunately, schools do what they want, protect their monopoly, and then expect others to prove them wrong.
I would once like it if schools felt the need to "win over" parents.
And what would that take? Double my work hours and cut my pay in half?
Maybe, just maybe, a majority of parents are satisfied with the status quo. There are always a few crusty bitter people who are never happy. I am sure your next target is the health care system, then social security. Endless things to complain about.
Shoot, I forgot about attacking univerity and college professor. Their nine hour a week teaching schedule must be extremely stressful.
Boo hoo boys, the education system is here to stay. Keep complaining and baking cupcakes!
"And what would that take? Double my work hours and cut my pay in half?"
You're still not paying attention.
"Maybe, just maybe, a majority of parents are satisfied with the status quo."
Maybe?
Then it should be no problem at all to allow full school choice with the money following the child because few will leave the public schools. Right.
Good luck with your "researching".
Anonymous,
Is this really the level of your discourse?
"And what would that take?"
Well, we could start with spelling, don't you think? University, not "univerity"; college professors, not "college professor".
And you haven't answered any of the questions, have you?
Wow! I am a math teacher who is reading this blog for the first time and I cannot believe how upset and angry so many of you are. This should not be an argument with parents vs teachers. We are supposed to be working together. Although I don't teach your children specifically, I can tell you that I have my students' best interest at heart every single day. I teach them to the best of my ability and see such great strides in them. I am genuinely proud of their accomplishments and let them know it as often as possible. It takes some longer than others to understand certain topics. That's understood and expected. That's why so many teachers offer after school help. This is our time that we give to our students because we care. I hear so many complaints about the money being spent outside of school. Try asking you child's teacher if he/she can provide extra help. Most will say yes without hesitation. And this is our extra time, that we are not being paid for.
"Wow! I am a math teacher who is reading this blog for the first time and I cannot believe how upset and angry so many of you are."
Is this someone new? I can't believe how clueless some teachers are. You may be a wonderful teacher, but this is not about you. It'a about low expectations and bad math curricula. My son's teacher (I sound like a broken record. Please read the other posts and threads.) was a wonderful teacher. She even started an after-school program to help kids. Unfortunately, the school failed to make sure that these kids learned the material before they let them get into the next grade.
A good school is not just about trying hard.
"Try asking you child's teacher if he/she can provide extra help. Most will say yes without hesitation."
She couldn't because she was too busy making up for problems from the previous grades.
Steveh-
You are calling me cluelss and saying that this is not about me?
Read this comment from erghis koshi...
So tell me: You have more money than you need, you can't even teach kids so that they can compete with the rest of the world, do you really claim that you're doing your jobs?
How can I help not taking that personally?
Or what about this one...
Catherine Johnson said...
I am insulted that you would insinuate teachers are not doing their job.
Teachers and administrators will tell you the same thing.
Maybe you are not directing this towards teachers, but other people are.
"Maybe you are not directing this towards teachers, but other people are."
You should target your criticism carefully.
Vergis was responding in kind to a particular post and you should read Catherine's full post. My take was quite different. There is nothing special about the teaching profession.
"This should not be an argument with parents vs teachers."
This is not the main theme of the thread in spite of the attempt by the other anonymous to drive it that way. You can't pick out just a few nuggets and ignore the other 90 percent of the discussion.
However, since you brought it up...
"That's why so many teachers offer after school help. This is our time that we give to our students because we care."
"so many"?
"we care"?
Care to elaborate and quantify that with a percentage?
You really can't set yourself up as the spokesperson for all teachers and schools. I think you would be surprised at the feedback you would get from parents on that issue.
How about RIF - Reduction In Force? You should have seen all of the livid parents in our town when a RIF caused a chain reaction of seniority-based bumping in our school. About a quarter of the teachers suddenly had to learn how to teach their new grade.
How about the time when I was on a school improvement team and we tried to get a few teachers to stay after school for 10 more minutes. No can do. "It won't fly, contracturally", said one teacher.
Then there was the time when our school wasn't able to hire a good math teacher from California because he would lose all of his seniority by changing states.
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