Can we change things?

So, this article, is timely because my husband and I were just talking about the need for higher math last night. The reason we were discussing math on a Saturday night was because the husband is concerned with Wrestling Fan's inability to do simple math and his lack of comprehending basic math skills.

Wrestling Fan has been in school practically since the passage of NCLB. His school career has been somewhat different than the experience his older brother & sister shared. While the older two did not have stellar school careers, their math abilities surpass that of their younger sibling. I firmly believe that much of this is due to the current focus on covering as much of the standards as possible without ensuring that our kids have a full grasp of the concepts before we are told via pacing guides move on. It's the whole depth vs. breadth debate that I have had with many people in my district for the past decade.

However, I also believe that not all kids need higher levels of math in order to be successful. I get the "why" of it, but I don't agree that this is the best policy for our kids. My husband is really, really good with numbers. He has a knack for numbers that I envy. I think he is much smarter math person than I am. Here's the surprise . . . he flunked Algebra in high school, whereas I did well in Algebra & Statistics when I returned to school.

In his line of business, he works with numbers all the time. He didn't go to college & really, has had no desire to do so. Yet, despite his lack of a college degree, he has managed to do quite well because he has a trade as a journeyman painter. Mixing paints & their various compounds requires a fundamental understanding of "basic" math.

We would love for all three of our children to attend college. The rate we are going right now is 0 for 3, but I'm holding out hope. Even if none of them make this choice doesn't make them failures. I know that their journey to be successful adults (if success is defined by making lots of money, that is) may be more tough, but for me as a parent, I simply want them to be happy adults who can make their own way in life.

Another article, speaks of a young math teacher at a KIPP school who was afforded the opportunity to push aside the curriculum used in favor of curriculum that she developed. Matthews gushes over this teacher's innovation without fully realizing that this sort of freedom is something that regular public school teachers are denied every single day.

I also think he quite clearly shows his bias & his naiveté when he writes the following:

Many students would raise their hands, but in typical KIPP fashion she waited for the kids who were struggling to think for a moment, and then called on one of them, even if they had not raised their hands. The idea was to get every child involved in the lesson.

This is what one calls good teaching & guess what, it wasn't discovered by the founders of KIPP.