Anyone else have a hard time helping your children with homework? In trying to lend a hand to my son Zach with his math homework I found that the way they go about finding the answer to a problem makes no sense. I can't grasp the concept they are trying to teach. There are times when both my wife and myself stand there scratching our heads wondering "what is it they want you to do?" We can come up with the same answer to a problem, but in completely different ways. When I show him how I do it he looks at me and says,"Thats not how we do it, The teacher won't except it!" WTF? :af: I am still amazed that they allow and require them to have a calculator. I guess knowing how to enter information is more important than actually knowing how to arrive at an answer. :blast: I was by no means a math genius, in fact it became easier after I left school. But this is ridiculous. On a side note, Our new Republican Governor changed the name of the state agency that heads up education from the liberal name, "Families, Children, & Learning".(and happy thoughts) to, "The Department of Education". There is hope after all! Just had to vent.:stmad: :beer
I agree Dale, I agree. Teacher's should not teach that there's only 1 right way to do something. In my opinion, this stiffles problem solving by the kids. Now, it is correct that this early in life there can be only 1 right answer. But sometimes there are many ways to get to that answer. I am a fairly smart (a#$) individual. I solve things, like math problems, in unconventional ways. One day my wife wanted to know how to calculate a large multiplication number like 125 times 500. Well, there's several ways to do it. I prefer to slice the 25 off and get 100 times 500 which equals 50,000 and then add in the 25 times 500 which equals 12,500 for a total of 62,500. Thus, my method is break a large problem into easy or smaller equations and combine (add here) the results. Maybe you should discuss the matter with the teacher and see if she will agree that 1 answer does not mean only 1 solution methodology. Alan
WHen I was in grade school, my parents were continuously confused with the teacher's methods. Now that I go to this boarding school, the teachers tell us the easiest way to do something, but if another method works, they will either disprove it(and say that it only works for certain problems) or OK it. Usually, their method does work best, but they allow us to come to the correct conclusion on our own if applicable. My father, who is a mechanical engineer, looks over my math homework and just says, "WTF? Do it this way, and you'll achieve the same in less steps."
I hear ya guys, I'm no fan of the education system either... but after living with a math teacher, i have a different view on it The number one complaint they hate from a parent is "you should teach like X". Most people are not fond of being told how to do thier job by an "armchair expert", I think it's pretty easy to understand this. What you may not know is that curriculum and teaching specifications are set by the local Education Board, not the teachers themselves. They have very little say over what mathematical methodology is used. Boards approve a curriculum for the classroom, not individual kids. There's no way to teach 40 individual lessons, mark 40 different test answers to a question, or require different methods from everyone. Although not terribly good, the curent system is about the best we could come up with. If you honestly think that you know how to do the job better than someone with 5 years of training and years of experience dealing with this problem, I suggest you run for office at the local education board. Something to remember at your next teacher interview, just my 2 cents...
Think that's bad? My 9 yr old daughter got her math problem WRONG when she produced the correct answer to an estimation problem! Gee, go figure that one. I couldn't give her a hard time for being able to SEE the correct answer, that evidently the teacher couldn't.:jd:
This is a very complicated subject but you have to remember several things. There are many average teachers but only a few good ones....if you get a good one, let them know. Teachers (up here anyway) do not decide how things get done, they only try to explain it. The school boards and government decide what and how needs to be taught. If you personally know any teachers you will know how frustrated they are by the system and how hard they try. Its often very easy to blame them but everyone needs to look at the whole picture. I couldn't do their job. But I am almost married to a special needs teacher of 17 years, and while that is a little different, the crap that goes on inside the school system would blow your minds. later Tim
HEY! I am not ripping on teachers! It's not their fault! I talked to one last year about this very thing and he fully agreed with me. I agree that there is more than one way to do everything. When training a new employee I will say to them, "I'll show you how I do it, If you find that another way works better for you go for it!" As long as the job looks good, and is on time I don't care how you do it. It's just that the schools have fooled around with the tried and true methods that worked for decades, if not more than a century. :Smarty:
I don't have anything bad to say about the teachers or the curriculum, but if something is right and is gotten a different way, what does it matter? I used to ask my dad NOT to help me because everything he helped me with was right, but marked incorrect because I used the wrong equations.o No:
Wife is a Teacher I can't say anything bad about teacher's because I'm married to one. What I am saying is that right answer versus wrong answer is a different question from right way versus wrong way. In some things, there is no universal right way but simply different ways. If a child is bright enough to see a different way to get an answer, then the teacher should encourage that, not mark it wrong because its not the "right way." This is what caused me to be a rebel against authority early in life. I have never been very good with a my way or the highway mentality. The teacher doesn't have to teach all the different ways to do it either. She can present her way and let it go at that. BUT, if a child spots a shortcut and gets the answers right, screw the methodology. My first child is due in June. I'm afraid that I am forseeing things in my future........now if only I can successfully control my acrid reaction in advance to some things maybe I won't be all stressed out about it. Alan
After a full day of work, I pick up the kids and meet the old lady at home around 5:45PM. Then we make dinner, feed the kids, clean the kitchen and (between running my daughter to dance this and sing that lessons) then... Sit down and do 1 - 2 HOURS of homework with the kids every night! Man, I thought I was done with that after college and computer school!
There are mnay ways of reaching the same conclusion no matter what you are doing, but if the cirriculum specifies the way they want it solved, then it needs to be done like that so the process is learned... At least you guys are showing an interest in your kids...you wouldn't believe how many drop them off and think school is just a babysitter and couldn't care less abut their kids. Really sad. later Tim
Yeah, it is sad. I've noticed during the summer when my son has Little League there are very few parents at the practices and the games. Maybe 3 -4 sets of parents out of what 18 to 20 kids. Too many use that as a babysitter also. ou: Again, don't take my original comments out of context, the teachers do a wonderful job given what they have to work with when you think of the absentee parents and the tight budgets they have to work under. :beer I just get frustrated when I can't help him as much as I'd like too.
wow I was a straight A student all through high school. Never brought home a book and never studied. I thought I was the only one having problems understanding the way my kids are taught. Its such a blow to my ego when my 8 year old daughter brings home homework that I just have give the dreadedo No: look to her. My 12 year old is in advanced algebra. Oh what fun that is! Wow...I'm just grateful to not be the only parent who doesn't understand!
My grandfather always said it: Those who can, do Those who can't, teach and those who can't teach administrate.
Geez, I must've had one of the best math teachers around...He showed it the way the book said to do it....THEN...He showed us several OTHER ways we could also work the problem out...If a student happened to figure out another way to do it, he would look it over and point out possible problems with doing it that way, but he always stressed, "Do it whichever way is easiest for you to understand"...But he also said that we had to write out in long hand on the sheet next to our answer how we came up with that answer so that he could see how we did it...He didn't just want a page full of answers, he wanted to see how we did it...As long as the answer was right, he didn't care how we did it... He just absolutely was happy when a student figured out another way of arriving at the answer, especially if it was easier to do...It just proved to him that he was making the kids THINK and pay more attention in class...
That explains things. Well, that explains why I became a lawyer. I had a calculus teacher like that who asked the same question. I told her it was a trade secret and protected work product that required the execution of a confidentiality agreement before I could share it with her. She did NOT think this was funny. Of course, I was dead serious and not trying to be funny. Alan
