Math Rant and Other Stuff

This is the first year in which Dear Daughter (DD) has had Common Core math.  I had noticed that her algebra book had Common Core on the front, but didn't really give it much thought.

One evening I noticed her writing line after line of incorrect answers for a problem that she could easily do in her head.  Five lines in I asked what she was doing and why didn't she just write the correct answer?  At this point DD huffed and said she knew it didn't make sense, but her teacher told them to do it this way to get full credit.

For the past few months I've watched her learn fairly simple algebra in such a convoluted way that I've been gob smacked (as my English friend says).  After a bit of research I've realized that I am witnessing Common Core in action.  And it's really, really scary.

If an employee of mine tried to solve problems the way Common Core does, they wouldn't work for me very long.  I want to see efficiency, correct answers and swiftness when making decisions.  Not a list of wrong ways to solve a problem, then finally the big reveal of the best solution.


Sigh.  What are we allowing our government to do to our children?  Why aren't our leaders listening to the teachers and parents that have been very vocal about the Common Core system of teaching.
Massachusetts recently opted out of the Common Core system and we should push our representatives to do the same.

So, write a few letters and make some noise.  Teach your child the streamlined way to solve math problems.  Become a member of the Math Underground (not a real thing) and prepare your children for the real world.

Thanks for letting me rant.

God Bless,
Pam