[email protected]

In a message dated 6/15/2003 5:23:58 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

> This whole response was so well written, thank you for sharing it. This
> paragraph in particular, hit a nerve of mine. When Kass &Kree were in the
> last
> class in which they attended school, at parent teacher conference, their
> teacher
> went on and on about Kree's inability to complete the timed multiplication
> quizes. She had gone so far as to give her a "D" on her report card. Kree
> sat
> with me in tears and was basically falling apart as the teacher went on and
> on
> about the importance of knowing these tables. So, being my usual self, I
> turned
> to Kree. "Honey, please don't cry. If you want to work on them at home I
> will
> help you."
>
> Ms. White chimed in with, "Kree, you are very lucky to have a mom who is so
> understanding. Mrs. Hill you wouldn't believe how many parents I get who
> would
> punish their kids for what I just told you."
>
> Knowing this woman enough to know she was trying to tell me I should be more
>
> upset and consider punishment, I turned back to Kree. "But if you just
> aren't
> ready, that's ok too, because these grades mean nothing."
>
> Ms. White's eyebrows rose and she asked Kree to leave so we could "talk". I
> said, "No, this is Kree's education, so it's important that she know where
> we
> each stand. And from where I stand, you haven't done such a hot job. If, in
> fact, these timed quizzes have been something Kree has been having
> difficulty
> with, why would you wait until now, at report card time to tell me about it.
> You
> are well aware of how much time I spend with the girls and with the amount
> of
> homework you send home, I wonder what it is you do all day in class.
> Therefore, to assume I would be upset in any way with my child, you go too
> far in your
> assumptions. I don't blame her for not doing well on your silly quizzes, but
> I
> do blame you for putting far too much importance on such a trivial thing. So
>
> I will work on them with her, if she wants to, but if she has been too
> traumatized by the whole thing, why would I further traumatize her at home?"
>
> Her answer: "Because if she doesn't get them down, she will be held back."
>
> I was shocked. "Over the ability to quickly state times tables, you would
> risk a childs psyche and love of learning? Not the fact that she knows them,
> but
> that she isn't fast enough to write them? How pathetic is that?" With that I
>
> asked Kree to get her sister from the swings just outside of their
> classroom.
> My question was retorical, so when she began to answer, she got the 'talk to
>
> the hand sign, cuz these ears aren't listening' sign.
>
> Huh!!! It was the following week I took them out of school to live a life of
>
> peace and joy.
>
> Rhonda - the ranting ENFP
>
>

When Julian entered the third grade, he believed he was smart, especially in
math. After a year of pointless timed tests, Julian believed he was stupid,
especially in math.

When he left, we told him that unless he wanted to, he never had to memorize
the times tables. It seemed so stupid to destroy a child's belief in himself
over information that could be carried around on something the size of a credit
card.

We read Math Phobia, by Marilyn Burns, that talks about how math is taught in
schools, and she talks about timed tests, and the ongoing nightmares kids
have about them. Great book.

Kathryn


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Julie Bogart

--- In [email protected], KathrynJB@a...
wrote:
"Over the ability to quickly state times tables, you would
> > risk a childs psyche and love of learning? Not the fact that
she knows them,
> > but
> > that she isn't fast enough to write them? How pathetic is
that?"

And from Kathryn:
>
> When Julian entered the third grade, he believed he was
smart, especially in
> math. After a year of pointless timed tests, Julian believed he
was stupid,
> especially in math.
>
> When he left, we told him that unless he wanted to, he never
had to memorize
> the times tables. It seemed so stupid to destroy a child's belief
in himself
> over information that could be carried around on something the
size of a credit
> card.

I used to win the timed math test races in the additon tables. I
would get the little eraser for winning or placing second.

We moved into times tables and I won the first two times. But on
the second test, the teacher graded it after I whizzed through it
only to find that I had failed it. (You were only allowed to miss one
or two.) The two tables being tested together were zeros and
ones. I got them backwards: 1x4=1 and Ox4=4 This error in my
memorization (obviously a total lack of understanding) made me
lose not only the test, but the eraser in front of the whole class.

I never recovered. From second grade on I had math tutors. In
high school, I took Algebra II and midway through the year the
teacher suggested I drop the course to protect my GPA for
college.

It wasn't until homeshooling my oldest and using Miquon math
that I actually *understood* what times tables were. I kid you not.
I also "got" fractions for the first time too. As an adult. In my
thirties. Is that pathetic or what? All from my shaken confidence
that math was magic and I couldn't ever understand it.

Julie B