We took a family trip to Florida this year.  Just to hang out with the Grandparents, go beachcombing and swim in the pool and soak up some vitamin D-generating UV radiation.  Because we were going to be gone so long, and because it wasn’t during a school break, we took some homework along for daughter # 1.  

Daughter # 1 is in grade 2 (was).  Her homework consisted of spelling, math and a few chapters of a book.  My daughter and I read the book chapters and then we had to answer some questions about the story.  The questions were very stupid.  They were vague, poorly worded and “open to interpretation.”  I spent the entire exercise cursing under my breath and rereading the chapters in order to figure out how to answer the stupid questions.  How the hell was my 7 year old supposed to answer these question when I couldn’t even answer them?  The book, by the way, was boring.  It had a prairie theme so I guess that is why the poor kids had to read the insipid little novelette.  To top it off, one of the questions asked was: “why were the Indians angry at the white men?”  Great.  Like we were going to answer that question in the space provided? 

On to Math.  “Addition.  Excellent.  I can do this!”  Or maybe not.  The math problems were something I had never seen before.  Was this the infamous “new math?”  OMG!  It required regrouping numbers into 10’s and then moving other numbers into other columns…WTF?  This was just simple grade 2 addition.  My husband and I each sat down with our daughter and tried to figure out what we were supposed to do.  I could barely wrap my head around the the mechanics of what was being asked…and I have graduate level math and physics training.  Seriously?  You shouldn’t be able to make math this stupid.  No wonder my kid was confused.  We did finally figure out what to do but the exercise was tedious and repetitive.  When I spoke to the “teacher” back home, I discovered that this method is supposed to get students to “understand” how to add and subtract.  Um.  If a kid can’t understand how to add and subtract the old fashioned way, the kid is a moron.  No one did this to me.  I’m no math genius but the whole “carry the one” thing seemed pretty straight forward.  Apparently, there is a new trend in math teaching whereby the child is taught how to do the math ie. to understand the mechanics of math, but is not required to perform any rote memorization…like memorization of the multiplication tables.  Really?  I’m sorry but if a kid can’t perform simple calculations in his or her head, how is he/she going to be able to confidently perform higher math?  And quickly.

So now my child is enrolled in Kumon.  I’m hoping that a combination of Kumon and “new math” will save her.  Daughter # 2 will be enrolled next year.