New Math? - 10/22/08

It seems to be a rite of passage for parents of school age children to smile, shrug their shoulders and wistfully ask themselves: "What the heck is new math and what was wrong with the old one?"

I should state that I am not a math person. Numbers are my enemy. Basic math was fine, but fractions were tricky. Algebra and geometry were a nightmare. Ditto for chemistry (remember having to balance equations? It involved MATH!) My high school geometry teacher, Ms. Richvalsky, should be nominated for sainthood because in order for me to understand what she was saying, I needed to sit in her class twice a day. (Skipping lunch allowed me to pull my grade up from an "F" to a "B". Not too shabby, huh?)

One of my all-time favorite movies is "Stand and Deliver", the story of Jaime Escalante, a math teacher who challenges at-risk teens in East L.A. to go from learning remedial math to mastering AP Calculus. I could relate to those kids (except for the fact that they were barrio youths and I'm a middle aged white woman). Math is hard. Freshman math was required at my cushy, liberal arts college but somehow I managed to eke out a passing grade. At that point I figured my math days were over.

Fast-forward twenty-five years. Volunteering as the designated "homework helper" for my sons I thought, "It's basic math. How hard can it be?" I figured it would be years before they realized just how inept I really was. Three weeks later, during open house, my son's third grade teacher asked if there were any questions. I raised my hand and asked, "What happens when the homework helper doesn't understand the homework?" She gave me a slightly sad look and said she'd be happy to explain any of the math problems I didn't understand. Jaime Escalante, where are you when I need you?

Suddenly I was faced with terms like looping and regrouping. What was wrong with counting on our fingers (a handy system I still utilize)? Hundreds and tens and ones were now boxes and sticks and circles. Remember those cute friendly ovals we used to call "sets"? Now they’re called Venn diagrams (as in "Venn did math become even MORE complicated?) My fifth grader is multiplying triple digit numbers using something called a lattice (which I thought was either a decoration on the outside of your house or a pie crust I am just too lazy to make). Was it so awful to stack the numbers on top of each other, carrying digits as we go? And what happened to the times table? I miss it!

It seems that every generation complains about "new math". My theory is that math is revised every 15 years or so not for the purpose of making it easier to understand, but to insure that parents cannot do their children’s homework for them.

As for English homework? Bring it on!