After work I went to the school maths evening. The idea was for parents to learn about how their children are being taught maths (you could tell the american parent, he called it "math"). It was open for the whole school so, even allowing for the fact this is a small village school, I was disappointed to see less than 20 parents bothered to turn up.
Then, as the teachers began to explain, I realised that we had all made the same mistake. We had all sent the person from the household that could do maths. So there was loads of muttering about the new methods, a lot of "what was wrong with the way we did it, it worked for us". No remembering of how some kids struggled, how some couldn't get the numbers to work together. And so we were entirely the wrong group of people to be judging the school systems.
Now, I have to admit I found it hard to understand how some of the techniques actually help because some of them do seem long winded, but I also recognise that a lot of people eminently more qualified than me have looked into this. And I thought it was good to see the different ways that "A" might learn to approach maths. I felt it would help me help her.
As it went on I got more and more irritated by the sceptics. We wasted time with them not being open minded. One father who thought his child should instantly know 7x8 was 56 (this was the same father who complained that his child was only being taught half her times tables, half as in up to 5 times not 10 times, hands up those of you who think his child was having him on in order not to do some maths "oo daddy they haven't told us 7x8 yet", I am sorry but he gets the gullible of the year award).
At the end I couldn't help myself (and suspect some parents now don't like me) as I thanked the teachers and then pointed out to the parents that we were all the ones who understood maths and weren't trying to think of those who struggled with it. I said that if someone was showing me that they had found a way to make languages more simple I would be thanking them and biting their hand off to get at it. That we had to put ourselves in the position of something we struggled with, not something we found obvious. Basically I accused them of being narrow minded and not being able to cope with change.
I am incredibly grateful to the school for giving us the insight. I hope they don't get put off by the nay-sayers.
3 comments:
Suggesting that it might be a good idea to help individuals who struggle with an area of life, rather than simply form the world around those that 'can'? Merlin are you sure there isn't a wooly librul inside you trying to get out? ;-)
liz - what's worrying me is that he seems to be suggesting that the Labour govt's education reforms and new curriculum and teaching guidance are a GOOD thing and that current teaching methods should be respected. that is scarily woolly lieral in my book. :)
You see, this is where you left wing types get it completely wrong about us. The right wing aim is to pull everyone up to the best they can achieve, rather than the woolly "let's not let anyone be better than anyone else, instead we will cap their abilities". If you had heard me speak out at the other parents you would realise there was nothing woolly about what I said.
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