A Facebook friend recently posted an article from The Tea Party News Network titled Parent Shreds Common Core Math Stupidity in One Paragraph. The article displays a picture of a homework assignment that utilizes a mathematical method that will be taught as part of the Common Core math standard. There are currently similar memes on the internet displaying the “overly complicated method” of solving a simple math problem. I will admit upon first glance that I was a little mystified as I examined the problem. I too did not fully understand the purpose of this particular question, nor the method behind it. So I did what any inquisitive person would do in this modern age, I Googled “How to do Common Core Math.” With a few clicks of the mouse and five minutes of reading, I was prepared to do some basic elementary school math problems. The explanation, and analysis of what this particular “Angry Parent” actually taught her child can be found below the orange doodle.
As stated previously, upon first glance, the Common Core method appears to obfuscate a fairly simple math problem, and I don’t deny that it may be. As far as subtraction is concerned, this is about as easy as you can get. However, what if the subtraction problem was only marginally more difficult, what if you needed to use the arithmetic method most of us learned and needed to “carry the one” a couple times? Let’s examine the steps necessary to subtract 285 from 342.
1) 2 - 5, well 5 is larger than 2 so,
2) carry the one, 2 now becomes twelve, and,
3) cross out the 4, the 4 now becomes 3,
4) 12 - 5 = 7, put the 7 below the line,
5) 3 – 8, well 8 is larger than 3 so,
6) carry the one, 3 now becomes 13, and,
7) cross out the 3, the 3 now becomes 2,
8) 13 – 8 = 5, put 5 below the line,
9) 2 – 2 = 0, do not put zero below the line,
10) The answer is 57.
It took a total of ten steps to reach the correct answer, and that is if you don’t make any mistakes along the way.
The method being taught with this particular homework exercise is trying to give children a “number sense.” The method attempts to teach the children not just how to subtract, but what it actually means to subtract two numbers. It is teaching the concept of numbers and subtraction, not just how to compute the difference. The concept behind Common Core math is that there is a “distance between numbers. So the following is how Common Core teaches the previous problem.
1) 285 is 15 away from 300
2) 300 is 40 away from 340
3) 342 is 2 away from 342
4) 15 + 40 + 2 = 57
Bringing us to a grand total of 4 steps to reach the answer (arguably, it could be made in 3 steps, but I felt that I could add one to give the old method a fighting chance), and there are very few possibilities of making any errors. What some of these “Angry Parents” don’t realize is this is actually the method many of us adults use intrinsically when solving problems like this in our heads. However, most of us were not taught how to do this; we developed it as we moved along through more difficult math classes. It was a natural development of “number sense” out of a necessity to simplify these steps in more difficult math problems.
In my sophomore year of college I was employed as a math tutor at my community college. I sat in a basic math class over one summer as a math tutor dedicated to that class. The students that I helped were not stupid; they just lacked “number sense.” They didn’t understand why they were doing the steps because they didn’t understand why the steps were necessary. Many of these students had not needed utilize basic math skills because they were allowed to use a calculator for much of their middle school and high school math courses. When they found themselves in a course were calculators were strictly verboten, their inadequacies and the resulting frustration became all too apparent. They didn’t understand why they needed to understand the concepts, because that had never been a focus of their secondary education. They failed to understand that they were in this basic college level arithmetic class because they didn’t grasp math concepts with ease. Math education is one of building blocks, if you lack a strong understanding in one level, you will have an even harder time grasping the concepts of the next level. The Common Core method actually teaches children the old method that most of us learned in school, but it also seeks to provide a greater understanding of concepts, as well as teaching different methods because not all children learn the same way.
Now we move along to the education of this “Angry Mom’s” child, and the fictional character “Jack.” What did these children actually learn from “Angry Mom’s” diatribe to her child’s teacher? It is obvious that “Jack” learned jack crap. He did not have the benefit of being present as the self-proclaimed electronics engineer (supposedly) explained the method to her child. If you step into “Jack’s” shoes, and pretend to you are primary school aged child, the only obvious thing you were taught is that 427 – 316 = 111 because “Angry Mom” said so. There is no explanation to how, or why that is the answer, it is merely expressed as an inarguable statement of fact. So sorry “Jack,” I hope you like flipping burgers because we don’t have time for you dumb-dumb.
Now what did “Angry Mom’s” child learn (for the sake of brevity I will assume this child is also a young boy like Jack)? Assuming that “Angry Mom” didn’t just whip out a calculator and do the problem (as a fellow engineer I can assure you that it would have been a spreadsheet, not a calculator), “Angry Mom” probably first did the problem in her head in a method very similar to that taught by Common Core. She may have then shown that 427 – 316 = 111, but that explanation would hardly be helpful when he encounters a more difficult problem that involves borrowing. He also failed to learn how to actually do the task assigned, which instantly places him behind his peers, and falling behind in math generally snowballs as children move up the education ladder leading to a gross lack of understanding in the late years. He failed to answer the question assigned correctly, and the last time I checked “Because I said so” is not an acceptable answer to any question outside of parenthood. Outside of math, he learned to distrust his teachers’ intentions, and that teachers are deserving of his disrespect. This is a mindset that is not conducive to learning. He learned that if he doesn’t understand a new concept, that it is wrong and not worthy of his time or effort. This is what will actually, oftentimes, lead to termination. If you tell your employer that the way they do things are wrong, and you are unwilling to complete tasks in the manner they prescribe, you won’t have that position for much longer. Ultimately, “Angry Mom” has failed to teach her child the math and important real world lessons, and has opted to teach destructive lessons out of her own selfishness.
“Angry Mom’s” tirade put to paper and turned into the teacher did not spring from a noble ideal; it was born of an ego too big to bother to help her child truly learn. She didn’t understand her child’s assignment, and instead of using the vast resource that is the Internet to gain a better understanding of what the assignment was designed to teach, she became frustrated and essentially told her child that the assignment was stupid. That is not education, that is retaliation. As parents, we should not condemn the new and different because we don’t understand it, because it is unfamiliar, we should do everything we can to learn what our children are being taught. By taking the time to gain an understanding of the material they learn in school we will be better prepared to assist them, and we will become better educated in the process. If you demand that you child is always taught subjects in a manner that you fully comprehend, you are demanding that you child receive an education from the past. You are demanding that you child learn in a manner designed by industrialists for the 19th and 20th century. You are failing to demand an education that prepares them for their future. Our children need an education that prepares them for economic competition from globalization, to tackle the problems of a changing climate, and to solve a post-carbon energy predicament. Our children will face the same problems our generation faced, but they will also face new difficulties which we must prepare them for. We should demand that our children receive new tools in their educational tool box which will help them tackle the problems of their future, not just the same old tools we received to tackle ours. That is precisely what this Common Core math curriculum prescribes, it will teach our children the same methods we all learned as children, but it will also equip them with other methods to solve problems. It is vitally important for them to know that they are not required to solve problems the way their parents did, because let’s face it we have done a fairly poor job of problem-solving.