I've read the thread (didn't originally realize it was yours) and it sounds like a nightmare, but oh so familiar. We had one second grade teacher claim that DS couldn't do word problems at all, only to find out that she was grading them incorrectly. And starting in kindergarten, we heard the "right where he needs to be" line, which thankfully dwindled and disappeared over time. In DS's fourth grade math class, all the word problems have been extremely basic, like your Joey problem.

Striving to increase my rate of flow, and fight forum gloopiness. sick