Dear Gifted teacher...
ex. 9+5=
5+5=10,
so then 4 + 10 = 14
I don't consider myself a mathematical genius by any measure, but I am unable to see how the above approach to calculating "9+5" could be anything other than debilitating within the context of larger addition problems and multiplication problems, not to mention the problems encountered a year or two down the road.
One article at Hoagie's attacks the question of learning math facts head on, and I believe argues the necessity quite effectively. (Not for all kids, but for the majority.)
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/why_memorize.htmI know that not everyone is a fan of memorizing math facts, but as this article relates:
"... there's a basic problem here that we as the parents of gifted children must come to terms with: Not all useful learning is intrinsically interesting."
Looking back at your proposed note, I honestly can't envision the teacher reacting positively to your suggestion. Yes, your children came up with creative ways to calculate math problems... but only because they'd not learned any other way to do it. Their creativity is not bad, or wrong, or anything else negative... it's just that they would arguably be better served by taking the time to learn more efficient processes.
You describe your daughter's approach as a deliberate effort to "complicate math in order to make it more interesting."
I think that if she takes the time to master her math facts -- as boring as they may seem -- she'll be able to enjoy tons & tons of higher-level math that she will undoubtedly find far more interesting than enlisting a novel approach to single-digit addition.
