Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Question re Math Homework Worksheet and Enrichment

DS gets a math homework sheet every day - one side is "practice" the other "enrichment." He chooses to do the enrichment (because the practice is woefully beneath him, even the enrichment is). So, he usually picks to do the enrichment side (last year that was fine). Today he was told he HAS to the practice side and then he can do the enrichment side. I have so had it with this math bullcrap already - how much longer will they hold him down like this? It's like they WANT to stunt his growth. He is really far ahead of what they are doing. It's bad enough he has to sit through class with no differentiation subtracting 3 from 5 or adding 2+2.... but now homework too? Seriously, they have him adding 4+3 with counters and asking him to explain his answer. Any advice?

What MoN says. I myself would also put a single diagonal line through the practice side of the sheet of paper, and initial it (no more, tempting though it would be to write INAPPROPRIATE in my marking red pen :-) just to try to ensure that nobody blames him rather than you for his not having done it. I'd say to him, as I did it, "I'm crossing this out because it's not appropriate work for you. If anyone asks you about it, just tell them I told you not to do it, and say I'll be happy to talk to them about it, OK?"

There seems to be a consistent problem with mathematics education, especially in the US. It drives me nuts.

I had a conversation with DD's principal the other day. We were talking about nitpicking petty things in DD's math homework. An example I gave him in a letter I wrote was that she was marked wrong for writing 809 as "eight hundred and nine" instead of "eight hundred, nine." My overall argument was that she needs challenging work in order to develop well and that she won't get there worrying about "eight hundred, nine."

The principal told me that in fact "eight hundred, nine" is the correct way to write it (according to Wolfram Mathworld it actually has to be written without that comma, and DD's math teacher picks on that level of "error"). Regardless, he really didn't seem to understand either the real problem with my DD, the point of writing out the word names of the numbers, or just how picayune this was.

IMO, most of our elementary (maybe middle school, too?) educators simply don't have a real understanding of mathematics and so substitute this kind of thing (as noted in the thread about Liping Ma's book; here's a summary of her findings).

Perfect thank you. That's what I was thinking, i.e., writing some sort of note but then it got verbose in my head. This diagonal line with my initials is perfect... Teacher will call me ... She calls me all the time to "check in" ... I am sure that is a consequence of last year and they are trying to make sure that they are not in a position again that they have put incriminating stuff in emails. Anyway, when she calls I will just say that the practice side is inappropriate given his level - we only have so much time for homework due to his therapies and such (this is in his iep that homework may be adapted due to fatigue issues and therapy schedule) and so I'd rather him spend that precious time doing more challenging work. When the practice section is sufficiently challenging he can do that. Otherwise he'll do the more challenging work.

Totally agree Val. The next issue will be drawing these stupid counters as a way of "showing his work" I am ready for that - he has physical issues in his hands, this is math class, not 'drawing-circles-and-squares-and-coloring-them class'. She knows he "knows" 7-3 is 4 and why but she insists on making him spend math class drawing 7 beads and then coloring them various colors to "show" why. It is already making me nuts! WTF. And no wonder DS is getting frustrated. Can you imagine? He is on to multiplication and they have him doing this? I can't wait to put the test scores in front of them and ask them in all seriousness if they think coloring 7 - 3 is appropriate for him given his scores.

It is enVision right? The "explain your answer" is getting to us too! I finally stopped asking DD9 to try to write more or better explain her answer and let her just put down whatever she wants. Usually her answer is something along the lines of "because that is the answer". I jokingly told her to put because Mrs. Teacher (from kindergarten or 1st grade) told me that was the answer. I seriously want to let her use some of the in-depth answers others have given on this forum, but it wouldn't surprise me if she got in trouble for doing that and we don't need anything else causing her to get into trouble (she does fine on her own...lol).

I was recently complaining to a very wise person about the "explain why 9X1=9" question. I told her I didn't understand why this was even being asked at the 4th grade level, especially as "enrichment". She explained it to me like this - it might actually be a good question to ask a student that didn't know why, but when you have a child that has known 9X1=9 from a young age, then it becomes a foolish question to ask. I guess that makes sense.

We'll.. I was *about* to say - that's amazing... I have a degree in math, and a successful career as a scientist, and I have always written "eight hundred and nine".... astounding no one has ever rejected a paper or called me to task on that grievous mistake!

Then I realized - where in real life do you actually write out a number that large? In English class we were taught to use numbers rather than long-hand for any number above 10. I do write "eight hundred nine" on my checks, but really, would a bank *not* cash a check that had the "and" in it? Hmmm.... I think it would go through lol!

So, um, yeah, getting that odd little grammatical rule down in early elementary is really really important (sarcasm dripping)

Irena, the way I (as in me, not ds) got through early elementary math-silliness was to just remind myself every night.... this will not be showing up on his high school transcript...

Best wishes,

polarbear

Irena, she may think that the easier stuff is more important and that he MUST do it.

In my experience, teachers may not believe that your child actually knows how to do this stuff. If the teacher hasn't had any training concerning gifted students, she may not even realize that some kids can work above grade level or (especially this one) way above grade level.

Those questions are great questions to ask of kids who don't intuitively understand math (I have one of those)... but fwiw, my one non-mathy kid asks those questions *herself* - they don't need to be sent home on a worksheet lol.

We've had a ton of interesting discussions with my math-challenged kid over these types of "explain your work" type questions, with my other two math-geeky kids who hate "explain your work" problems shouting in the background "BECAUSE IT JUST IS!!!!"

Sometimes I think all the current early elementary math curriculums were simply put together to torture parents....

polarbear

Well if things do not improve at least somewhat significantly after our meeting where they are presented with the scores finally PROVING Ds is way above this stuff, I am seriously thinking of pulling him out and homeschooling him in math. But I couldn't do it myself - I hate math and I work. I wonder if I could just send him to more mathnasium sessions (seriously they do a better job than the school) or something. I just am not sure I can sit and DS go through this for another year. I am also tired, as is he, of him not learning anything in school! He learns at home! School is just busy work and babysitting. Even he is pointing this out. He is also getting discouraged by the fact that he can never seem to prove himself worthy of more challenging work to them which I think affects him emotionally. Grrrrr.