Try Teaching the Teachers First
Re “ ‘New Math’ Adds Up to O.C. Debate,” Aug. 27:
The reason that the “new” math didn’t work well was that it was designed by mathematicians rather than educators. As a result, the teachers never really understood the simple concepts they were supposed to be getting across to the students.
How do I know this? My wife was going to Cal State Fullerton to get her master’s degree in education. As part of the process, she had to take a course in teaching the new math. She’d catch me at night to ask me what her teacher was talking about. I’d look at her notes and his notes and explain to her what he’d been trying to say. She’d say, “Oh, is that all? Why didn’t he say so?” Pity the poor other students who were getting a graduate course in math rather than an explanation of how to teach simple concepts to little children.
My son would come home from school with questions from his teacher, who happened to know me. I’d explain the answers to him so that he could explain them to the teacher, who could then explain the concepts to the class. How many teachers had this kind of help?
I’ve been involved with education all my life. I’ve taught as a sideline since 1957, working with 9-year-old children up through adult education at the graduate level. I was even a college professor for a year until I discovered that college professors spend very little time teaching. I’m still doing volunteer work with several groups that are trying to improve math and science education in the public schools. So I feel qualified to discuss problems in education.
DAVID FEIGN
Santa Ana
* As a parent who has one child in the Capistrano Unified School District and one who is home-schooled, I am four-square in favor of the state math framework, which not only includes basic arithmetic (numeration and computation), but also six other strands, including algebra and geometry.
As a home teacher I get to choose which math program I would like to teach. With the eight strands of math, my home-schooled child gets much more, not less. Teachers understand the importance of the memorization of facts, but they also understand that children need to develop concepts behind the facts.
Rudolf Steiner, 75 years ago, taught children addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, using hands-on materials as well as a bodily kinesthetic approach, starting in the first grade, because he understood then that math should not be learned in isolation or separate compartments.
Your article mentioned that the educational pendulum swings--so true! Administrators and legislators implement “new” programs and discard all of the others. Districts and administrators provide the “rationale” for change, such as it’s not working because test scores aren’t going up; but even via staff development, teachers aren’t being taught the strategies needed for effectively presenting the “new” back in their classrooms.
So we’re left with teachers who won’t, those who can’t, and a few who muddle through on their own. This also happened with the open classroom concept and with the whole language approach to reading. And we wonder why “it” doesn’t work.
GLENDA WILSON
San Juan Capistrano
* Have you ever stopped to wonder, “Where is Ms. So-and-So or Mr. What’s His Name?” Rest assured, most of them are still around. They are generously contributing needed funds to the young people in our public schools and aiding future teachers.
Orange County Central Division 44 of the California Retired Teachers Assn. supports schools in Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana and Tustin. This past June, Division 44 contributed $1,000 to be divided among four middle schools in these districts. It was suggested that the funds be applied for a “cultural experience.” Last year the same amount was given to four elementary schools to help fulfill their “wish lists.”
In addition, in the past two years, the Scholarship Foundation has awarded a total of $12,000 in scholarships to 12 Chapman University student teachers.
Retired teachers are also giving of their expertise and time. This past year members of Division 44 reported a total of 47,000 hours of volunteer service. Statewide, CRTA members reported over 1,661,000 volunteer hours. Calculate this on a minimum-wage basis! The volunteer hours contributed to government agencies, schools, and other organizations is a savings of nearly $8 million.
Teachers have always been “givers” and as retired teachers they continue to give of their time, expertise and energy in serving their communities.
LEONA P. WENRICK
President
Orange County Central Division 44
California Retired Teachers Assn.
Costa Mesa
* After just leading a church workshop on religious political extremists, I found the Sept. 15 letter “Back to Basics, Back to Phonics” to be an excellent teaching aid since it contains so many of the code words and phrases used by the anti-public schools crowd.
The phrase “back to basics” means curriculum that consists of the 3 Rs exclusively, with emphasis on memorizing facts, preferably using McGuffey’s Reader.
“Phonics” means teaching reading by “sounding it out.” This works OK until you run into words like “phonics.”
“Educrat” is a contraction of “educator” and “bureaucrat.” It is a derisive term used to describe public school administrators--never people who run private schools.
The code word “vouchers” means a scheme to funnel public funds into private religious schools. It’s favored by operators of private religious schools.
The phrase “parental involvement” means allowing a small minority of activist parents to control class content and ban books, bypassing teachers and “Educrats.”
“Social engineering” means school programs like job counseling, health care and meals that create welfare-dependent students. (School-sponsored prayer and creationism in science classes, however, are not considered social engineering.)
“Unions” and specifically the California Teachers Assn. refers to groups that allow educators to make a semi-living wage and have job security. They are believed to be the major cause of school academic problems.
BILL LAKIN
Capistrano Beach
