There is No Such Thing as New Math

I recall several years ago when a childhood friend of mine told me, “Mike, my son is in third grade and I cannot help him with his math.”  I am sure that there
are many parents with the same sentiment.  They complain about what is called “New Math”. 

I will posit here that there is no such thing as New Math.  Math is what it has always been.  What my generation learned as children in regards to mathematics is still true.  What is new is how bureaucrats in education have forced teachers to teach math.  Once parents understand this, then parents can teach their children math.

It is important for a parent to understand that for a child in elementary school, the understanding, proficiency and mastery of mathematical concepts are more important than the grades given by an elementary school teacher.  No college or university will deny a student admission to its institution based on a grade in elementary school mathematics, if the student displays mastery of the subject matter at the high school level.  Elementary school must be seen as preparation for high school mathematics.  With proper preparation the student will have a higher probability of success in the subjects of algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus.  Post secondary educational institutions will look at proficiency and mastery in these courses for determining admission, not what happened in elementary school.

The point of this is that regardless of how your children are forced to be taught math, parents are free to teach math in a way that makes it easier for their children to learn math.  Parents should not be intimidated by an elementary school teacher because the parent is teaching math differently from how the teacher is forced to teach the child math.  Some teachers will bring up the concern about the boredom that a child who exceeds the rest of the class in mathematical skill will experience.

Parents in the United States are free people.  It is their right to supplement their children’s education as they deem necessary.  The ultimate goal is for the child to master the mathematical concepts to be successful is future educational endeavors.  While parents should always be respectful to the teachers of their children, they do not have to totally abdicate the education of their children to an educational system that could have other priorities than the intellectual development of the children of this nation.