Our principal told one of the other third grade teachers that she had received "lots of calls from parents of third graders" (I don't believe "lots" at all.) to complain about the third grade math curriculum being too hard for their kids!!! I was aghast! Excuse me? Third grade math curriculum has ALWAYS been addition and subtraction with carrying and borrowing (now called regrouping); multiplication facts; beginning multi-digit multiplication; beginning division; some geometry as in shape identification, perimeter and area; and beginning fractions. When I say ALWAYS, that means from my mom's time, to my time, to present time; so it's not like a big change in math curriculum happened at all. Plus, these are the things tested on the state test at third grade. We teachers did not determine the curriculum; the state did. Nor was this curriculum introduced this year! The principal wants us to spend our next collaboration day seeing what we could take out of the curriculum!!! Can you believe that? What in the world is hard about memorizing multiplication facts? Shall we not teach it and let the kids be unprepared for fourth grade? But maybe next year these same concerned parents will want the fourth grade teachers not tax the brains of the kids again! Of course, memorizing math facts does interfere with computer time, game-playing time, TV time, sports time, etc. Heaven forbid that we should require homework either. I just had to vent at such stupidity, especially on behalf of our principal. I am floored!!! I wonder what the principal and the parents will say when they get the results of the state test? Of course, it will still be the teacher's fault! Please, let me lower my standards so your kid will not have to work!!! Sorry for the rant.
