Why in the heck are they making 3rd grade so hard?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Jessie brought home a math paper for homework tonight (in addition to working on her spreadsheet of presidents and important facts about them (online) and studying for 2 tests tomorrow). Want to know what the questions were?
"Solve the math problems mentally. Show wich number you would add to both, and then find the answer.
49 - 38 = _____
71 - 29 = _____
97 - 47 = _____"
Huh?
So I call a teacher from the school, whose daughter happens to be in Jessie's class. No answer.
I call another parent, whose son is in Jessie's class. The parental response I haven't a freaking clue in h*** what they are doing in math. She puts her 9 year old son on the phone (who incidentally finished his math homework in school and so didn't bring it home).
After much roundabout talking between him, his mom, Jessie and I, you have to take the smaller number, add to it to get it up to a whole number divisible by 10, add the same number (that you added to the smaller number) to the other number and then subtract them.
So 49 - 38 becomes 51 - 40 = 11. And 71-29 becomes 72-30 = 42. And 97-47 becomes 100-50=50.
Now wouldn't it be simpler to just teach them how to solve the stupid problems????????
The good one though was when we got 2 calls from other friends in the class wanting to know what the heck they were supposed to do......
This ranks right up there with the problems from the other night: Estimate 789 - 543 = ___. Which we found out the answer is 300 (800-500).
UGH.
QUILTED SIMPLE Getting back to the simple things in life, raising kids, growing most of our own food, enjoying our friends and family, and of course - Quilting and Gardening
13 comments:
That is some freaky math. WHen on earth would you ever do such a thing as round up one number and then do the thing-a-ma-bobber to the other doo-hicky and get the answer? Hmmm. Glad I'm not in 3rd grade because I'd flunk!
I know what you mean - thank-goodness Anna-Kate has taken after her Dad and 'gets' maths ...
Phew glad I am not the only one who has forgotten her school work!!
Gemma's maths is exactly the same. I'm a qualified mathematician but I have no idea about her maths homework. It took me an hour to work out the question one night never mind doing the answer.
I've never seen maths like that though. It's ridiculous
Love and hugs Gina xxx
oh lordy! that would just do my head in. what a load of nonsense!
no wonder some kids find school so hard these days.
julie
I agree with you 100%. I really think we've gotten away from the basics... reading, writing, arithmetic...to supposedly develop the "whole child?" Feel an answer? But, as I've often been told, I don't have children so what could I possibly know about education in today's modern world? :)
Whaaaa? Heck we are still struggling with the three times table here!!
Cherry
That seems like the hardest way possible to do it! It makes me happy that I don't have to take math anymore, too. Why are they teaching it that way?
I AGREE!!! We have been doing "magic multiplication and division" as well. The idea was to simplify the rules the kids had to learn to do math...but they didn't! It's just a different set of rules which are significantly different from what we learned. It's frustrating! If it is any consolation though, many teachers hate it as well.
btw, I posted my 4th picture challenge today!
And, I'll bet if you explained to the teacher that you borrow from that left hand column and write the number + the 10 you borrowed in tiny numbers at the top of the right hand column she would look at you like you have two heads. This is why we go into a fast food restaurant and the kids in there can't make change without looking at the cash register. And it is REALLY early in the semester for you, too.
I KNOW!!! It's ridiculous...it was the same with my kids, before I started homeschooling. Math used to be straightforward....now it's a maze. I can't see how that's benefitting anyone...except maybe the publishers, who reprint regularly.
Ow! My head hurts. I hate math....and that was back when it was apparently easy. This is just wrong. I need an aspirin.
I'm so glad my kids are out of school now! My head is still spinning. LOL!
I generally class myself as reasonably intellegent, however I have no clue why they are doing what they did, and what the purpose of all this was?
Gill in Canada
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