AAP 3rd grade Math : do you teach/help your DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Math teacher here. I suggest you raise your concern with the teacher so they can be sure to keep an eye out. I also suggest you leave the teaching to the teacher since many things change over time with math (preferred methods, content, etc.) so it's best that the kid be taught the one way that they are expected to do things in class.

I have a 3rd grader - I don't teach her at home - I only give a little help if she specifically asks. If I was concerned that she hadn't grasped a topic, I would just email the teacher.

A teacher who has no clue that a child is struggling in his/her class doesn't sound very competent to me. I think the problem with our school system is too many parents decide to leave everything to the teachers. In the younger grades I taught my kids math ahead of where they were in school because they were ready for it. There was no confusion and they did quite well in math. I think OP should talk to the teacher, but math is math and kids who know how to solve problems in multiple ways can develop a greater understanding of the topic. In my opinion, a win win. If a child truly understands what they are doing and why, learning it in two different ways should not hinder them in anyway. Whatever the preferred flavor/method of the day is, if kids are taught well, they don't get confused when they encounter a different method.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The sniff test: the children who excel in math in high school and college are not the children who got this motivation, drive, and foundation from math teachers in elementary school ...certainly not in our County and Age. The prime drivers were not elementary school teachers but likely well-trained and educated parents in quantitative studies. This is the true litmus test. This is the unfortunate but certain truth. Very few children will ascribe their math abilities, achievement and performance to what they are taught in elementary school to today. Those pupils are in the minority. Just ask the students.

Professional mathematician here. My parents did no homework with me and weren't very good at math, from what they tell me. I completely attribute my love of, and ability in, math to my teachers. No doubt about it. I think my parents would have put me off the subject if they'd hovered over me while I was learning it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The sniff test: the children who excel in math in high school and college are not the children who got this motivation, drive, and foundation from math teachers in elementary school ...certainly not in our County and Age. The prime drivers were not elementary school teachers but likely well-trained and educated parents in quantitative studies. This is the true litmus test. This is the unfortunate but certain truth. Very few children will ascribe their math abilities, achievement and performance to what they are taught in elementary school to today. Those pupils are in the minority. Just ask the students.

(oops - meant that out of quotes!)

Professional mathematician here. My parents did no homework with me and weren't very good at math, from what they tell me. I completely attribute my love of, and ability in, math to my teachers. No doubt about it. I think my parents would have put me off the subject if they'd hovered over me while I was learning it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And I do wonder if the children of some parents have flattered them into essentially doing their homework for them. "Oh, Parent, I understand it soooo much better when you show me how to do it! Now, show me again how to do the next one, please?"[code]


The sniff test: the children who excel in math in high school and college are not the children who got this motivation, drive, and foundation from math teachers in elementary school ...certainly not in our County and Age. The prime drivers were not elementary school teachers but likely well-trained and educated parents in quantitative studies. This is the true litmus test. This is the unfortunate but certain truth. Very few children will ascribe their math abilities, achievement and performance to what they are taught in elementary school to today. Those pupils are in the minority. Just ask the students.

Sorry, I know a number of excellent math students at TJ who were not re-taught at home each night. They do well in math because they really like it and enjoy it. These are the same kids who answered, "Math!" when asked in elementary school what subject they liked the most. One of the kids is mine, and we never had to help this child with homework or get paid tutors to help. This child does homework and does well in school and has time for outside activities, also. Most of this child's friends are also involved in outside activities while doing well at TJ, with no need for re-teaching at home.

Children are simply not yet at a place in life where they are able to reliably ascribe the source of their abilities, achievement, and performance in anything. They are too young to have a sense of perspective on their lives yet. Ask them again when they're about 50 or 60 and you might get a better answer.

I think some of these kids have a good thing going with getting Mom and Dad to do their homework for them.
At some point, they need to do their own work.

[Anonymous]

Professional mathematician here. My parents did no homework with me and weren't very good at math, from what they tell me. I completely attribute my love of, and ability in, math to my teachers. No doubt about it. I think my parents would have put me off the subject if they'd hovered over me while I was learning it.

My PhD math and physics parents taught me math and science (the world around me) at a young age and and that has made all the difference in my life and success. My elementary and middle school teachers were largely irrelevant---except for an art and PE teacher in middle school who were phenomenal.

[Anonymous]

Math homework in primary school and secondary school took 5 minutes if I even bothered to do it. My parents didn't do any school homework for or with me. But, we worked at a much deeper level in mathematics and science. It was fun. My parents taught me mathematical concepts in the manner Sol Khan teaches on his videos.

I barely did school math homework or took any of the math books home. It was a pure waste. I never used any school textbooks. I simply did problems and also enjoyed making up and creating my own problems. Math was a contact sport. It meant getting in the game. Not with stupid math picture books by Pearson or worksheets. The teacher gave up asking for my math homework when she realized I had the top marks on every math test and always could always get him/her out of a jam in classroom explaining a difficult problem.

I know, I was extremely lucky to have parents who were excellent communicators with the young and could explain difficult concepts and problems in simple and clear terms I could understand. They, nor I did not bother with the math homework assigned in elementary and middle school. It was simply unimportant. What was much more important to my success was acing AMC, Mathcounts, AIME, and USAMO. My parents' lessons and that extracurricular activity made school math -- well superficial and downright elementary. That approach had nothing to do with school math teachers or math. In fact, I could ace the end of year math tests for every grade from K-12 (at the beginning of the school year) without going to class or doing any specific homework for the math classes.

I am using the same approach with my children. The results are the same. They simply have fun solving harder and harder problems (like puzzles and games). Give me one good reason to get oversight from an elementary school math teacher over problem solving with my children? I have no clue where they are in their math curriculum and it has never mattered to the children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Math homework in primary school and secondary school took 5 minutes if I even bothered to do it. My parents didn't do any school homework for or with me. But, we worked at a much deeper level in mathematics and science. It was fun. My parents taught me mathematical concepts in the manner Sol Khan teaches on his videos.

I barely did school math homework or took any of the math books home. It was a pure waste. I never used any school textbooks. I simply did problems and also enjoyed making up and creating my own problems. Math was a contact sport. It meant getting in the game. Not with stupid math picture books by Pearson or worksheets. The teacher gave up asking for my math homework when she realized I had the top marks on every math test and always could always get him/her out of a jam in classroom explaining a difficult problem.

I know, I was extremely lucky to have parents who were excellent communicators with the young and could explain difficult concepts and problems in simple and clear terms I could understand. They, nor I did not bother with the math homework assigned in elementary and middle school. It was simply unimportant. What was much more important to my success was acing AMC, Mathcounts, AIME, and USAMO. My parents' lessons and that extracurricular activity made school math -- well superficial and downright elementary. That approach had nothing to do with school math teachers or math. In fact, I could ace the end of year math tests for every grade from K-12 (at the beginning of the school year) without going to class or doing any specific homework for the math classes.

I am using the same approach with my children. The results are the same. They simply have fun solving harder and harder problems (like puzzles and games). Give me one good reason to get oversight from an elementary school math teacher over problem solving with my children? I have no clue where they are in their math curriculum and it has never mattered to the children.

That's not what was being discussed. I don't think anyone has a problem with extra math problem solving or puzzles or math club. The conversation was about the math curriculum.

[Anonymous]

You clearly enjoyed math and would have done well in it with or without outside help. The OP's child is struggling with the math at school and needs a different kind of help than a child who loves math and naturally takes to it.
Think of something in your life that you struggle with and don't enjoy very much. What if you needed to get better at that skill? What if it is a skill that is not a strength for your parents either? How would you approach learning a skill that didn't play to abilities that you enjoy using?

[Anonymous]

You clearly enjoyed math and would have done well in it with or without outside help. The OP's child is struggling with the math at school and needs a different kind of help than a child who loves math and naturally takes to it.
Think of something in your life that you struggle with and don't enjoy very much. What if you needed to get better at that skill? What if it is a skill that is not a strength for your parents either? How would you approach learning a skill that didn't play to abilities that you enjoy using?

My parents laid the foundation for my enjoyment and success in early life. Neither I nor the other 4 of my siblings were born with this. It was nurtured like fine wine. It was not entrusted or outsourced to random tutors and school teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You clearly enjoyed math and would have done well in it with or without outside help. The OP's child is struggling with the math at school and needs a different kind of help than a child who loves math and naturally takes to it.
Think of something in your life that you struggle with and don't enjoy very much. What if you needed to get better at that skill? What if it is a skill that is not a strength for your parents either? How would you approach learning a skill that didn't play to abilities that you enjoy using?

My parents laid the foundation for my enjoyment and success in early life. Neither I nor the other 4 of my siblings were born with this. It was nurtured like fine wine. It was not entrusted or outsourced to random tutors and school teachers.

yeah, but I couldn't tutor my kid if I wanted to. Up to 3d grade, sure. But then the math in 6th grade was about at my outer limits of knowledge, and in 7th grade it is was beyond my ability to help at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You clearly enjoyed math and would have done well in it with or without outside help. The OP's child is struggling with the math at school and needs a different kind of help than a child who loves math and naturally takes to it.
Think of something in your life that you struggle with and don't enjoy very much. What if you needed to get better at that skill? What if it is a skill that is not a strength for your parents either? How would you approach learning a skill that didn't play to abilities that you enjoy using?

My parents laid the foundation for my enjoyment and success in early life. Neither I nor the other 4 of my siblings were born with this. It was nurtured like fine wine. It was not entrusted or outsourced to random tutors and school teachers.

Yep, we've heard all about you. Please just go on doing what you're doing. We've heard enough already. The rest of us can go on working with teachers as a partnership for our kid's future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You clearly enjoyed math and would have done well in it with or without outside help. The OP's child is struggling with the math at school and needs a different kind of help than a child who loves math and naturally takes to it.
Think of something in your life that you struggle with and don't enjoy very much. What if you needed to get better at that skill? What if it is a skill that is not a strength for your parents either? How would you approach learning a skill that didn't play to abilities that you enjoy using?

My parents laid the foundation for my enjoyment and success in early life. Neither I nor the other 4 of my siblings were born with this. It was nurtured like fine wine. It was not entrusted or outsourced to random tutors and school teachers.

But, the above bolded text is the question. How would you learn a skill that you did not enjoy, maybe because you had experienced a distinct lack of success with it in the past? What if you needed to learn this skill? What would be your approach if you worked at it and worked at it but continued to fail, and you had no one in your family with a background in this skill?

[Anonymous]

When my DD was in the third grade and struggling, I talked to the teacher. She said my DD was doing fine. I then looked more closely, and she was. She was making stupid errors, but understood the subject. Now, in the sixth grade, she is doing quite well.

[Anonymous]

For a child who is struggling, you need to go back to basics while learning the new concept. For instance, if she is struggling with 256+289, you need to start with 50 questions of additions up to 10, 50 additions up to 20 (15+16, etc), and repeat these for 7 days, along with the more advanced topic. Parents should make sure that the child has solid foundations. You can work with the teacher, but as you said, the teacher keeps go on and on... It is up to the parents to rebuild the foundation. If you don't have the patience, sign her up for Kumon.

When the teacher gives my DC 10 questions, I often make up another 10 similar questions to re-enforce the concepts. If I find a mistake, I would give another question to double check DC's understanding. You don't need to be an expert in math to do this, you need to study it with your child... Or you can google.... As an adult relearning math, you will find it much easier than you have thought...

[Anonymous]

BTW, sorry for the grammar mistakes in the previous post...
I re-learned math with my first child and was able to keep up with her up to pre-cal Now I am much more confident with math and know how help my my second child.