anyone else have a 4th grader in MCPS who can't quickly rattle off multiplication facts?

[Anonymous]

It is well and good that people think parents should be teaching this at home. What about parents who are not able to do this--maybe they have two jobs, or have health or other problems, or don't have a lot of schooling themselves. Are their kids just not supposed to learn these things? This is a school's job to teach and if they can't teach basic math facts to mastery they are not teaching.

If you can't teach or help your child learn the multiplication tables ( I don't care if you have 3 jobs or are the CEO of America) you are in deep dodo.

[Anonymous]

It is well and good that people think parents should be teaching this at home. What about parents who are not able to do this--maybe they have two jobs, or have health or other problems, or don't have a lot of schooling themselves. Are their kids just not supposed to learn these things? This is a school's job to teach and if they can't teach basic math facts to mastery they are not teaching.

If you believe it's the school's job to teach your child math facts and parents and family play no role you and your child are in deep dodo.

[Anonymous]

OP, FWIW, I never had my 6,7,8 tables memorized and I was a math major, with a 3.7 GPA from a good school.
Still don't know them.

The operative words here are: "memorized", "math"major, 3.7 GPA (grade inflation) and "good"school. Since all the math majors I know then and now know the multiple tables and how to multiply I would conclude this knowledge is etched in memory and is "memorized".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is well and good that people think parents should be teaching this at home. What about parents who are not able to do this--maybe they have two jobs, or have health or other problems, or don't have a lot of schooling themselves. Are their kids just not supposed to learn these things? This is a school's job to teach and if they can't teach basic math facts to mastery they are not teaching.

uh - I'm a teacher in a "low performing" high school. And while we do our best to make certain that the majority of the learning is done w/in the classroom, we aren't following kids home to help them study. Number sense can be taught in school. Memorization requires time - preferably a chunk of time in a quiet place. You don't understand the difference?

So yes, my students work. Many parents work two jobs. They have odd hours. Older siblings often watch younger siblings. Many live in poverty.

But to EXPECT teachers to become responsible for society's ills is ridiculous, and you look like an ass posting what you did. not very smart, are you?

Wow. I don't expect you to cure society's ills, but I do expect you to teach kids their times tables. It sounds like you have given up and are resigned that your students can't do it.

[Anonymous]

To the teacher: as a parent, I just wish teachers would assign homework that reinforces the multiplication facts. I went to catholic school, and we had to write out the times tables for homework. With 2.0, there's hardly any homework. And since we don't know what the hell goes on during the limited math instruction, we aren't aware that we are expected to drill our kids...until we get the email from the teacher saying, "Ooops...the kids are still struggling with their times tables, so please practice at home so we can move forward with long division." (Even though 2.0 doesn't approach long division in the usual/common sense way.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We have never depended on the MCPS math curriculum or math teachers (it and they are inadequate). I taught all 3 of my children their multiple times tables before they entered Kindergarten (age 5). I figured if my Dad and Mom taught me (and 4 other sibs) this in the late 1950s; it's the least I can do for my children. It took about 4 months on average for each of them on the 5 min drive in the morning to their kindergarten class. We made a fun game learning the tables forwards and backwards (in reverse) and skipping by 2s, 3s, 7s... forwards and backwards.

Best investment of 5 min in the morning ever.

Lesson 1: If you depend on the MCPS elementary school curriculum and teachers, alone, to teach your children basic mathematics you may be disappointed. We did not let this happen from day 1 with any of our children.

Agree with this poster. You really can't depend on MCPS for everything. I feel it's our job to fill in the gaps. So we use that 5 minutes in the car in the AM for similar things. Except we didn't do the times tables until DD was 6 (not before K like the PP).

Not sure why that one PP was so nasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ADHD kid with an IEP kid is in 3rd grade and is still adding and subtracting with his fingers. Most of the comments are on multiplication, but I am starting to get worried. Do you teachers think this is an issue that I should raise with the school. We have a tutor and are doing everything we can at home.

By the way, does anyone know any good, fun kindle apps for learning math facts.

I don't know an app but print off the addition tables.

http://www.prasinipriza.com/A/P/AA310040/10/ADDITION-TABLE.html

Hang it on the wall and mark off what he knows. I would guess he knows 0, 1, 10.
Then work on doubles 2+2, 3+3, 4+4, etc. (you will mark the diagnol)
Then work on "best friends" ... they add up to 10 so 1+9, 2+8, 3+7. (When you are in the car you say who is 6's best friend, the answer is 4... 10 is the majic number for so many reasons) (Then you have marked the diagnol the other way.)
Then do the 9's ... it is one less than the 10's 9+4 is 14-1=13 or you can say you put a 1 and then the number that is one less 3, 13. (looks better if you write it out)
9+2=11
9+3=12


then work on what is left which is not much and then keep emphasizing you know so much.

Not the PP who asked, but thanks for this!! I'm printing it out for my DD.

[Anonymous]

We have never depended on the MCPS math curriculum or math teachers (it and they are inadequate). I taught all 3 of my children their multiple times tables before they entered Kindergarten (age 5). I figured if my Dad and Mom taught me (and 4 other sibs) this in the late 1950s; it's the least I can do for my children. It took about 4 months on average for each of them on the 5 min drive in the morning to their kindergarten class. We made a fun game learning the tables forwards and backwards (in reverse) and skipping by 2s, 3s, 7s... forwards and backwards.

Best investment of 5 min in the morning ever.

Lesson 1: If you depend on the MCPS elementary school curriculum and teachers, alone, to teach your children basic mathematics you may be disappointed. We did not let this happen from day 1 with any of our children.

Agree with this poster. You really can't depend on MCPS for everything. I feel it's our job to fill in the gaps. So we use that 5 minutes in the car in the AM for similar things. Except we didn't do the times tables until DD was 6 (not before K like the PP).

Not sure why that one PP was so nasty.

Your approach disrupts their world view and they can't take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the teacher: as a parent, I just wish teachers would assign homework that reinforces the multiplication facts. I went to catholic school, and we had to write out the times tables for homework. With 2.0, there's hardly any homework. And since we don't know what the hell goes on during the limited math instruction, we aren't aware that we are expected to drill our kids...until we get the email from the teacher saying, "Ooops...the kids are still struggling with their times tables, so please practice at home so we can move forward with long division." (Even though 2.0 doesn't approach long division in the usual/common sense way.)

Exactly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It is well and good that people think parents should be teaching this at home. What about parents who are not able to do this--maybe they have two jobs, or have health or other problems, or don't have a lot of schooling themselves. Are their kids just not supposed to learn these things? This is a school's job to teach and if they can't teach basic math facts to mastery they are not teaching.

If you believe it's the school's job to teach your child math facts and parents and family play no role you and your child are in deep dodo.

I guess I'm a dodo then. But at least I'm deep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP, FWIW, I never had my 6,7,8 tables memorized and I was a math major, with a 3.7 GPA from a good school.
Still don't know them.

The operative words here are: "memorized", "math"major, 3.7 GPA (grade inflation) and "good"school. Since all the math majors I know then and now know the multiple tables and how to multiply I would conclude this knowledge is etched in memory and is "memorized".

I am also a Math major that was never able to memorize math facts. It's not grade inflation or anything like that. I had to take an IQ test once and the section with logical reasoning, spacial relations, etc I flew through. The woman doing the test said she usually measures it in minutes and I was doing it in seconds.

I don't claim to be a genius but one section of my brain is amazing the other side not so much.

I remember a teacher once saying, I don't normally do this but I am going to let you take the higher level math even though you can't do your math facts, but you work so dang hard. So I did, took advanced math.

She got sick and lost her voice for 3 weeks and I taught advanced math, for 3 weeks when I was 13yo.

I am a math geek, plain and simple. But I can't memorize.

[Anonymous]

I am also a Math major that was never able to memorize math facts. It's not grade inflation or anything like that. I had to take an IQ test once and the section with logical reasoning, spacial relations, etc I flew through. The woman doing the test said she usually measures it in minutes and I was doing it in seconds.

I don't claim to be a genius but one section of my brain is amazing the other side not so much.

I remember a teacher once saying, I don't normally do this but I am going to let you take the higher level math even though you can't do your math facts, but you work so dang hard. So I did, took advanced math.

She got sick and lost her voice for 3 weeks and I taught advanced math, for 3 weeks when I was 13yo.

I am a math geek, plain and simple. But I can't memorize.

Sorry buddy from one math geek to another wannabe, you are an anathema and an outlier.

[Anonymous]

+1000

[Anonymous]

"Math geek" from a community college in Mississippi is more like it here.

[Anonymous]

The tables have to be memorized, and it is not that easy. But use every boost you can: the 2 are easy. The 5all end in 5, or 0. 4 x 6 is the same as 6x 4 , so you only need to learn it once. And so on. The hard ones are the 6-9 times each other. For example 2 x9 is not as hard as 6 x 9. Break it into pieces. This is a skill they will use over and over. You might want to get it completed before division; Its multiplication in reverse. I think the schools do an overall good job teaching math, but this is something parents have to help with in every school I have seen.