Reply to Cooper Middle School Math

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ask to be switched. Every schools know who the problematic teachers are and what they teach. No school is going to pro-actively move your kid so ask to have the kid moved and give examples of why.[/quote]
why is your kid special that s/he should be moved -- can all the kids in that class be moved? [/quote]

Every parent wants their child to be removed from this class, it is the same year after year and parents try to get their kids switched and complain a lot.  Nothing has been done by admin to change the situation.  I’m not saying that this teacher needs to be fired, I believe that the administration should work with this teacher to be a more effective teacher and actually “teach” the students.  There are some really great math teachers at Cooper that this teacher could learn from.  Even sharing the other teachers notes would be helpful.[/quote]

You said that “every parent” wants to move their child from this class, but what, specifically, has this teacher done right now that has adversely affected YOUR child?  Expecting the administration to “do something” about a teacher is not helpful unless you can explain what exactly this teacher has done wrong.[/quote]

[b]This teacher doesn’t spend enough time “actually teaching” the subject.  There are notes online (not detailed enough), not enough examples, the teacher reads the notes once and then has the students spend the rest of their time working in their own.  
[/b]
In math you can’t expect students to learn something by hearing it one time.  It isn’t the same as History where students can read on their own and memorize facts.  Math takes understanding and repetition.  This isn’t just a problem for my child, it is an overall problem.  Even the best math students are having problems with this teacher because they are confused and don’t understand what he is teaching.

I never said that I want other teachers to solve the problem this teacher creates.  I asked specifically about Cooper MS because I know some students in the past have been able to switch to a different advisory teacher for QST or could have recommendations for local tutors near Cooper.

I really don’t understand why people are going off on the good teachers and saying it is their problem.  This is 100% on the admin or head of the math department to figure out.  The method that this teacher has been using for years is not successful and it’s time for someone to step in and work with this teacher to change their method of teaching.

Parents should not be expected to spend thousands of dollars a year, teach their child the subject, or expect 12 year olds to learn the subject on their own through Khan Academy.  I personally have already begun to do those things with my child because I have the ability and desire to do so, but it shouldn’t be expected that parents have the time/finances/or mathematical abilities to educate their children outside of school.  The teacher of the class should be expected to ensure that their students are receiving an appropriate level of instruction in order to master the subject.

This isn’t a one year problem and I don’t only care about my child.  This is a problem every year.  Algebra I is not a one and done class, it is  a very important foundational class that is built upon year after year.[/quote]

This is the difference between honors and regular algebra.  In honors, students are expected to “get” the concepts quickly.  Also, the students are just a few weeks in and it takes time to hit one’s stride.[/quote]

Exactly, many kids don't want or need multiple examples.[/quote]

Nope. that is the mythical genius. [b]the only difference between honors and not is the effort the kid wants to put in.[/b] The difference between a math major and a social science major is the effort the kid wants to put into math. You think one example is enough for a 12 year old?  A good teacher presents examples that challenge naive understandings.

Nope. Don't think math is easy to get it in one read. [/quote]

Hah. Very, very false. I have kids in my classes who are working their butts off to understand my content. They come every help block, stay after school when I allow it, have a tutor, ask questions...they still struggle.

I have other kids who literally do the entire notes page independently and if I accidentally give out the classwork assignment with their notes they'll have that done before I'm done with my 30 minute lecture/examples/scaffolds.

Some kids don't need but a gentle introduction if topics are scaffolded and practice is carefully chosen to introduce unique cases. HS math isn't rocket science.  Other kids need 25 examples of every problem type before they are able to do one independently. That's why we all teach to the middle, because 5-7 examples seems reasonable for most topics. The "quick" kids don't have to stare at walls longer than 20 minutes, and the "slower" kids get enough practice that they can ask informed questions when they come for extra help vs just saying, "I don't get it".[/quote]

Well since you are a teacher do you know if the kids that "get it" are doing extra like: Kumon or RSM? Almost all advanced kids have already done the math before the year begins. I do not buy into "born gifted", if the kid has interest they will learn.  [/quote]

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