is our children learning math

Is our children learning math?

A math teacher who attends my gym told me she is teaching seventh and

eighth graders math which they should have learned in third and fourth

grade. These kids don't know multiplication tables--in fact,

multiplication is unknown to them. She cited an example of one boy who

was told to multiply 12 by 9. He wrote the number 12 nine times and

attempted to add the nine columns up. He at least understood the

concept.

Why are our schools so obdurate about avoiding teaching our children

anything? They seem to have an absolute aversion to allowing learning

to take place. Let me put it another way--why can't the children

learn? Their parents learned to add, subtract, multiply and divide, so

it's not genetic, because we are dealing with the same gene pool. Our

children have not been stolen away and replaced by dolts.

I am far from being a math whiz, but I learned to add and subtract in

first or second grade, followed the next year by multiplication,

division, and--wait for it!--fractions! Yes, fractions were introduced

into my muddled little brain when I was a child of tender years and

appeared not to harm my psyche. I memorized the multiplication tables

because we were made to. I can't say it was an enlightening

experience, but I can multiply 12 by 9 even at my advanced age.

I do despair of our country's future when I witness this. Why is it

children can learn to read, write and calculate in third world

countries, and ours can't? Why does Iran, a repressive hellhole, have

a better educational system than we do?

What are they doing in school all day, playing volleyball?

Welcome, Carnival of Insanities readers!