Math can be the bane of a student's school life.
And it just seems to get more complicated as the years go on.
Also, there's now what they call... new math.
Yeah... parents don't seem to be in love with that.
Redditor PlentyNice1655 wanted to discuss their experience and get some feedback, so naturally, they came to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subreddit.
They asked:
"AITA for making a stink at school and forcing the teacher to change my kid's math grade?"
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
"My kid (4th grade) has been struggling in math."
"It's been an ongoing issue."
"This whole year, she has struggled with multiplication and division specifically."
"It's been a constant issue, and it got even worse when they moved on to multiplying and dividing with multiple digits."
"We've tried the school's tutoring, but overall, she's just not getting it."
"She doesn't get the method they are teaching (she gets it wrong like 80% of the time)."
"It isn't easier, and it's just more steps."
"Example multiplying… you break up the numbers, draw boxes, then multiply and finally add them all up."
"I decided to teach her the way I learned, and she understands it."
"Homework is a million times easier now because she can actually solve the questions."
"The issue is that my daughter had a math test last week, and she came home upset."
"She got a 50% even though she got most of the answers right."
"She missed two out of 25."
"So it should have been a 92%."
"I had a conversation with the teacher, and it boiled down to she didn't use the method shown in class."
"I pointed out that the test just said to show their work and not show a specific method."
"The teacher basically went 'too bad' and that if it happens again, it will be a 0."
"I was fed up and went to the principal."
"I'll admit I made it a big deal because I think it's ridiculous that she got penalized for getting the right answers using a different method."
"It's math… you can solve problems in a lot of different ways."
"The teacher was brought in, she was forced to change my daughter's score, and they said it won't happen again."
"She can find the right answer any way she wants to as long as she shows her work."
"The teacher was not happy."
"My wife thinks I was being an a** and keeps bringing it up."
"She says the teacher has other things to deal with and that I went overboard."
"Did I?"
The OP was left to wonder:
"So... AITA?"
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed in on some options to the question:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You're The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors declared that OP was NOT the a**hole.
"NTA. This is coming from an engineer; I have done so much math."
"You can solve questions using a ton of different ways, and some people just don't understand some methods ( that's fine)."
"I still find some methods confusing, so I just don't do that method."
"If your daughter got the right answer using a different method, it is fine."
"She knows how to multiply now; that is what is important."
"There will be more and more situations where you can solve stuff in different ways and more methods that she will find confusing or easier."
"It's math."
"Also, the box method isn't even good for longer multiplication; it will be dropped in middle school."
"It is just one way to learn multiplication."
"The box method just breaks it down more; some kids like it, others don't, and it makes it confusing."
"There are so many ways to learn how to multiply." ~ SoccerProblem3547
"This is one of the founding principles of modern math teaching."
"They now teach grouping, number lines, and other ways to visualize the numbers and the problem because different methods will click with different kids."
"This teacher is way behind the times if they're trying to force all the students to use only one method." ~ BitwiseB
"My family is all mathematically inclined."
"In school, I always solved problems in a way no one else did."
"My colleague also had her own way."
"Our teacher would often call the two of us up to show our alternative ways of solving a specific problem so that the whole class could see that you can get to the same result using different methods."
"It's the beauty of mathematics." ~ thecarpetbug
"This has been my issue with this 'new math.'"
"I understand their logic - making the process longer so the student sees the details on how to get from point A to B."
"But if the student can bypass that - even A to C or D - and still show a correct process and the correct answer, that should not just be taken into account, but be seen as the student understanding the concept." ~ hayabusa1919
"This is LITERALLY the purpose of Common Core math."
"Kids are supposed to be taught various methods for solving mathematical problems, and then hopefully one of those methods 'sticks.'"
"On a test, as long as they show how they got the answer, any of those methods are viable."
"One problem is some teachers think the method is what they're teaching, not the math."
"Honestly, I think those few are not great teachers." ~ Holoholokid
"NTA. You did everything the right way."
"You tried teaching her the way they wanted, and it was just causing more struggles."
"So you showed her a different way."
"The test said to show your work, which is exactly what she did."
"You tried talking to the teacher first and got nowhere, so you went to the principal."
"Clearly, the principal agreed with you, so now you have validation."
"Not all methods work for everyone."
"But forcing a kid to struggle that much doesn't make them smarter; it makes them feel less competent and can actually create a lot of anxiety around the subject or testing."
"Teaching should not be a hard line."
"You made every reasonable effort, and it didn't work."
"So you found something that did."
"That's good parenting." ~ Puzzleheaded-Fly7632
"I taught math for 18 years; you did NOT GO OVERBOARD!" ~ KWS1461
"I have taught 4th and 5th-grade math."
"Some students really latch onto the area model (what the OP is referring to), others partial product, some just really need the tried and true standard algorithm, and never really are able to get the other strategies down quite right."
"The OP is right, there's a lot to keep track of, and it's easy to miss a place value, forget to add one of the partial products, etc."
"I never hold it against students if they have a preferred method."
"Almost all come to prefer the standard algorithm because it's much quicker and more accurate, less work to check." ~ gummybeartime
"NTA. If the teacher isn't flexible enough to teach math using multiple methods, then the teacher is the problem." ~ PlaneConflict
"NTA - it's incredibly dehumanizing and confusing to children when they are correct, but are penalized because of things like this."
"Like a good parent, you found a method that is good for her, and you advocated for her."
"Children should be encouraged to learn things the way they best process, especially when that process garners correct answers and understanding of the concept."
"Keep an eye on that teacher, though." ~ gurlwithdragontat2
"NTA. I had a similar conversation with my eldest's teacher when they were learning division."
"The teachers had to teach the newer methods first and then the old school way that most of us parents learned."
"My daughter understood the old way."
"No more tears and frustration over homework."
"Their school even hosted a 'family math night' to teach parents the newer methods so we could help at home. "
"During an open Q & A, I asked if the children would be penalized for using the old school way if they understood that best."
"They looked uncomfortable but had to say publicly that any method was acceptable as long as they could show their work. "
"Later, one of the teachers thanked me for asking that because their hands were tied as to how to implement the curriculum."
"I made it a point to attend family math night every year my kids were in elementary just to ask that question." ~ KingsRansom79
"We went through something similar with our daughter as well."
"She had no problem doing multiplication the old way, but she just could not grasp the newer Common Core version."
"We were lucky that the teacher, school, and school district were completely ok with using the old method as long as she could show her work and explain it, if needed." ~ RougeOne23456
"NTA. I'm a math teacher, and I read this title fully expecting to say YTA."
"But your daughter showed her work in a logically consistent manner."
"It's not like she was just lucking her way into the right answer without being able to demonstrate her understanding."
"The teacher sounds like they're either petty or they don't understand the other method and don't want to admit that." ~ Quyust
"NTA. In 1998, in 4th grade, I received an accolade (a certificate sent home) for 'finding a new way to solve a math problem.'"
"I did not get how the teacher was doing it, so I made up my own way and was celebrated for this behavior."
"Today, schools have become (or attempted to become) so standardized, they're losing the big picture."
"It is about learning the skills of the subjects, not learning the methodology or structures in which they learn."
"Some of these methods overly complicate things and set kids up for failure."
"So, yes, we too have taught our kids how to use these other methods for various maths, and if they lost points for correct answers based on the work they showed, I would lose my mind." ~ allyvsandgin
"NTA, not every child is good at math."
"Finding a way to help your child learn is fantastic parenting, and advocating for them is even better."
"Methods don't have to be the same as long as the outcome is."
"I would have done the same as you." ~ ActivitySensitive901
Reddit has your back, OP.
Your kid got the answers correct.
Math is amiable and ever-changing.
This gives people several options to find the answers.
Keep being the parent you are.
