I can't believe this About This Page:

[krisk11]

I feel the exact same way. DD is in 4th grade and it is already hard. I had to ask the reading teacher last year for a sheet to tell me what a Predicate was so I could help her with her homework and math is just next to impossible.

[disneymom9092]

Oh Tina-it gets worse! Then the kids learn how dumb we really are!

[RobinKay6573]

I realize one day that I had forgotten how to do long division. How sad is that and I have my Bachelor's degree! How sad is that! I think I could figure it out if I had to but heck...isn't that why we have calculators??

[tjslgs]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the hardest is intermediate school (jr. high). They're still young enough to remember how you helped in elementary school but the content is getting harder so you'll find yourself not knowing stuff. By high school, they're like, "Eh. She won't know."

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. My DS is in enriched 6th grade math and both DH and I have trouble sometimes helping him, and I'm a chemist and DH is an engineer!

[snoozy]

High school math is impossible, it is like a foreign language I can't help my kids with it.

[HiddenMickey]

I can't tell you how many times we had to ask the teacher how to do certain math problems, starting in third grade. My husband is very good at Math and has a Masters in Business and still didn't know how to do some of the 3rd grade math. There are new methods of teaching math concepts that we never learned. Don't feel bad.

-HiddenMickey

[LorinMO]

Tina,

I feel your pain. Last year, when my son was in 3rd grade, the school district decided to switch the elementary math curriculum to "Everyday Math". It's a great math curriculum that via hands on concepts. The kids love it but it has left parents with that look of "huh?" on their faces. Thankfully, our school has math nights once a month for parents to come and be tutored on the program.

I will admit that there are times when I review his homework and am clueless about what they are doing. He's in 4th grade now and they are doing some very basic algebra. Something I didn't see until 7th grade and was very bad at it!

[loobyoxlip]

Thanks, guys. I don't feel so bad now! In high school I was always in the honors classes for social studies, poli sci, English, etc. but I struggled so bad in sciences and math. I remember sitting at the kitchen table crying while my dad was trying to explain some math to me (my dad, the engineer, but NOT a good teacher!)

We all have our strong points, I guess. I won spelling bees, etc. and my dad couldn't spell to save his life.

Good thing Kylor's a smart kid!!

[Tink and co.]

I teach the Everyday Math to my 2nd graders, and I really love it. It allows for so much higher level thinking, problem solving, and individualized instruction when necessary. We used to only teach addition, subtraction, time and money in second grade. Now the kids are exposed to so much more, and most of my class loves math. It does look different though, so it can be intimidating to those of us who weren't strong in math (me included, but since I've been teaching math this way, I finally "get it" too). My younger daughter has been using this program since 2nd grade, and she can figure out some pretty amazing things in her head.

[Suzie]

I was good in regular math (adding, subtraction, fractions, dividing, multiplying) but NEVER got Algebra or Geometry so I was useless after grade school for my older son. By the time my middle son came along, they were teaching calculus in middle school and I was completely at a loss. Then with my youngest, they started algebra and geometry in grade school. I couldn't even help him with his long division since they used something called "Hatching" and divided up instead of down.
I always think of the scene in "When Peggy Sue Got Married" where Kathleen Turner is back in her old algebra class and says to her teacher "Mr.____, I happen to know for a fact that I will never use this in my future life." (not an exact quote)
Suzie

[barries5199]

I'm with everyone else who agrees that today's math is different than what we learned back in our days. My 3rd grader was learning last week how to write out the money amount on a check, like "two hundred thirteen and 13/100 dollars". Not sure why he needs to learn that right now! I felt like saying, "like you'll ever get your hands on my checkbook!" He seems to be figuring it out on his own without me.

After reading Terri's post, I'm not too worried about his math skills. He wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up so he can work with seals.

[CelticChick]

Tina, with my boys homework, sometimes it's not about what they have to do, it's how much they get. They come home with so much, that I am pretty certain that I didn't have half as much as them at 9 years old. I'm sure they work them to much sometimes.

[ilovelilo]

I think kids are learning more stuff a lot faster than I was when I was in school. I hear you about the math stuff--when I have kids, I don't know how I'm going to help them since I'm so bad in math!