I told you so

I hate to say "I told you so," but . . .

If you've talked to me in the last year, you've heard me complain about the Everyday Math program that Ankeny implemented.

Carly was in third grade and traditionally that has been the year kids focus on memorizing their math facts. But not last year. They learned about geometry, algebra and other concepts. Carly struggled to understand almost every day. And I watched her lose interest in trying. And honestly, I couldn't understand the relevance. Why would she need to know this stuff before she even knew her math facts?

Trying to be a good parent, I asked the questions. I was assured that this is the way kids need to be learning and that most kids were doing really well with it.

So imagine my surprise to hear fourth grade teachers comment twice in the past week about how the kids don't know their math facts. And that they really need to learn them. Now.

Really? I hope this isn't a surprise to anyone. Because it sure isn't to me.