Comments on: Concerned about Fairfield’s New Elementary and Secondary Math Programs? http://fairfieldmathadvocates.com Concerned parents within Fairfield advocating for students Thu, 09 May 2013 02:52:45 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jay Gross http://fairfieldmathadvocates.com/#comment-1626 Jay Gross Wed, 01 May 2013 14:01:59 +0000 http://fairfieldmathadvocates.com/?page_id=525#comment-1626 I have recently started to educate myself on this topic and would like to talk to the organizers behind this effort. I have one observation which is that to get action requires action… which since I am child of the 60s means protesting, boycotting and other disruptive (but legal and respectful) actions. I would like to help. My initial contribution is to suggest that every parent send the following note to your childs Math teacher. I did with very good result. I believe that most math teachers know CPM is flawed and will not resist supporting a concerned parents direct request. I made my concern very narrow and specific to group assessments and not the broader topic of CPM. Beyond this we need to get visible in the community and get the press involved… we need to create an event they will cover and that our town administration can’t ignore. From what I am seeing its time for action. Who agrees?

suggested parent letter to Math Teacher

‘I have talked to my child and told my child to work within the group as best he/she can. However, in the end if my child feels the group is wrong and can not convince the group to follow my child’s lead my child has my permission to submit an independent answer. Working within a group is an important skill, but teaching kids, especially at this age and especially girls, to think independently of a group, to trust in themselves above all is much more important than other considerations. I hope you will support this and not penalize my child for an independent answer. If the answer is wrong so be it’

]]> By: Kim Fahey http://fairfieldmathadvocates.com/#comment-74 Kim Fahey Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:26:36 +0000 http://fairfieldmathadvocates.com/?page_id=525#comment-74 Fairfield schools are known to be “good” schools. Good schools teach their students. If there are questions students should be able to ask teachers as well as others for guidance. What are teachers in schools for supervision and behavior control? Good schools should teach their smart students, who in turn continue to get more knowledgeable. Yes, students will always be learning from other students but the point of school is to learn the correct way to do something.

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