Yesterday Heather and I met with Molly's seventh grade Math teacher. The conversation was informative. The problem is, that we, and Molly, think too much. It is really quite simple when you get down to it.
We learned from Kumiko that the Japanese kids must take a massive test in order to get into high school. The test is given on the same day all over Japan, and you go to the high school which you want to attend and take the test. Each school has a different score at which you may be accepted. Shoot too high, and you don't get into high school at all...
I suspect that there is more to the story...but the basic idea is, at first glance, horrifying! What if you don't do well on the test? What if you are sick that day? What if you just miss getting into a school? What if, what if.
It all seemed so arbitrary and cruel.
In America we are much more 'civilized.' Sure. Here is how Math works in Sebastopol. Some of the kids are taking Algebra in seventh grade. I am not sure how that came about, but I suspect that I want to find out before Maddy gets there! At the end of seventh grade 'general math' the kids take an Algebra Readiness test. The seventh grade teacher administers the test, which is given to the Algebra Teacher to grade.
Based on this test, the student is assigned a math level. If you do well, you take harder algebra, and then geometry in 9th grade. If you do less well, then you get pre-algebra, and algebra in 9th grade.
And of course, if you take Geometry in 9th grade, you take Trig in 10th or maybe Algebra 2. The funny thing is that the seventh grade math teacher was not clear on where it goes from her class.
So this must be a very important test, right? The kids know about it, and they study and work hard so that they can excel? No, actually 'there is no way to study for the test,' and 'it is no big deal' and 'I don't even tell the students, I don't want them to worry about it."
Interesting concept, that American system of education! At least in Japan, the kids know what is expected of them.
So, what is the right reason to study math? Two nights ago Molly gave me the 'what good is it' question. Ugh.
"Daddy, why do I need to know this?" She asked.
"Because it is beautiful." I replied. Heather and I had a little discussion about what motivates people, so I tried another tack. "Because people who know math make more money than people who don't. But mostly, because it is beautiful."
Last night Molly and I did f(x) problems. And she got them! The little devil understood. Problems like this:
y+4 = x+3
f(x) = x-1
In the middle of our lessons we took a break to take Maddy and Spencer to the super playground. Big fun, and Molly and I talked more of Math, and Molly said 'this is hard without paper, and I said , yes! And that is better, because the more ways in which you understand, the better is your understanding and memory. And she understood that!
And then after the park we moved on to multiplication:
y/4 = x+3
f(x) = 4*(x+3)
f(x) = 4x+12
And that distributive thing made me push the envelope and give her this polynomial to multiply
(x+1) * (x+1)
And with just a little bit of help, she got it. She got it! And she started by drawing lines to match up terms, in order to keep track of them! She drew the damn FOIL lines (First Outside Inside Last) and then we did a couple more of them, and then as she was starting to drop in exhaustion, I told her that some teachers drew the lines underneath the equation to make a face, and she laughed, and then I drew the lines above, and introduced the word 'FOIL'
She got into bed, and we talked, and she was full of laughter, and 'hee hee's' because she understood. She understood and she understood that understanding is a kick! That knowing something knowing how to do something, doing something that you couldn't do an hour before is a huge thrill!
...and she understood, and she dreamed last night about telling other people about FOIL problems.
Oh she is a wonderful wonderful girl!