I started teaching middle school math in 1994 and was lucky enough to work on the MLR team. We used a traditional textbook which I was comfortable with but my struggling mathematicians still hated math and said that were bad at it. That is when I realized it was my responsibility to change this attitude and larger cultural perception that being bad at math is acceptable. Nobody is proud at not being able to read well but math is a whole different story. Now almost 20 years later, I am back into a self-contained Grade 5 classroom after being an Elementary Title 1 Math Specialist/Coach. While I understand high school teachers frustrations with the "lower grades", maybe they do not understand the complexity of elementary education. We have to be experts in everything. I can't just think about math, even though it is my passion and specialty. I use my Everyday Math, Common Core and now our Maine Cohort for Customized Learning standards and make sure all students are meeting those standards. And then I do the same thing for ELA, Social Studies, Science, etc. "But what would be even more beneficial if kids would be expected to achieve mastery in the lower grades, and those who aren't get the extra support there until they do." We are trying to do this, but it is a huge shift in the structure of schools. We were used to getting through all the assigned curriculum, sending them along and hoping for the best. Getting rid of grade-levels and going to a Personal Mastery sytem is very difficult, especially when Common Core is so extensive. Also let's use technology in our favor instead of blaming it. While it is easy to place blame, I think we need to think beyond that. I could go on and go, but we need to be problem-solving and especially understanding about the different challenges of many of our less sponsored students.
