People
Pr. William parents work around new math program
By: David Sherfinski
Examiner Staff Writer
January 29, 2009
Prince William County parents are teaching their children math at home and are considering “sit-outs” of state standards-of-learning tests if the county school board does not revise its Math Investigations program.
Kim Simon said she has bought traditional math textbooks for her second-grader, who she said “sits in Investigations and basically stares at the wall.”
Greg Barlow, who was the first to sign an online petition to return to a more traditional approach to teaching math, has said that without home tutoring, his fourth-grade son would be falling behind.
Simon said she would “probably continue working at home” if the program isn’t changed, and said that she has discussed staging a standards-of-learning test “sit-out” with other parents if the school board does not act — a move that could potentially hurt schools’ accreditation ratings.
A school board meeting last week at which the Math Investigations curriculum was discussed quickly turned into a heated debate among teachers, parents and school board members. The county began using Math Investigations for kindergartners through fifth-graders in 2006.
Michele Tluchowski, an employee at Porter Traditional School, passed on advice from a middle school athletic director that she said was “priceless.”
“Please let the coaches coach, let the referees referee, and let the players play,” she said. “Spectators, please only spectate.”
“I thought that was rather interesting,” said Simon, who later spoke before the board. “If [my] kid’s signed up for basketball and the coach teaches them soccer, I’m going to talk to the coach.”
The end of the meeting became especially heated, with Barlow and board member Grant Lattin engaging in a personal tete-a-tete as board Chairman Milton Johns urged people to refrain from engaging in personal attacks.
Board member Don Richardson told parents in the audience they needed to “start acting like adults.”
“It got a little contentious,” Richardson conceded later. “Parents, quite understandably, look at things from the standpoint of their own kids.”
“I think it’s unfortunate that it’s gotten so contentious,” said Simon, adding that there were “unjustified” shots from both sides that made her cringe at the meeting. “I found the whole debate entertaining, and I wish it had stayed at a higher level.”
Kim Simon said she has bought traditional math textbooks for her second-grader, who she said “sits in Investigations and basically stares at the wall.”
Greg Barlow, who was the first to sign an online petition to return to a more traditional approach to teaching math, has said that without home tutoring, his fourth-grade son would be falling behind.
Simon said she would “probably continue working at home” if the program isn’t changed, and said that she has discussed staging a standards-of-learning test “sit-out” with other parents if the school board does not act — a move that could potentially hurt schools’ accreditation ratings.
A school board meeting last week at which the Math Investigations curriculum was discussed quickly turned into a heated debate among teachers, parents and school board members. The county began using Math Investigations for kindergartners through fifth-graders in 2006.
Michele Tluchowski, an employee at Porter Traditional School, passed on advice from a middle school athletic director that she said was “priceless.”
“Please let the coaches coach, let the referees referee, and let the players play,” she said. “Spectators, please only spectate.”
“I thought that was rather interesting,” said Simon, who later spoke before the board. “If [my] kid’s signed up for basketball and the coach teaches them soccer, I’m going to talk to the coach.”
The end of the meeting became especially heated, with Barlow and board member Grant Lattin engaging in a personal tete-a-tete as board Chairman Milton Johns urged people to refrain from engaging in personal attacks.
Board member Don Richardson told parents in the audience they needed to “start acting like adults.”
“It got a little contentious,” Richardson conceded later. “Parents, quite understandably, look at things from the standpoint of their own kids.”
“I think it’s unfortunate that it’s gotten so contentious,” said Simon, adding that there were “unjustified” shots from both sides that made her cringe at the meeting. “I found the whole debate entertaining, and I wish it had stayed at a higher level.”
