As I try to bring everyone up to speed on the goings on with my family, I should briefly bring this up.

I mentioned prior to this weekend that I was going to be meeting with Emmett’s teacher over this Common Core math situation we have been struggling with. 

Going into this meeting, I’m fully aware that the school isn’t to blame for this but unfortunately for them, they are the messenger and I suppose that puts them on the front lines. 

  
That being said, I went into the school prepared to stand my ground and demand that Emmett not be forced to learn this bizarre way of doing math. In many ways I did what I set out to do but I don’t think I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. 

Emmett’s lucky to have really good teachers and they truly adore him. 

We actually spoke for about 45 minutes and she showed me exactly what they were doing. I was able to look through the curriculum and frankly, I truly don’t understand the point but I did gain a better understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. 

While I don’t agree with this new method and I truly hope Ohio repeals the shit out it, I’m not sure it’s the end of the world either. 

Part of the problem is that people who’ve already been doing Math the normal way for all or most of their life, are hard wired to do Math a certain way. Common Core makes about as much sense as trying to read a book written in a foreign language. 

That being said, if you’re learning Math for the first time, I’m not sure you’d struggle with it because you wouldn’t know anything else. 

I walked out of this meeting feeling almost more confused about Common Core than Imdid walking into it. 

On one hand, I do see what they are trying to do but on the other hand, it’s really hard to see past how convoluted the whole thing is. To be completely fair, I’m pretty set in my ways when it comes to numbers and this new math seems utterly ridiculous. That being said, I just don’t know. Maybe it’s my reluctance to see things in a different way that makes Common Core such a difficult pill to swallow.

Either way, Emmett’s not going to be penalized for doing things the old fashioned way, unless he’s specifically asked to demonstrate a certain approach.

The reality is that the school is frustrated with the process as well. 

I walked away from this meeting really confused and feeling like I drank the kool-aide. 

I’m not sure that I did any good but we’ll see how the week ahead treats Emmett and go from there.