Letters to the Editor: Early math instruction | Opinion - San Francisco Chronicle

Regarding “New math pays dividends in S.F. schools” (Open Forum, Oct. 29): It was refreshing to read the article. 

Journalist Megyn Kelly speaks during the Fortune's Most Powerful Women conference in Dana Point, California, U.S., on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. The conference brings together leading women in business, government, philanthropy, education and the arts for conversations to inspire and deliver advice.
Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg

However, I was disappointed that the focus was simply on middle school math. If children are to have a solid basis in mathematics, it should begin in first grade with emphasis on internalizing number facts such as addition and subtraction up to 20. As a former first-grade teacher, I was frustrated by the shallow curriculum I had to follow. I had to introduce a new concept each week, without the children having grasped the previous week’s math. Why a 6-year-old needs to be exposed to fractions and decimals when they don’t have the automaticity of knowing 10 + 2 is beyond my understanding. Thank you Alan Schoenfeld and Jo Boaler for encouraging the need to go “deeper” in mathematical concepts before continuing on to higher math. But I would suggest the foundational background of mathematics begin in first grade and continue onward. Perhaps then, students will be more prepared for higher math when they reach middle school.

Juanita Usher, Santa Cruz

Source: San Francisco Chronicle