Your ten-year-old comes home from school and announces that today the teacher explained a math equation that left him feeling confused.
Surprised, you ask, "What did you learn?"
As your son recites the gibberish of a math problem that makes no sense at all, even after showing you his class exercise marked up by the teacher's red pen, you feel irritation rising within you. While the lesson was no doubt intended as a primer for middle school, you feel the teacher has gone a little too far for this age group. You assumed she would cover just the basic course objectives for fifth graders and leave the rest for next year. But now your child seems more confused than ever about math, never his strong suit anyway.
Concerned, you make an after-school appointment with the teacher. Mrs. Jones appreciates your point of view and explains that the lesson was taken straight from the new textbook and a school board-approved curriculum. You ask if she might avoid going further in the book, since kids your child’s age may not be ready for that level of math detail. In a low voice she tells you that to do so may cost her job. She urges you to follow up with the administration, saying that if more parents become vocal, the curriculum might change.
Thanking Mrs. Jones for her time, you indicate that you will approach the school board directly. She nods, sharing your concern and relieved that a neutral person is prepared to take action, since she feels that her hands are tied.
At home you sketch out a plan to rework the demanding lesson. It's not that geometry is a bad thing for your child to learn, but at this age, he's not ready to master the concepts that will accompany the teaching of this subject. You would like to see the teacher reshape the lesson to keep it simple so your child, and other classmates, do not grow altogether discouraged with math and give up trying to learn even the concepts they should know at this age.
You call to have your proposed course change added to the agenda and make plans to attend the next school board meeting. At the meeting you politely wait your turn, and when called, stand up to discuss the course change as outlined, giving everyone present a copy to follow.
You patiently and thoughtfully explain your surprise when your son shared his perception of the math lesson recently. While you understand the spirit of helping school students advance to higher levels of mastery as they are able, you feel that some children are not ready to move forward and grow discouraged when pressure is applied. You cite examples from research and show how the lesson could be simplified by the teacher's outlining a basic idea for future math lessons while not forcing students to work complicated equations. Board members listen and nod as you finish.
After a few questions followed by discussion, the board asks you to step outside while they vote. Your proposal carries, and changes will be implemented the following term.
Happy with this outcome, you rush home to share the news with your spouse and child. Then you write a note for Mrs. Jones the next day. Thanks to you, the fifth grade school children in your district will be given a more effective math preparation lesson. Having reached your goal, you sit down for a cup of tea, smiling and relieved. Successfully proposing a course change can bring a great deal of satisfaction.
