I totally hear you!!! I firmly believe in math by ability, not by age, and these limitations on when kids are offered Algebra and really exciting topics is ridiculous. This is why people homeschool. My kid was bored out of his mind. He needed a challenge. He was discussing probability and fractions in first grade. By 5th grade, he’d already chatted with us about most of the topics that were being covered. We never did workbooks, but occasionally, we’d show him a math topic, and that was how he learned.
Even in the “accelerated” class, his teacher would say things like “Does anyone other than -my kid- know the answer to this question?” Or “-my kid-, could you please let me finish the question before you answer?” Sure, it’s cute that he’s smart, but in reality, these are sure signs of a kid that is assigned to the wrong class and not being challenged. It’s demeaning to him. I can’t imagine what he’d done for another 3 years of math class if he hadn’t started Algebra in 6th grade. I can’t imagine him waiting until 9th. That’s like trying to date someone for 10 years and staying chaste. About 3 years in you either get married, or you leave.
PS: Proof school really wants girls to get excited about math. So definitely bring them to some of the community math events. See what the girls think. When they’re in 5th grade, if you’d consider having them go for middle school, definitely have them shadow. Either they’ll love it, they’ll hate it, or they’ll think everyone’s really weird. Don’t worry about how they compare to their peers, only whether it’s a good fit for them.
Now I am kinda tiger parent, does Proof have matriculation data yet?
Here’s an article on SF’s algebra fiasco:
This is exactly the concession that Supervisor Katy Tang hoped to extract when she co-authored an open letter last spring with Supervisor Scott Weiner to SFUSD Superintendent Richard Carranza criticizing the district’s “one-size-fits-all math policy.”
Now, over a year later, Tang, who represents one of the city’s wealthier residential districts, says she still objects to the new standards and still hears from parents concerned about the quality of their children’s education.
“A lot of the correspondence I got was just sharing their own personal frustration,” she says. “How they were glad that their child was soon leaving the school district system, or how they were trying to find ways to get out.”
Well, Tang is the supervisor for where? District 4. What is District 4?
Sunset.
What did people from District 4 tell her?
“A lot of the correspondence I got was just sharing their own personal frustration,” she says. “How they were glad that their child was soon leaving the school district system, or how they were trying to find ways to get out.”
Never too late!!! I had opportunity to buy into Palo Alto in 2002, 2003, 2004, … , 2017 and missed out on all of them!!! Still, it remains my choice retirement neighborhood and will buy into it one of these days, when prices are at 10M a piece!!!
It’s only three years old. I’m not sure if there are any Seniors this year. Perhaps it’ll be best if the school claims everyone is going to Skyline College afterwards.
Reality is harsh out there for people who can’t move to any desirable schooling system. We can’t sell and go to second category all the sudden. We are stuck with what we got and make the best of it for our kids.
My wife is good at math and algebra. She graduated as a Dietitian with 6 years in the national university back home. Due to some transcription, our first kid, and so on she couldn’t step to the category of registered dietitian, which she is but because stupid rules she isn’t. She still makes a decent living.
So, she taught my kid on math. He is in 9th grade now, and taking math II.
I believe there should be a little bit of math and algebra taught in school since you are a little sunshine. Forget about learning about Lincoln and Rome, and whatnot for a while. Put emphasis on something productive, something that is going to benefit society and the children in general.
What the fuck is this José? That article mentioned black people, brown people, white people, even Filipinos but no Asians? Aren’t we the majority in the damn city?
Filipino is singled out as a separate group in most of the forms asking about ethnicity. I have no idea why. Because the 3 billions of Chinese + Indians are just labeled altogether as “Asians”.
Don’t worry about how they compare to their peers, only whether it’s a good fit for them.
