PLATFORM : Math Is Basic
Our daughter came to the conclusion that she could not do computation in addition and subtraction well enough. She was very slow. My husband and I looked around and found a (tutoring) program.
I’ve very satisfied with my child’s (public school) teacher. I think the strength of school districts lies in their teaching of the application process--showing students how to read a word problem and helping them understand what to do and how to apply math.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Dec. 12, 1990 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday December 12, 1990 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 7 Column 1 Op Ed Desk 2 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Platform--Due to an editing error, words were dropped from a sentence in Sunday’s platform by Janine Bonn. The sentence should have read, “Math is an essential part of daily life, and I don’t think people can function capably if they don’t have basic math skills.”
However, there’s not enough emphasis on drill for mental computation. Students don’t know how to divide fractions or multiply decimals well enough. I’m concerned that many students will become too dependent on calculators.
Math is an essential part of life, and people can function capably if they don’t have basic math skills. Like language skills, math is basic to education. If a child suffers for lack of a proper education, parents have to accept some responsibility.
