Homeschooling - Moving Forward

So this morning my son finished the Kumon Simple Multiplication workbook.

He's 4.33 years old. I didn't learn multiplication until I was in the third grade - if I remember correctly. (And even with that retarded start, I still became a nationally recognized mathlete.)

The most fun, was at the end, filling out and utilizing the multiplication table.



When fathers see their kids get timely extra-base hits or star in a government school play they no doubt teem with pride.

With homeschooling, we move along so fast that I get that rush almost everyday. Seriously. It seems like just yesterday that Prince C-Nut was learning to count. Before you know it, he'll be doing the binomial tree, twin primes, modular arithmetic, inductive proofs, and differential equations!

For more on government school math see Michelle Malkin's post from almost 1.5 years ago. Particularly, watch the YouTube video which I'll also embed below. I actually disagree with Malkin, et al, on some of their criticism. And I'd elaborate if time permitted. Briefly, I actually think the *new-age math* methods are in many respects superior to rote algorithms that no users can or have ever proven/derived.

But I won't step into this *trap* of arguing how best to teach 5th graders....1st or 2nd grade level computation.

In other words, the *new age* methods are fine, just many years too late. Meanwhile, Malkin and company are screaming because their kids won't *test well* - not because they aren't learning life skills or anything.



If your kid can't do basic arithmetic by the 5th grade, it ain't the school's fault because the shortcomings of Big Education have been well advertised.

And because you sent them there.