Suzanne's Column
Summer Time
The news about math has not been good lately. In our school district, for example, despite the promises of a new superintendent, 75% of Algebra students are failing the final exam, and 50% of Geometry students. Reports of school-assisted cheating have made headlines here, and around the country. Discouraged parents write to us from all over.
We have two basic principles here at Newton's Window: Bring the glory of math to people positively - and honestly.
The situation is discouraging.
And there are answers.
We've been working hard to offer families some alternatives for summer, and the coming school year.
For families in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, we are offering some exciting summer enrichment programs. Exciting isn't the word - exhuberant is better.
We believe at Newton's Window, that young children can do big math, and that older children can also do big math. We've taught trigonometry to twelve year olds, and they'll tell you - after that, fractions are never the same. We've put together some programs and packages that will let you do this for your own children, in the comfort and gentler atmosphere of home. We know that our students need to go more deeply into math, building stronger skills, and the confidence that follows from greater competence.
And for everyone else - we've put them in a box. Parents write to us from everywhere asking what they can do to go beyond the curriculum, to reinforce the curriculum, to make sure their kids are learning the basics well and strongly.
So we devised a remedy - with treasure hunts and mysteries and skill builders and stories, and 'do-able' excursions into higher math. And we've put them in a box, activities anyone can do, anytime. Everything you need is in there, except the child.
This is going to be a very good summer.
