DEAR TEACHER
– by Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts
Helping all parents make their
children’s educational experience
as successful as possible
Children Can Use their
Fingers to Solve Simple
Math Problems
Q
uestion: Our children have
just naturally used their fin-
gers to count and solve sim-
ple math problems. Now our child’s first-
grade teacher wants her to stop doing this,
saying it is babyish. I strongly disagree.
Do you have any evidence about the ben-
efits of young children using their fingers?
— For Finger Counting
Answer: Many teachers feel exactly
the same way as your child’s teacher about
children using their fingers in math class
and want them to stop using them. They
apparently are wrong. Recent research in
neuroscience has completely contradicted
this viewpoint. In fact, Jo Boaler, an edu-
cation professor at Stanford University,
has written that evidence from both behav-
ioral and neuroscience studies show that
when people receive training on ways to
perceive and represent their own fingers,
they get better at doing so, which leads to
higher mathematics achievement.
Where You Can Learn
More about the Common
Core Standards
Question: Where can I find out what
the Common Core standards require chil-
dren to learn at different grade levels? —
Seeking Information
Answer: You are wise to want to
learn more about the Common Core stan-
dards, as much misinformation about them
exists. First of all, they are educational
standards only for English language arts
(ELA)/literacy and mathematics in grades
K-12. These standards do not dictate how
teachers should teach these subjects; this is
determined by teachers and their schools.
The purpose of the standards is to get
every child in grades K through 12 ready
38 WNY Family February 2019
for college and the workforce. The stan-
dards tell exactly what essential knowl-
edge and skills students should have ac-
quired at the end of each grade level no
matter where they live.
It is important to understand that these
standards were a multi-state effort that was
coordinated by the National Governors
Association and the Council of Chief State
School Officers. Keep in mind that it is not
mandatory for states to adopt these stan-
dards; however, they are becoming part of
many new textbooks and standardized as-
sessment tests.
There is a lot of information online
about the Common Core. Visit www.cores-
tandards.org for a great overall picture of
the standards. On this website, you will
learn how the standards were developed,
find out their importance to your child, and
be able to read the standards for each grade
level. There are also sections on myths and
facts about the Common Core, as well as
frequently asked questions. If you have
general inquiries after looking at all this
information, you can send them to com-
[email protected].
Once you have the general picture
about the Common Core, you should visit
your own state’s website to learn about its
state-specific implementation efforts. You
can find this information by searching on
your own state’s page for “Common Core
Standards.”
Looking at the Benefits
and Downsides to
Year-round School
Question: This year, the elementary
school my children attend has become a
year-round school. What are the benefits
and downsides to this new school sched-
ule? — No More Summers
Answer: Year-round school is defi-
nitely not a schedule that was around when
most of today’s parents were in school.
The first school to employ this schedule
did so in 1968. And it is definitely not uni-
versally popular throughout the country.
Only about 3,000 of the close to 200,000
public schools in the country are using it.
With year-round schooling, the year
is typically made up of from 8- to 10-
week periods of schooling that are broken
up with 3- to 5-weeks of breaks. Some
schools have two 90-day school sessions
with two 30-day breaks.
Parents are not universally sold on
year-round schooling. Many think that
their children are totally losing their sum-
mer vacation. They are not! However, their
children’s vacation breaks will definitely
be shorter.
The major arguments for year-round
schooling are preventing summer learn-
ing loss and reducing student and teacher
burnout. It also gives students the oppor-
tunity to take remedial and enrichment
courses during breaks.
One major argument against schools
using a year-round schedule is how it can
complicate child-care arrangements. An-
other is that it makes it more difficult for
younger students to explore non-academic
activities in the summer and for older ones
to get jobs. It also complicates the making
of vacation plans, especially if the children
in a family are on different break schedules.
Studies are definitely mixed on the
actual benefits of year-round schooling.
Some show a decidedly positive impact
on learning. Others have not. Many school
districts have tried year-round schooling
and then gone back to a more traditional
schedule.
Even though the number of public
schools with year-round schedules is not
really large, changes are definitely taking
place in school schedules. Up until fairly
recently, schools traditionally began af-
ter Labor Day and ended after Memorial
Day. Now many schools are beginning in
August or even late July and ending be-
fore Memorial Day. Then there are fall
and winter breaks along with breaks for
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
One thing that parents need to realize
is that no matter what the school schedule
is, most children are almost always attend-
ing school for 180 days.
Parents should send questions and com-
ments to dearteacher@dearteacher. com
or to the Dear Teacher website.