Coaches

 This past week, I was reading through my home-state news (Alabama) and found this interesting story over the state finding funding....to hire up 'math coaches'.  Note, we aren't talking about math teachers....we are talking about extra folks out there, who apparently will be hired to better handle crappy math education within the state of Alabama.  

Yeah, they aren't replacing math teachers....it's just that they will show up and lecture kids in some different manner....than the math teacher can present.  

Bogus situation?  Well....I will tell this story of my ninth-grade math situation from early 1970s.

We started the school year in the math class....with a new teacher.  I would say that the first four weeks were mostly a refresher episode....where half the class had forgotten most everything from the previous math 'year'.

Along about mid-September....we come to a chapter of mathematical equations....vastly different from anything of the previous year.  

There's supposed to be around 3 weeks on this chapter, with a test, and then we move onto the next chapter.

At this end-point, out of 24 students....I would estimate that five people grasp the subject, with another five who marginally understand it (me in this group), and the rest in failure mode.  The test result?  If I remember correctly....one person scored in the 90 range....two in the 80 range...two in the 70 range....the rest all in the zero to sixty range.  

The teacher basically threw out the results, then went onto roughly seven additional class days of refresher on the same subject, with another test.  That improved things slightly....there were six kids to now to get 70 or above.

The teacher threw out that result, and went to another full week of the same subject (you can figure 27 days used for a chapter that should take 15 days).  

At this point, the day prior to the test....he gave out a test (lesser in terms of problems) and we went step by step over the each of six problems. 

The next day....as the real test was handed out....it was noted quickly that it was the same test as the previous day.  I would guess out of the 24 students there....six folks still got sixty or less....the rest of us mostly got in the 70-to-80 range.  

In getting the concept across?  Neither the book or the teacher could accomplish this.  At some point, some kid asked.....how would we ever use this in regular life.  It was a pretty accurate question to ask, and the teacher (new at the profession) simply said you needed math ability in life.  

My humble belief is that these math 'coaches' will fill in this mess, and maybe make sense out of the rocket science of math.