Leaving the 5th grade and entering the 6th....there was some bump-up in terms of 'hard-stuff'. We had a older lady (early 60s) as a math teacher....who had the method....home-work assigned at the end of class, with the hour spent the next day....everyone sent to the board to draw the problem (from the home-work). Out of 24-odd people....maybe four understood the problem (or got help the previous night).
We suffered for 50-odd minutes....with only about one-third of the folks getting the problem right. Key issue....even if they draw the problem and right solution....they could not explain how they arrived at the end.
The teacher? Mostly marginal competent at the math-crap. Around mid-way in the year....she has health issues, and is replaced by someone even more dimwitted than her.
Sixth-grade achievements? Zero (for me)..
Seventh-grade math....new instructor....same method.....same problem with the teacher really not capable of getting a problem across.
Eighth-grade math.....new instructor....same method.....same problem.
Ninth-grade math....new instructor.....same method....same problem.
If you asked me....of 24 folks....four understood the formula crap...with another four getting older brothers/sisters giving them some marginal help. The rest? Still at 5th grade level (this was early 1970s....rural Alabama).
10th grade.....I change schools, and the new math instructor hands the book out and says....USE the book and examples.
Over the course of three weeks....I progressed from 5th grade level to 10th grade level...simply reviewing the book examples, and methods.
By this work-at-your-own-pace....around early January.....I had completed the entire course (tested out).
If you asked me about the four years of wasted math instruction? I'd say the instructors weren't that capable of math (in the first place). Having a degree in math? I seriously doubt it....they probably had some teaching degree 'deal'.
This being the 'norm'? I kinda wonder about that.
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