COMMENTARY
Retired Teacher Recalls ‘New Math’ Hoax

By ANDY ZAHN

August 11, 2014

In 1957 I was an MP in the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Lewis. One of our Captains at Fort Lewis was in Germany at the end of WW II. His sole assignment in Germany was to get Werner Von Braun to the United States in case the USSR should attack.

Before the war Dr. Goddard was ahead of his time and was studying rocket science. He told the government of the possibilites but our leaders paid no attention. The Germans heard and they began work on jet engines and rockets. They had several outstanding scientists working on the program and by war’s end had jet fighter aircraft and V-2 and V-12 rockets with guidance systems raining destruction on London. It was agreed that half these scientists would be in the Russian Zone and half in the U.S. Zone.

Those in our zone came to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, and worked on a rocket that would escape earth’s gravity and orbit the earth. That group, led by Dr. Von Braun, had such a rocket on the launching pad at Redstone but because of politics were not allowed to attempt a launch until the Air Force made a few tries ending in failure.

In the meantime the Russians launched Sputnik and thus were first to orbit the earth. When the army at Redstone was permitted to fire their rocket we were successful but in 2nd place. The American school system got the blame. Sound familiar? It had nothing to do with our schools nor with the Russian schools. The entire program was German!

In 1958 I was teaching math and science to 7th and 8th graders. We had wonderful textbooks written by three authors who knew not only the math but the readiness of the students, and it was written at their level of understanding. The 8th grade text took up where the 7th grade left off, and the 7th grade book prepared them for next year. There were always revews of the basics already learned, lots of practice problems, thousands of word problems dealing with all manner of everyday useful practical math, and here the students were also learning about borrowing, investing, compound interest, bonds, stocks, measuring, weights, volume, dry measure, geometric constructions, perimeters, areas, volumes, and a few new concepts such as the 3rd type percent problem, positive and negative numbers, and basic algebra.

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All was harmonious and wonderful. I was a happy teacher, the kids were as happy as they could be under the circumstances (they would rather be outdoors), and the parents were happy. But now, since our math and science programs were so “horrible” (remember they were good enough to win WW II and come up with so many new technologies), we just had to throw out all the proven programs and go to this new method where, by the way, so many would profit greatly.

In about 1960, instead of teaching summer school, the math teachers led by the math department chairman learned the “new math.” It was ugly. When the kids returned in September every student in general math from 7th to 12th grade had the same paperback blue SMSG (Secondary Math Study Group) Part I text. It’s a wonder the parents didn’t come after us with ropes and shotguns! Later in the year they got their Part II text. The next year all the general math students from 8th grade up got a new yellow paperback.

At the end of the first disasterous year I taught my usual summer course, and they moved more desks into my room. I had an overflow crowd of about 36 kids from 7th graders to 12th graders. Somehow we got through the 20-day session.

As time went by we got hardcover text books. They were terrible. They were written by college professors or department chairmen of huge school districts with no understanding of what a 13- or 14-year old is like and what his reading level is. I asked the reading teacher to give me the reading level the 8th grade text was written at and it turned out to be the 11th grade level. Our parents couldn’t read at that level! The math itself was of no practical use and the word problems were about being P.C.

I wrote a petition, signed by every 7th and 8th grade math teacher, about needing more meaningful texts, but our math chairman put the pettion in the circular file. So here we were teaching how to calculate the circumference of latitude 40 degrees and the probability of rolling a six with a pair of dice instead of how to budget a paycheck and figure what home and mortgage you can afford.

Tenure is essential in a job such as teaching or law enforcement where there can be conflicts and where some people have the power to fire someone who offends. I got tenure after I started my fourth year of teaching and I never felt I was safe to do other than my best. I always felt that my employer was my students, and to tell the truth, the people I served under didn’t know half of what I did. Where they have merit pay and bonuses it turns out to be a fraud. If any employee is not doing his job or breaking the law he doesn’t belong in a rubber room but on the street or in jail.

When it came to the NEA I never belonged. At some point the state association ordered “belong to all or belong to none.” I sent a letter of resigngnation saying you just made it easy for me. I quit. For the next 15 years I belonged to nothing and saved the dues.

Submissions to COMMENTARY are welcome. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily of this publication.

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3 Responses to “COMMENTARY
Retired Teacher Recalls ‘New Math’ Hoax”

  1. Mike Kuzma on August 11th, 2014 1:13 pm

    Now we call new math “Common Core” math. Dear Lord, get educrats OUT of education.

  2. George Southern on August 11th, 2014 2:44 pm

    Fifty years ago I was a victim of the “New Math,” but only now do I understand the reason behind it. Thanks for connecting the dots, Andy!

  3. Joe Vaccaro on August 12th, 2014 3:04 pm

    Thanks for another good story!