Why Teach the Basics

I wanted my last blog post to support my view on why teaching the fundamentals of math is more important than letting a computer do all your thinking for you……but I found something even better.  This link will take you to an article written by a math professor at John Hopkins University.  The article discusses why it’s important to learn the fundamentals of math…..and how mastering these fundamentals will help you to succeed in college.   I, however, have found three sentences in the beginning of the article that I just can’t seem to get out of my mind…..the sentences are as follows:

Early elementary school mathematics is the same for all students because these students should have                   all career options open to them.

The system must not fail to offer opportunity to all students.

Basics are for everyone.

For me, these three sentences really brought to light why all children should be taught the basics of all subjects in elementary school.  We talked about this in class multiple times….”why should I be taught about volcanoes if I am not interested in volcanoes.” Yadda yadda yadda….  The systems should be fair for all students.  Student A may love volcanoes.  Student B may hate them.  Teach student A and student B about volcanoes anyway….maybe student B will find out they are actually interested in volcanoes.  Student A may hate dinosaurs.  Student B may love them.  Teach both students about dinosaurs anyway…..they should each be given the same opportunity to decide if they enjoy the subject after given it a fair chance. 

To elaborate on the first sentence…we have no idea where our elementary students will be in 10 years when they are making decisions about their careers.  We need to be fair to every one of our students and give them the basic foundations of the core subjects…no exceptions.  It’s not my job as a teacher to decide which student will like which subject best…it’s my job to present each student with a solid foundation.  A basic knowledge of the subjects.  It’s my job to make the subjects fun to learn and understand.  It’s the student’s job to decide what they like best and what they want to elaborate on.