Teacher marked correct work as incorrect

[MillionToOneChances]

This has been happening a lot lately, but today feels worse as the school's maths coordinator was taking the lesson. My DC had written that 36 was the square root of 1296. Maths coordinator marked it incorrect and said the correct answer was 936.

AIBU to be really frustrated? These incidents are really knocking his faith in school. I know he's a kid and the teacher is just a human being, but my DC does have form for being unfeasibly good at multiplication so a little faith wouldn't have gone amiss if it wasn't an easy sum for the teacher.

[ChippingInAutumnLover]

Million - I wouldn't waste anymore time on the school tbh. I'd move him, or as you said, home school him if you are both up for it. This environment is just awful for all the kids, but if you have the ability to change it for your DS then you should grab it.

[DadDadDad]

Ah, so he started at Cambridge just after I left.

[MillionToOneChances]

He wouldn't settle well in a new school. I'd like to homeschool but ExH (who aced mainstream education) is dubious. He's fully supportive of flexischooling so having him at home part time though, so I'm pushing for that.

[MillionToOneChances]

DS loves the time with his friends at school, anyway, he's just being driven bonkers by the lack of learning.

[ChippingInAutumnLover]

Why is ExDH dubious? Have you told him about these recent events? Does he really find that acceptable? I'm assuming not - so if the school are letting the children down that badly with maths, why is he keen to keep him there for any subject?

^ sorry, that's very badly written, I hope you can see what I mean. I really should go to bed, but it needs making and I can't be bothered!

[ChippingInAutumnLover]

Let him go in for lunch each day

Lunch
PE
??

[MillionToOneChances]

literacy. He likes literacy. But honestly I think a very bright child in year 5 should be able to punctuate a sentence and use linking words other than just 'and'...

I think I need to give ExH time and give the school a chance before pushing to go fully Home Ed. I would guess that from ExH's point of view its a combination of not even knowing where to start teaching him his own subject (he seemed impressed that I know exactly how) and not knowing anyone who's ever delivered or received home education. It's a huge leap when you attribute your success partly to a great formal education.

[MillionToOneChances]

I'm such an idiot, just clocked what a stupid amount of information I've put on here that's personal to more than just me. I just requested the thread be pulled. Thanks all for your help.

[Thumbwitch]

Oops!
Well before it goes, as it will soon, hopefully, is there any mileage in talking to the school about him working at a higher level in Maths? In a higher year/class? Would they allow that? Or is he already too far beyond the top of primary?

[ChippingInAutumnLover]

Re ex. Hmm, suppose so. Start with flexi then, and see how it goes. Reduce it down to lunch if it doesn't go well

I can't see the over share myself, but no matter, good luck going forward!!

[Thumbwitch]

can you not just get the info about your exH pulled?

[MillionToOneChances]

Pure paranoia! It's not worth the fight.

I've requested a meeting with school about the level

[MillionToOneChances]

Fumbled phone! I've requested a meeting about the level of challenge and about flexischooling. Going up a year isn't a great option for various reasons.

[Thumbwitch]

Not even just for maths? I wouldn't have him put up a whole year for everything, I don't think that would be a good thing, but surely they could accommodate him in a higher level's maths class?

[MillionToOneChances]

The last few years they've put him up to top table, top set of the year above, allegedly for one lesson a week. He hasn't liked it because:

a) it's still quite easy
b) he only gets to go half the time and he finds the way they deal with him not going embarrassing.
c) as they only differentiate by table, not by individual needs, it just makes it even more boring the following year when you encounter stuff again.

[claraschu]

Unfortunately, secondary maths will be just as boring and frustrating to your son. I have a son who was very good at maths, and no school or teacher was able (or really tried) to do anything that was interesting for him.

He had better teachers, who were intrigued by him, at A level, but the course was still easy for him.

He lost the extreme enthusiasm for maths when he was about 14, and I do blame school, though I guess if he had a true passion it would have survived any amount of dreariness and boredom.

[claraschu]

Putting them up a year doesn't make a difference, as the work will still be too easy, slow, repetitive and unimaginative. Kids who are good at maths need to be taught and challenged differently.

[claraschu]

Kids who are good at maths instinctively understand the ideas behind whatever they are learning, need hardly any practice, and always want to look further and deeper.

[Youarejustwordsonascreenpeople]

My DC1 is extremely able in science and when he was in year 5 his extention work was reading and correcting the lesson plans for all the schools science lessons. He would then have to sit through the lesson he'd just read the lesson plan for.

In the secondary school he is in now they are really stretching him and working with him and a couple of children like him to reach their full potential. The HOY also runs a science club for them for an hour after school where they get to talk and discuss and work on anything that interests them science wise. At last parents evening he told us that the group often deal with university level questions.

[Princess28]

Going back a bit...whatever a shape is enlarged by is called the length scale factor. The area goes up by the length scale factor squared. So if the lengths are doubled the area goes up by 4. If the lengths x 4 the area goes up by 16 etc.
I teach Maths. I have Maths and further Maths a levels and a degree in Maths. I still managed to write 80/8=8 the other day (I'm sure caused by lack of sleep due to ds2!). Was more than happy to be corrected though and used it as an opportunity to show that anyone can make a mistake. Your son's Maths teacher seems to lack the understanding of how to multiply rather than making a simple error. That would be a concern to me

[rumbelina]

I know the thread has moved on a bit but.....I did my GCSE maths in 1989 but I still know that 36x36 is not 30x30 + 6x6. I'd not be happy if my kids teacher was multiplying in this way.

[leeloo1]

Is this mistake showing a problem with the 'chunking' method taught nowadays -as that would tell you to do 30x30+6x6?

[Parietal]

if you are looking for maths-related enrichment, does your school have a CodeClub? Or one at a nearby school? They teach computer programming to primary school kids, and are also a great way to meet other geeky/maths-oriented people.

[teacherwith2kids]

leeloo,

Chunking is for division.

Grid multiplication, which many schools use before the compact vertical method, would teach you to do 30x30 + 6 x 30 + 6 x 30 + 6 x 6 for 36 x 36 (laid out in a grid so it is easy to check that you have done every bit)

OP, is there a primary school near you large enough to set for Maths? the one I teach in has a top Y5 set working on L6, all through open-ended puzzle type activities once each efficient written method is mastered.

We would also teach more varied conjuntions that 'and' from Y1/2 onwards... look at the grammar curriculum for Y5 and go in to the school to talk about it.