Teachers’ ideas add up

“How to teach math better (June 2),” by George K. Brown, math teacher at Lewis & Clark High School, states that “children should arrive at high school fluent in basic arithmetic and some simple algebra.”

A parent told me that her son was flunking math and refusing to do homework, or pay attention in class. So I asked the principal what the school does if the student gets an F grade at the end of the year. I was told that the student simply goes on to the next grade. Conceivably, a student can flunk math in grades 6 through 8 and graduate from elementary school to become a high school freshman with never learning to add, subtract, multiply or divide. The grade school simply passes the problem on to the high school.

How is this student ever to graduate from high school if new requirements for a high school diploma require a year of algebra and geometry? Don’t you think that Brown’s recommendation should at least be considered? If not, some things in Washington’s schools need changing and teachers’ suggestions need to be implemented.

William Miller Jr.

Almira, Wash.