On the Inauguration and Investigations

What an incredible week. Having had a four-day weekend, I decided to hit Washington for the “We Are One” concert. Am I nuts? I was nuts for going, but I think I would have been nuts not to go. Three of
my favorite performers — Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Garth Brooks, all free. And then throw in other performances, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I went early enough that the traffic wasn’t bad. It was fun in the Metro, everybody heading to the same place for the same reason. I met people from North Carolina, Washington State and Michigan,
among others, all happy to be attending the Inaugural activities.

On Tuesday, I stayed in Woodbridge. While you may call me nuts for going into Washington, D.C., on Sunday, I would have agreed to being called insane if I tried to get into D.C. on Tuesday. Instead, I
spent a relatively short time at the Department of Motor Vehicles and then rushed home to see the actual Inauguration. The well-choreographed ceremony was an event to remember. There were a few
veiled (and not so veiled) references to policies that will be changed once the new president is in charge. But he also urged us toward community, responsibility and accountability. He urged us to forgo
greed and instead have compassion for our fellow man. He urged us to work together to solve our problems and urged each of us to work to the best of our ability to succeed in life and as citizens.

I truly understand what Michelle Obama meant when she said that for the first time in her adult life, she was proud to be an American. When I was a young child, I was taught that I could be anything I
wanted to be if I worked hard enough. As I got older, I learned that it wasn’t true. If I wanted to get where I wanted to go, not only did I have to know things, I also had to know people. And there were
things that I would never be able to do given my socioeconomic background. With Obama — a multiracial man raised by a single mother and grandparents — who worked hard and got the ultimate prize, I
again believe that can happen. And I feel that I can honestly tell my students that they can do whatever they want with their lives if they work hard.

And now, back to the real, though newly inspired, world. Once again, the Math Investigations program is getting attention. Let me first say that I support parental involvement in education. Children need to
know that their parents are interested in what they do and how they do. The parents see issues from a different viewpoint and that difference is invaluable. Witness the situation with grading scales in
Fairfax County. The system wants to be competitive and have its graduates seen as above average. The parents want the same thing. But with the grading scale being so different from the majority of
others, the students were at a disadvantage. Now the situation can be worked out with the best interests of the students in mind.

But I also believe there is a point at which parents need to trust the school system. Parents have, rightfully so, tunnel vision when it comes to their kids. Plus, they (we) remember what it was like when
we were in school and what worked and didn’t work. We remember memorizing multiplication tables, that it worked, and that no one ever made us draw pictures to understand what we were doing. But
that was before the Standards of Learning tests and No Child Left Behind. When we were in school, teachers spent time showing us two sets of three and three sets of two and we had the time to ponder
the relationship and understand the theory behind what we were learning. Now, teachers must teach the information and do not have the freedom to spend time on explaining the why. Students are not
encouraged to ask why but to merely memorize what information they are given so that they will pass the SOL test. Classrooms have become places where teachers teach the students the minimum
needed and little more. There is little room for creativity — if it’s not broke, don’t fix it say many in administration. Everything is data driven.

There are things that we learn that cannot be measured by tests but only in the real world. Understanding concepts is one of those. We can’t say a student is successful if they ask five “why” questions
or 10. We won’t know they understand what they are learning until it’s almost too late. With math, students can memorize the multiplication tables. That can be done simply. But we won’t know whether
they truly understand until they get to Algebra. Then we find out whether they can apply what they know or not. Math Investigations is a program that needs patience and understanding. It will probably not
be until these students get to 7th and 8th grade that we will know if the program is a success. Basically, Math Investigations is mandating what teachers used to be able to do while teaching. It’s a
recurring cycle that is coming full circle. Teachers understand that. They’ve seen it time and again. They can be more objective.

Parents and teachers have the same goal: for children to be successful and to understand what they are learning. Right now, they’re moving toward the goal in two different directions — parents, from
responsibility; teachers, from accountability. They’re both on the right track. And our children will be the winners. And they will be able to do anything they want because we have given them the tools to
succeed.

Denise Oppenhagen is a longtime resident of Prince William County and can be reached at DenOp1@comcast.net.