Let me start this off with a special thanks to all of you who reached out to me in email, by phone and snail mail regarding my  I appreciate the kind words and offers of support, even the letter that said I should be ashamed to admit  I was stumped when it came to the "New Math". 

Here is the deal, I am doing my best to be a progressive and hip parent!  I really try to avoid telling stories of illusion to my children about having to walk 100 miles to school in snow that covered my head, uphill with no shoes, etc... like Mama Fox told me as a child.  I have to be honest with you though, I am set in my ways!  

I find myself  telling my children things like:
 
"I don't want to learn "NEW MATH"!"  

"There was nothing wrong with the "OLD MATH"!"  

"When I was in school, you learned how to count, you learned how to add, subtract, multiply and divide!  We were taught fundamental math and I don't think that folks should just go changing it when there was nothing wrong with it in the first place!"  

"When I was in school 2 + 2 =4 and guess what ... 2 + 2 STILL equals 4!  Plain ole simple MATH!"  

I say it and then I get tickled because I sound so much like my parents did when I was in school.  I guess you really do turn into your mother as you age

I am so grateful my daughter has such wonderful teachers and I am sure that as they teach her, she will continue to teach me and hopefully, eventually, I will come out with a clear understanding of why  3rd grade math problems.   Math has to be made 'new'.    

Although, I still think that if it worked then, it should work now, I appreciate all of you who have convinced me to at least give this "New Math" stuff a chance.  I will let you know how it turns out

Lots of love to you all!
-Kitty