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>We look forward to Dr. Brennan’s answer to a question posed from the audience: “Who makes the final decision on curriculum?”
>
August 10, 2007 – TOGETHER WE ADD UP!
Thank you to all for attending the math chat last evening. If you are concerned for your child’s math education be sure to visit our Math Help for Kids section. We extend a special thanks to our new Interim Superintendent, Dr. Brennan, for attending the math chat.
We look forward to Dr. Brennan’s answer to a question posed from the audience: “Who makes the final decision on curriculum?”
VORMATH is actively trying to find the answer to the cost question regarding these materials. That question was posed by the Ridgewood News reporter, Keith Hamas, but never answered by the district.
Follow-up your attendance with ACTION:
Register to vote and demand candidates for the BOE clearly state their position on reform math in Ridgewood. Find out where your local Assemblyman, Congressman, & Senators stand on this issue. Use your power – VOTE!
Get your neighbors and friends to sign the petition – electronic copy or paper copy .
Write Letters to the Editor – Ridgewood News.
Write Letters to the BOE and send a copy of the letter and any response (including no response) to the newspapers.
Write directly to Dr. Brennan.“In 40 years as an educator, I have never come across parental concerns that did not, at its center, contain grains of truth that could help make things better.” Interim Superintendent, Tim Brennan.
Speak at a BOE meeting demanding CHOICE in math for your tax dollars.
Request your child be “opt-out” of the CMP experiment in the middle school.
Send Dr. Beth Yoshida-Fisher an email. She is being paid $9,000 to mediate this conflict.
Speak to your child’s teacher stating your child learns best in mathematics with direct instruction following a traditional, mainstream textbook. Request a plan of the content to be taught on a weekly basis, so you can actively participate in your child’s education.
Thank you. E Gnall, founder WWW.VORMATH.INFO
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#12 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Reilly was shameless and he’s a liar, but he has quite a track record of that, which is why he is no longer a board member.
Brennan was all class. Ridgewood is lucky to have an educator of his caliber. It’s a shame his “bosses” on the board can’t hold a candle to him.
BTW: Kudos to the math moms. As engineers, technologists and teachers, they have done our town proud. Our children will owe them a debt they can never repay. My only wish is that the board was caring enough to put aside their ideology and do what’s right for the children. As one member of the audience said last night: I don’t understand why they cannot understand how bad TERC is. The arguments are so clear and the proof so apparent that it boggles the mind. They cannot even claim that TERC is a terrific program. They admit that it needs to be supplemented, yet they cling to it.
What for?
Why?
Who’s making them?
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#13 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Hey board members – you missed an informative meeting last night. Not one of you bothered to show up, yet you are supposed to represent us.
The president sent his brother the fire chief. Clearly an attempt to get feed back on one self and not on what occurred at the meeting.
So that means you, bombace, as president is only interested in your image.
Well, your image is mud. Not even your big bro can put this fire out.
Cant wait to vote you out of there. Stupid is as stupid does.
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#14 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Botsford, Ives and Bombace are going to lie to Brennan too! But this man strikes me as having the integrity to see through their smoke and mirrors. He was an avid listener last night…and even took notes. Finally an educator who’s not a phony, jargon loving con artist. And smart. Not since Fred Stokley has anyone who worked at cottage place been really smart. This is a welcome change.
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#17 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#24 written by Peter J 5 years ago
>you people are classic…wasn’t this supposed to be an opportunity for anyone and EVERYONE to learn more about various math curricula? Are you seriously saying that Reilly or Bombace were not welcome there? That they should not have attended? How closed-minded of you. Who else is on your list of people who you DON’T want to include in the dialogue? Am I on the list? My neighbor? Geez, your level of personal attacks on person’s looks or demeanor is so juvenile, I would laugh if it weren’t kinda scary. Actually, I’m still laughing. You guys are ridiculous…and you just turned me off your “math moms” concept…So much for “input”. I guess you only want input from people who agree with you.
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#25 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#26 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I was at the meeting along with other parents concerned about their children’s math program. I noticed three older gentlemen in attendance. Dr. Brennan was there as interim superintendent and I can understand where his input would be invaluable to the math moms.
How can fire chief Bombace’s input help the math moms? He admitted at a board meeting that his little brother (boe president Mark) doesn’t listen to him. How does Reilly’s UNTRUTHFUL input help the math moms? He lost any credibility he had that night.
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#27 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I think bullies end up getting discussed on this blog because our district has a long-standing history of bullying sincerely concerned parents. That’s just true. The lid is only starting to get lifted off the atmosphere of intimidation.
So a little venting here is okay. The math chat was a welcome breath of fresh air in which parents’ concerns could be aired and they were taken seriously.
But let’s mostly stick to the topic at hand. It’s time for taxpayers to have more say in curriculum, and it’s time for the district to offer transparency in matters such as pedagogy and philosophy. All these things have been secretive, and when parents have raised questions in the past, they’ve been bullied. It’s still happening.
The latest form of intimidation going on now happens thus: you ask about whether something is working for your kid, and they push back by telling you they must consider all children. It’s a slogan they’ve adopted. Notice how often it’s said.
This kind of behavior has to go. Dr. Brennan, are you listening?
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#31 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Such personal attacks and immature responses may be the reason that many residents and parents chose NOT to attend this meeting. They may also be the reason that many do not take the “math moms” agenda seriously.
If you prefer that your child not use a calculator in the classroom, say that. If you prefer that your child spend more time memorizing math facts, say that. Insulting residents that chose to attend this meeting makes you look ridiculous and diminishes any legitimate concerns that some parents may have about math.
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#38 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Peter J – the math chat was an excellent opportunity to learn about our remedial reform math curriculum. Everyone was welcome at the meeting and in fact several people commented that they were disappointed that no one was speaking up to defened TERC or CMP2. Only one person did and he started out his comments with an outright lie. Many people do not have a problem with TERC or CMP2 but no one will say that they are excellent programs. That is where the problem lies. We need something more than adequate math programs. In fact, the facts indicate that these programs are failures where they have been implemented for some time.
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#44 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I hope Brennan got a good sense of the math moms, because soon he will get a real sense of the BOE and its botsford and ives dynamic duo a/k/a Batman and Robin.
I hope he can put the inmates back in the asylum and free parents from the oppression of those with basement dwelling standards and expectations.
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#47 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>”Such personal attacks and immature responses may be the reason that many residents and parents chose NOT to attend this meeting. They may also be the reason that many do not take the “math moms” agenda seriously.”
How silly. This is about math, not personalities. Try being an intellectual. You might find it refreshing, MS.
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#55 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>It fascinates me that for months the administrators have been pushing back against us with “TERC is a balanced program.”
But now over the summer, when things are relatively quiet, they’ve begun singing a different tune.
They announced at the BOE meeting that in order to achieve the “balance” they’ve been talking about, they’re adding Scott Foresman Addison Wesley books to TERC in Orchard and Travell.
Scott Foresman Addison Wesley is traditional math.
Fascinating. Indeed, they are the ministry of truth, straight out of Orwell’s 1984. (In the book 1984, lies were manufactured in the ministry of truth.)
Here’s the video on youtube.
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#56 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#57 written by resident tired of the rants 5 years ago
>why dont we ignore charlie and jimmy
unless they have something intelligent and relevant to bring to the discussion they are readily and easily exposed as cheerleaders for people rather than any form of content
and at the math chat, that came across as charlie’s position – cheerleader and full of rhetoric and having espoused the lie of having kids in elementary school – we can laugh at how sad it must be to need to lie over math
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#58 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>These math moms know what they’re talking about. There is power in numbers. Parents must take the time to advocate for their children. I cannot believe that ALL Travell and Orchard parents wouldn’t want the same high quality math program that the other elementary school children are experiencing. The district has chosen our two schools for remedial TERC. We’re better than that.
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#59 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I just watched the YouTube segment from our BOE meeting. Our district claims to have a “balanced approach.” But now they are going to “reset that balance.”
Could Orwell have said it any better?
When you have to use language to hide and obscure even the smallest kernel of truth, you have become a lost soul, indeed. How can we trust such people? Why should we?
How do we get rid of them? They are a corrupting influence. -
#60 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Remedial math is being pushed in our district by those who have graduated from mediocre universities such as Montclair State. These are also universities that prosletize feminist and leftist ideologies to unwitting, neophyite students. This battle over math is both political and ideological and to win, a wide range of weapons must be brought to the battle field. Those who believe that limiting this discussion to the narrowness of “bad program, good program” are well-meaning, but sadly, naive. The spread of the ideology within cottage place must be defeated and the people forcing it on parents and students must be stopped. They need to know we are coming after them and will stop at nothing less than their heads on a platter. They must be made to understand that the only way out for them is total surrender. That is why it is called a math “war.” That may not be the “Ridgewood” way, but it is the only way they will be stopped. So get a thick skin and ignore the cry babies who squirm at the thought of calling someone a name. They are the ones who first end up in re-education camps. They’ll believe the “showers” are real!
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#63 written by Disgusted 5 years ago
>Oh my god, this “discussion” has now sunk even LOWER than before. Your “war” analogies and — even more disgusting — your reference to concentration camp “showers” are in such vile, poor taste that I am left nearly speechless. Why can’t we have a civil discussion? Why can’t we work together to solve our problems?
I’m truly and utterly shocked…so it’s “cry babies” who are the ones who “believe the showers are real?” Were the Jewish children who were killed in concentration camps “cry babies?” The world lost many great and wonderful people in both concentration camps and wars (including our current war). It is a sign of pure ignorance and lack of compassion when someone so freely uses circumstances from these terrible tragedies to make a point about something so relatively inconsequential as MATH. You should be ashamed of yourself, but if that were even remotely possible you never would have spoken like that in the first place.
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#64 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#65 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Let us shift our focus from schools and math for a nonosecond and instead focus on what is really important to the residents of Ridgewood: big homes, manicured lawns, bigger homes, country club memberships, giganto homes, nannies to watch the kiddies, megamansions, a husband who is rarely home but makes big bucks, and to top it off a decaf skim latte venti from Starbucks. You don’t see schools anywhere on that list, do you? Good luck math moms. You’ll need it because your focus is on education and not on the important stuff.
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#67 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Is it really true that not many residents of Ridgewood value education?
I must be so naive. I was raised to value education above most other things. It never occurred to me that others do not concur on this.
Oh, and let’s be careful. Just because someone in this town has a nice house doesn’t mean their hubby works all the time or that both parents work all the time.
Some people have a nice dwelling because God gave them that. And they have nice balance in their lives.
(I’m not one of those people with all that good stuff LOL but that’s okay. I like what I have.)
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#69 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Agreed. Some lunatic here is making sweeping and unfair assumptions about people. Any blog that’s open to anonymous commenters will get some lunatics.
Anyway, plenty of people in this town value education.
But our schools are too secretive about what they’re teaching and how they’re teaching it. It’s hard to even figure out what questions to ask.
Don’t we deserve to be told? Shouldn’t we have choices?
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#75 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#76 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#78 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>That math degree Botsford has is of the phony education kind. They don’t study real math, they study fake math. These people could never build a pyramid not successfully launch a rocket into space.
Their education is so soft and phony that they fall for fads like reformed math and use words like “all” and “whole” ad nauseum.
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#80 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>For all of you following the math wars, here’s a sobering letter to the editor that appeared in Friday’s Herald News:
ABSENCE OF MATH TEACHERS A TELLING SIGN
According to an article in the Herald News of Aug. 3, New Jersey is having a difficult time in hiring qualified math teachers. Of those who took the required exam in the period 2005-6, only 58 percent passed it.If the teachers are unqualified, how wilL students learn? It would not surprise to learn that when some kids add two and two they need a computer.
Joseph Lefkowitz,
Clifton -
#82 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Thank you Math Moms for a very informative presentation and thank you Dr. Brennan for coming and listening.
I hope anyone reading this blog will not confuse personal attacks and silly comments with the real issue of the math moms, which as far as I can see has always been the math.
There were no personal attacks at the chat and all the math moms were very well spoken and have obviously spent a tremendous amount of time researching this.
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#83 written by Rik Mayal 5 years ago
>9:07 – Congrats — in 5 sentences you called the other poster a wuss & a Nazi. I hope you’re teaching your children this kind of civil discourse.
your kids have already learned that alot of adults in this town are such a bunch users that they think its OK not to pay you for doing something so spare me and get over your self dont worry your kids already know you suck when you do ….you cant fake it no matter how hard you try
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#84 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>they’ll just give TERC tests to teachers so they can pass the math teaching credentials. Just remember who makes up the requirements for credentials. The very people who are selling this TERC stuff. People who are involved with PRISM at MSU for one, are making up the credentially exams. They do not care to educate ALLLLLLLLL children. They only care to right the wrongs of the male dominated society. Their use of math is only one part of their plan. Look at the reading that the kids are doing in EL8. It’s all pure garbage based on emotions and female role models. Our sons don’t deal with this very well and are turned off to school at a very early age. The school system likes to make the problem the child’s, but it is the school system, which is stacked against our sons excelling, that is failing our children. And I mean BIG TIME!
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#85 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>”Will they be adding traditional math at the Middle Schools as well because CMP2 is a disaster? “
CMP2 is a huge problem and the middle school parents better get organized. A mother at the math chat explained how they are doing fact families in 6th grade and cutting paper plates to learn fractions.
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#86 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>You should all stop making fun of Charlie Reilly, ex BOE member and Fire Chief Bombace, they may have left that meeting changing their minds about TERC and ready to do the right thing.
The people who spoke out, not the math moms, really drove home the point. One woman was near tears because she couldn’t afford tutoring.
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#87 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>So because some bloggers make fun of Charles Reilly and RFD Bombace they will now not do the right thing about TERC? Give me a break! Who in the hell cares what they think about TERC? Neither of them have children being taught TERC. Reilly has no influence on the boe. Don’t even get me started on fireman Bombace.
School officials should be listening to the parents whose children are being subjected to TERC. They are the ones going thru this — not Reilly and Mark’s brother James.
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#90 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I have a child about to enter fifth grade at Travell. Since third grade, the TERC Curriculum has been used. My child scored in the advanced proficient range in the math section of the NJASK standardized test taken by all fourth graders in the state last fall and excels in math in general. I have no problems with TERC at all nor has it proven to be a detriment for my children now in middle school.
This is one mom who won’t be joining the VORMATH group.
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#91 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Dear 9:57,
Although I have issues with TERC, I so appreciate your logical and well-thought-out comment.
The reason I’m thanking you for writing it is that there is a paucity (nearly zero) of defenders of TERC who have been anything but whiny, emotional, and defensive.
That’s terrific that your daughter has done well with only TERC, no supplementing from the teacher, no tutoring, and no help at home.
You might want to check, though, to see if all of my assumptions are really true. Your kid may have received supplementation in the classroom. It’s not something the teachers go around admitting openly, so it may take a little digging for you to find out.
If you discover that is indeed the case, it’s probably not a good idea to assume that pure reform math is acceptable for your child and to proclaim so. Some teachers do not supplement, and that’s where the worst problems lie.
Moreover, the middle school Connected Math program may not receive such supplementation. You might want to just keep your eyes open for now.
One more thought–if there’s any chance your daughter might want to enter a STEM field in college (science technology engineering or math) you might really want to consider getting her some traditional math outside of school. It’s not clear that reform math will open that gateway for her. College professors complain bitterly that reform math kids come in unprepared.
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#92 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>To Math Mom NOT joining the VORMATH group… I am glad your children are fairing so well in math despite TERC in Travell. Please be aware that the NJASK tests are designed to assess if students are meeting state standards. NJ’s state standards received a grade of D by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (http://www.edexcellence.net/institute/publication/publication.cfm?id=338&pubsubid=1211#1211) AND the US Chamber of Commerce rated NJ standards as poor 9http://www.uschamber.com/icw/reportcard/default). My child at Travell scored 4 points away from advanced proficient on the math portion of the NJASK. On paper, my child looks like a great math student. Ask our children how to do a long division problem or what is place value and they just can’t because it isn’t included in the TERC math. So, doing well on a state test where the proverbial bar is set extremely low doesn’t prove that are students are mathematically prepared. I recommend that you do some reading up on TERC. According to top mathematicians, the detriment of TERC is apparent when students enter high school and college math AND BY THAT TIME IT IS TOO LATE TO REMEDIATE. Students who have been schooled with reform math (TERC) are 2 years behind our global peers by the time they enter 5th grade. Not exactly something to jump up and down about. Your child is entering 5th grade this year, now’s the time to make sure your child gets the foundation for math. For your child’s sake I hope you research this issue for yourself. Asking the school personnel will not provide you with ALL of the info. Start here, it is an eye opener… http://wgquirk.com/TERCSV.html.
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#94 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Wait just a gosh darned minute there 5:55 AM — you compliment 9:57 PM’s daughter for doing so well in TERC. FYI, 9:57 PM never mentioned a daughter rather spoke of her child and children. How do you know the child was a daughter? This sounds fishy and the fish stinks at the head. Could it be that 9:57 PM and 5:55 AM are the same poster? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
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#98 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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>Why did Charles Reilly announce at the meeting last night that he had a kid at Travell? His children all graduated out of the system years ago?