Learning I Was Wrong

A year ago I took an English class. Part of the curriculum was writing a paper in the field of your major. Feeling slightly combative, I chose to write on the evils of the new teaching methods that have arisen in Mathematics Education over the past couple of decades. Certainly poor test performance and lack of student love for mathematics was the result of the erroneous ideas being employed.

from mathwithouttears.blogspot.com

Over the past several months I have learned that the problem with teaching mathematics in America was not just a recent issue, but that students have been struggling with the subject since schools became public. In the middle of last century there was a huge emphasis on math skills (during the space race) and the students were taught it over and over again. This turned out a number of fine scholars and got most people through the basics, but many never gained a real understanding of true mathematics nor any appreciation of the subject.

Noting this, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics decided to act. In the 1990's they sent out a document to the nation's teachers explaining the problems and the potential solutions for them. The wake of that decision has been enormous. People fighting for the NCTM's standards or against them seem to spring up in every city in the United States. It created such a virulent schism that a good chunk of the country is familiar with the term "Math Wars" used to describe it and any parent of a school aged child feels the affects of that war.

So what did I learn? I learned I was wrong. Really, the "new math" methods, when taught correctly are more impacting and longer lasting. The real problem is the oscillation of districts between programs (for the NCTM and not) and the teachers teaching the subject (I'm studying to be one, but a good one hopefully).

Sometimes we think we have all the answers and understand what is going on in other realms (or our own) when we really don't have a clue. Organizations are complex things. People are more so. You can know someone for a long time and still never truly know them.

I know that I have a habit of blindly assuming things based off of my imperfect and unfocused lens. When I see a person, even if I try hard, I only see them through my eyes. It is possible to start viewing people with more compassion, more understanding, but it will always be our version of their life.

from picturesofjesus4you.com, art by Greg Olsen

Only the Savior holds the key to completely understanding and feeling exactly what each of us feels individually. He suffered for us and died for us and through all of it came to know us better than we know ourselves. He is the one who can judge or critique, not me. True, I must hold my ground if something is wrong, but that is not an easy thing to know - especially when speaking of others. What we think we know about someone can be completely wrong or just a small portion of a truth (it is never the whole story).

I'm hoping I can ween my thoughts off of deciding who or what people are (and groups and organizations too) until I have gained knowledge by first hand experience or the true revelation of the spirit (and not my own fancies). It would be nice to see everyone the way the Savior sees them - or at least come closer to that vision.

Mostly I wish to remember that "truth is in the eye of the beholder" but unless our eye is single to the glory of God, we are full of darkness. I wish my truths to be bright, always.