Erick Erickson, a blog writer for Red State went into frenzy over homework that his daughter brought home. His daughter’s homework included a subtraction problem. Instead of the book revealing to kids the traditional way to solve the problem (the way many of us were taught, deducting the top number from the bottom number, and if the bottom number was bigger, you would need to borrow from the column to the left), it included the Common Core technique of subtraction.
Confused by the unfamiliar way to subtract, Erickson took his frustrations out on the President. His frustration provoked him rant about the “new” way of subtracting on his blog. He claimed that President Obama was responsible for introducing this “new way” of subtracting to our children.
At first glance the Common Core way of subtracting can be confusing especially when we have been taught to complete a subtraction problem a different way. Erickson was incorrect in assuming that this “new way” of subtracting was a result of President Obama being in office. The decision to change what techniques are being taught is up to the schools, teachers, and educator. Also, to contrary belief, the Common Core standards are not new. It is simply a different option people can take in order to subtract.
With further instigation Erickson, could have revealed that Common Core is not a new technique and that President Obama had nothing to do with it being introduced into our private and public schools.
