My children have flash cards given to them by their teachers. They do have stupid lessons in their math books, but memorization of facts is also a part of their math lessons. They do the same math drills that I did when I was a second and third grader. Timed tests of math facts are administered regularly. My third grader’s class seemed to take forever to learn multiplication facts. But I am seeing now that the teacher was having to deal with students who were so far behind that she slowed the smarter students down. I hate that. This year, daughter is in a more accelerated class. My son is flying through multiplication and should have it mastered in a week. He could have done it in second grade, but he was slowed down by his class. He, too, is in a more accelerated class this year.
My problem with Common Core is that teachers teach to the lowest common denominator because they must have all students meet minimal standards. And then there is the content of social studies, literature, and even science lessons. Ugh. And spelling tests in which spelling is not required. Students multiple guess the answer to which word is spelled correctly.
Standardized crap is standardized crap. Common has always been looked down upon by the elite. Does Sidwell Friends teach to Common Core standards?
My problem is teachers who teach to the tests instead of holding the students who have difficulty to a higher standard. If the slower kids pick up 50% of the more difficult material, it's more than they'd learn if it's dumbed down for them.
I'm a retired math teacher. My last few years I was very frustrated by the number of teachers who blindly taught the curriculum even when they knew the methods were bad news.