What's Next? Lollipop Language Arts?

After filling out what needed to be filled out and signing what needed to be signed last night, I'm wading my way through the rest of the paperwork Jack brought home from school yesterday. Most of it was worksheets he did before the break but the one I'm stewing over is about the new Math program his class will follow.

It's called Sunshine Math.

Ummm, is Rainbow Brite going to teach it?

I understand why they call it that. I guess. Math can be dark and scary so they are trying to lighten it up. I guess.

But Sunshine Math? Really?

It doesn't stop with the name. According to the letter from some random chick at Jack's school, it's a 10 week program which consists of a double-sided page of math problems including word problems (I cringe just typing that), estimation, visual puzzles and straight computation. Sounds straightforward enough so far.

The letter goes on to say that they will get the sheet in school, the teacher will read it aloud and the kids are encouraged to work on it independently during their free time in class as they can. They will get a star for each correct answer and if two problems have been done correctly and independently by Thursday, the kid will get double stars for those two problems. Okay, I'm still on board with it.

On Thursday, the paper will come home and I can read the problems to him and suggest tools he could use to solve them but I cannot help in any other way. The paper has to be turned in on Friday for him to get any stars.

Fine, fine and fine.

Here are the parts that get me: "Your child need not try every problem on the paper; some may be too difficult for him and frustration is not the goal."

Okay, seriously, a little frustration never killed anyone but if you don't want to frustrate him, why are you giving him something that he won't be able to do? Why not save that problem until after the lesson is taught? Why are you sending it home to me at the end of the week when he is tired, expecting me to help him without actually helping him when you didn't teach him enough for him to be able to accomplish it in the first place?

The letter finishes by saying "The stars will then be tallied and prizes will be awarded based upon points values...Our prizes are generously funded by the PTA."

In my day, we got prizes for doing our work, too. Some called the prize "not getting detention" while others called it "not getting beaten by Mom and Dad." Are we really bribing our kids with presents to do their work? What is that teaching them -- that there is no point in stretching yourself if you aren't going to get something for it?

I don't know, maybe I don't "get" it. I mean, I don't have a degree in education or psychology so maybe I'm way off base in thinking that this further adds to the younger generation's overblown sense of entitlement. But for reals, bosses don't give you a cookie for finishing the monthly report that is part of your job description. You might get a bonus at the end of the year, that's true, but unless things have changed dramatically since I left the workforce, you are definitely not getting a "prize" every time you complete a task. Won't that be a letdown to these kids who are used to getting something every time they add 2+2 and get 4?