Having three kids navigate the US school system, I have become very skeptical of the justifications given for almost any teaching method. I was saddened when my

Having three kids navigate the US school system, I have become very skeptical of the justifications given for almost any teaching method. I was saddened when my daughter came home from school with a one page worksheet that purported to show that she was a "kinesthetic" learner. This division of kids into categories makes them feel they can learn in only one way. Other experiences with the education establishment included: Early introduction of laptop/tablet convertibles in the sixth grade (an approximately $2000 Toshiba) with Windows XP, a stylus and an unresponsive low resolution screen. This was supposed to facilitate math instruction because homework problems and answers could be written out on the tablet instead of on paper. Later when the tablets didn't work out they introduced iPads for use instead of textbooks. World history being taught out of an Art History book (we were told that subjects like the Monroe Doctrine weren't going to be covered). Everyday Math, from the University of Chicago. This math method introduces its own varied algorithms for the basic four arithmetic operations. I ended up having to buy some Singapore school system math books to teach my daughter over the summer. I met with the headmaster of the school several times to inject my opinion, but naturally, not having an Education degree kind of disqualified my opinions from being taken seriously. (I have Math, EE, and CS degrees).