WHY?

WHY?  For those who have very young children, this question is asked more often than most others.  “Why does the sun move through the sky?”  “Why is the sky blue?”  “Why do leaves turn color in the fall?”  “Why we stay on the ground and not float into space?”  Have you ever tried answering those “why” questions with a one-word answer?  If you did, it probably was followed up by another open-ended question.  Your short answer just was not good enough for that inquisitive toddler. 

When, then, throughout a child’s formative years, do we switch over to only the “what” questions?  “What is 4+5?”  “When was the Declaration of Independence signed?”  “What color is produced when we mix red and blue?”  “What are three causes of the Civil War?”  Perhaps a better question to ask than “What is 3x6?” would be “WHY does 3x6=18?” or “Show me why 3x6 is not the same as 6x3, even though they both equal 18,” or better yet, “Describe all of the multiplication facts that equal 18, and represent them using arrays or another model.”  Now this "new math" has spawned serious discussion in many homes across the country, including the Schulz household.  Personally, I don’t have a problem if my fourth-grader has to occasionally use his fingers to figure out some multiplication facts.  I don’t care if he needs to add five 12s because he does not remember that 5x12=60.  I simply love to see the amazement in his eyes when he “gets it.”  He now understands how to add fractions by first making common denominators.  (Back in the day, I don’t think I learned this until sixth grade.)  Even more amazing, he can tell me WHY he needs to find common denominators instead of just performing a rote algorithm. 

We could endlessly debate the merits vs. the demise of society because of the Common Core or any other set of state standards, but it really is not about that at all.  Let’s not cease to use the same amazement when a student truly “gets it” instead of just “gets the right answer.”  If you are not asking WHY, then why not?