By JB Lester
It’s that time of year when all the kids go back to school. I have two grandchildren in preschool, one in 7th grade and one in 1st grade this year. And another grandson is about to come into this world. I can only wonder what school will be like when he attends in six years or so.
I have two grown daughters who we ushered through school with many nights of frustrating homework assignments. “How did the teacher say to do it?” I would ask when we hit one of many roadblocks. “Dad, that’s not how we do it now,” they would say. I quickly learned they don’t do flash cards anymore for math or letters. I asked once at a parents/teachers meeting why they don’t do flash cards anymore and the teacher said, “You can do them at home.” Anyone over 50 certainly remembers flash cards. They were a daily event at Bristol Elementary when I was growing up. Flash cards were not only the best way to learn math, but they were fun for the whole class. And I would argue that rote memorization is an important building block to learning. The problem is that kids don’t really practice their math tables anymore. I guess they don’t need to do the calculations themselves with calculators, smart phones and laptops to tell them the answers. Doesn’t it seem better to make a kid’s brain become the computer instead of relying on more screen time?
I have worked with my grandchildren at home with flash cards since I know they won’t get this training at school. I think they find it very helpful and FUN. I used memorization to learn about geography, countries, American states and their capitals. I still can recite much of what I learned over 60 years ago. My point is (as my wife would say), what happened to the concept of rote memorization as part of learning the four “Rs”?
Any child coming out of grade school should know how to read, write and recite their math tables.
There is no substitute for sharpening your memory in grade school for all the tests of higher education to come. If your children are not using flash cards at school, I strongly suggest you get a set and use them with your kids at home. If they aren’t learning to write, work with them, too, on that lost skill. Make your kids read more. Grade schoolers will soon learn that there is plenty of reading ahead in middle and high school. And if they go to college or a trade school, there will be plenty of reading, writing and arithmetic skills needed to succeed, no matter what field of study they choose.
A good memory kick-starts the mind for learning.
Rote memorization has fallen out of favor in education. Critics say it stifles creativity and understanding. I have never felt that flash cards hurt my creativity. I would argue that having facts at your fingertips can be very helpful when understanding and solving problems. Learning sometimes leans heavily on attention spans as many grade school parents can attest. A good memory can only help a child focus and move forward.