School or Scam

Last Fall I tutored a 5th grade girl who was having trouble with math. One day she brought home a note which read as follows:

"Congratulations! Your scores in math have qualified you for Paradox Elementary's after school math program. You will be staying after school each Tuesday and Thursday for one hour to work on exciting math projects!"

This kid was getting an "F" in math and she knew it. She couldn't figure out what they were congratulating her for, though. That was one perplexed little girl!

And for all the after school "enrichment" she was supposedly getting, no one had figured out her basic problem - she didn't know the multiplication tables! She was a bright kid, but this lack had kept her stalled for both the 4th and 5th grade. Our education system has become a pathetic joke.