Today, Christian schools and home school parents are checking to see of math curriculums meet the standards. The Christian teacher needs to be alert to the fact that not all the current trends in math coincide with Christian philosophy. Changes being promoted in many states influence more than teaching-material improvements. Guidelines for the physical classroom, social expectations, intellectual environment, classroom organization, assessment procedures, and the teacher's role have been redefined. Teachers are being directed to teach math according to the interests of the students, to the neglect of sequential skill development and the aid of good textbooks.
Whole math is a merging term that coincides with the idea of whole language.
Literature is used as a springboard to find the students' interest and integrate the teaching of math, as well as other subjects, into these areas of interest. These are some of the areas in which Christian educators need to be cautious when implementing the standards. The pendulum has swung from the far right of teaching math by drill and memorization to the far left of teaching whole math. A Christian teacher does not have to be compromised to give increased attention to estimation and number sense or to use manipulatives in the teaching of math understanding, but he must always be on guard that his methods coincide with a Christian philosophy of education. Tammie Jacobs holds an M.Ed. in Elementary Education.