Common Core’s absurdly circuitous method for doing subtraction

Now, class, today we will learn how to subtract one two-digit number from another. What’s that, you say? You already know how to do this simple subtraction? That may well be, but chances are you don’t know the Common Core method, which is revolutionizing learning in 46 of Barack Obama’s 57 states.

We begin. Let’s suppose you wanted to subtract 12 from 32. If you used the old-fangled outdated method, you would first stack the two numbers, with the smaller one under the larger one, aligned along the rightmost digits. You would then find the difference in each column, starting with the units. Your work might look something like this:

Children nowadays are being taught a revolutionary new method, which is illustrated below:

Caleb Bonham of Campus Reform tested out this new method on students and faculty at George Mason University (h/t Daily Caller). In the video that follows, he actually completes the subtraction by first using the antiquated method, then switching to the Common Core method.

Time elapsed in subtracting the old way? 5 seconds. The Common Core method takes nearly five times as long, coming in at 24 seconds, but when you factor in all the great things kids learn using the “newer” math, is there any contest?

Class dismissed.

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