u/PlantJoyfa

I’m a teacher myself, and I’m honestly at a loss for what to do right now. I would really appreciate hearing from other Texas teachers, especially those who have experience teaching in both the public and private school sectors.
I have three children in kindergarten, first grade, and third grade, and all three are struggling significantly with math since our district switched to Bluebonnet Math. Before this, they used HMH. Was HMH perfect? Absolutely not. But my children were generally able to understand what they were learning. Now, I’m seeing a level of confusion, frustration, and discouragement that I’ve never seen from them before.
From what I understand, our district received a financial incentive of approximately $60 per student to adopt Bluebonnet, and it feels like the decision to adopt it wasn’t necessarily driven by what was best for our students and teachers.
What makes this especially difficult is that I’m also an educator, although I teach Spanish at a private school in a different district. I don’t personally have to implement Bluebonnet in my classroom, so I get to see this situation from both the parent’s perspective and the educator’s perspective.
At the private school where I teach, we use BJU Press. Despite its religious foundation, I’ve found the math curriculum and its overall instructional approach to be fairly solid. It’s more traditional and straightforward, but students still work through multistep problems and apply concepts to real-world situations. The lessons feel structured, and the progression of skills is easier to follow. I see students learning without becoming unnecessarily overwhelmed by how the material is presented.
I’m not suggesting that one curriculum is perfect for every child or that private schools have everything figured out. However, comparing what I see in my own classroom with what my children are experiencing at their public school has been eye-opening.
The most discouraging part is the apparent lack of opportunity for honest conversations about the curriculum. From the conversations I’ve had with other parents, teachers, and administrators, there seems to be a lot of frustration, but people are hesitant to speak openly about it.
One of my children’s teachers has more than 30 years of teaching experience. She reportedly went to the principal herself to express concerns that the curriculum was extremely difficult to implement and was negatively affecting students. From what I understand, she was essentially told that Bluebonnet was the required curriculum and that teachers needed to make it work.
I can’t imagine being an experienced educator, recognizing that something isn’t working for your students, and feeling like you have no meaningful say in the matter.
I also understand that a new curriculum requires an adjustment period, and I don’t expect children to master everything immediately. My concern is that all three of my children are struggling, the instructional approach seems to be creating confusion rather than understanding, and the teachers themselves appear frustrated.
I’ve been encouraged by my children’s teachers and even people in administration to attend school board meetings and consider becoming more involved. Some have even encouraged me to consider joining the school board.
Part of me wants to do exactly that. I want to advocate for my children, support the teachers who are trying to do their jobs, and help ensure that curriculum decisions are actually evaluated based on student learning outcomes. I don’t want to be the parent who simply gives up and moves my children somewhere else without trying to make things better for the families and teachers who remain.
At the same time, I’m currently pursuing graduate studies in counseling, teaching part-time, and raising three children. I feel overwhelmed trying to figure out what meaningful advocacy would actually look like, especially when it seems that so many people are afraid to speak up.
So I have a few questions for those of you in education:
What math curriculum does your district or school currently use? What do you genuinely like or dislike about it?
For those using Bluebonnet Math, are you seeing similar struggles with student comprehension, pacing, or teacher workload? Have you found that things improve with time?
For those who have taught with both HMH and Bluebonnet, how do they compare in terms of instructional quality, conceptual understanding, and actual student outcomes?
Has anyone here taught with BJU Press in a public or private school setting? I’d love to hear your honest opinions about its pedagogy, strengths, and weaknesses compared with other programs.
If you’ve experienced both public and private education, what differences have you noticed in curriculum implementation, teacher autonomy, and student learning?
Finally, for those who have successfully advocated for curriculum changes in your districts, what actually worked? Did you attend board meetings, organize parent feedback, request student performance data, or pursue another avenue?
I’m not looking for a curriculum that makes math effortless or eliminates challenging problems. I want a curriculum that builds a strong foundation, explains concepts clearly, supports different learners, and allows teachers to teach effectively without feeling like they’re fighting the materials every day.
I know there are wonderful public school teachers working incredibly hard under difficult circumstances. I’m one of those teachers in my own setting, and I have so much respect for the people trying to make things work for their students.
I’m just a frustrated mom and fellow educator who wants to see children actually learn math and teachers feel supported in doing their jobs.
What are you all seeing in your schools? I would genuinely appreciate your experiences, recommendations, and advice.