New math is remembered as a dismal mistake and has been called one of the worst ideas of the 20th century but to many of the brightest minds in education and mathematics it seemed like a good idea at the time. Today the experts are conducting another experiment in math and it is called social emotional learning in math. These experts realize that many students have a difficult time with math so they are trying to find and easier way forward. A few years ago the idea of teaching math without injuring a persons self confidence was made light of by the joke, when Johnny was asked how much is two plus two and he responded by saying five, the teacher said that's almost right Johnny. Learning math requires effort and starts much like learning to read. You have the multiplication tables and the alphabet. You learn to manipulate the numbers to solve problems and you manipulate the letters to form words. If students learn math the way it is taught and they do not get behind they will progress through the grades. If they get behind they need tutoring to get them caught up.