Teachers please explain the mathematics obsession

[Anonymous]

What is the deal with the number one billion? Has anyone ever even counted that high? They should get rid of it. It is a waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may be the dumbest thread yet on DCUM and that is saying something.

-1

Our taxes are being wasted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a high school math teacher and believe that a minimum of 3 years of math are required at most if not all public schools. I'm in VA. Math past Algebra II is an elective. Most want to take higher levels of math for a career or to get into a certain college but it's not required. It's true, the majority of people will not use calculus in their daily lives.

Personal finance is a required course in high school. I don't teach it and am not familiar with the exact curriculum.

Hardly an elective is it then

The 3 required years are Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II. If something is not required it is an elective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It makes you use your brain, to figure out solutions to complex problems. It's not about the math. It's about the ability to think and solve complex problems.

This is the right answer.

Exactly. What school should be about is developing critical thinking.
An easy way to ensure a systematic application of this is by teaching math, where you can't solve the problem without racking your brain.
Softer subjects are dependent on the intelligence of the teacher to elevate the lesson to a higher intellectual plane, but math has a built-in difficulty.

- a scientist, who hates math and loves literature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HS & MS teachers can you please explain what is behind the general obsession with mathematics (beyond an elementary level)?

Student don't understand it or have any ability in it, most higher level math courses have no application to 99.9% of students. Why not make math an elective in hs? It seems like an enormous misallocation of resources not to.

I think more than 0.01% of high school students plan to attend college, OP. Higher level math classes have wider application than you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do we have to read Shakespeare and books written by dead authors in school, much of which I found depressing, boring, and hated the characters. It's useless to me in everyday life.

This is a good point. But math is actually very useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may be the dumbest thread yet on DCUM and that is saying something.

so you don't agree with the OP then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would have benefited greatly from a personal finance class instead of almost not graduating because of my poor math grades in crap like Trig and Math Analysis. A class on compound interest, budgeting, understanding investments how to balance and maintain a checkbook/budget, and how credit works would be so much better, especially for students who aren't going into STEM careers.

If you actually learned the math you were taught, you would have found the personal finance things you mentioned trivial. That is why higher level math classes are good, it makes you smarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do we have to read Shakespeare and books written by dead authors in school, much of which I found depressing, boring, and hated the characters. It's useless to me in everyday life.

If you really believe that, then you must be a very dull soul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you think students should be studying in high school, OP?

Requiring mathematics of high schoolers is no more "obsessive" than requiring them to further their studies of English.

But English furthers your understanding of the world. Very, very few people use math beyond a 6th grade level in their real lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Understanding high level applied mathematics is a fundamental requirement for nearly every career field. Sure, there are plenty of adults who can't math very well but it's a handicap for them on a daily basis.

I took high level math but don't remember any of it since I haven't had to use it in the past 20 years. I honestly can't think of anytime it's been a handicap for me. How do you suppose it's a handicap on a daily basis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Understanding high level applied mathematics is a fundamental requirement for nearly every career field. Sure, there are plenty of adults who can't math very well but it's a handicap for them on a daily basis.

No. It's a college requirement for the majority of college majors. Once you start working, most people rarely use high level math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do we have to read Shakespeare and books written by dead authors in school, much of which I found depressing, boring, and hated the characters. It's useless to me in everyday life.

Literature increases vocabulary, provides exposure to other cultures, introduces ideas and concepts that can further one's understanding of society and human nature. Higher level math does none of this. For most people, it is simply pointless number puzzles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It makes you use your brain, to figure out solutions to complex problems. It's not about the math. It's about the ability to think and solve complex problems.

This is the right answer.

Your oh-so-thoughtful and intelligent response proves the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do we have to read Shakespeare and books written by dead authors in school, much of which I found depressing, boring, and hated the characters. It's useless to me in everyday life.

Literature increases vocabulary, provides exposure to other cultures, introduces ideas and concepts that can further one's understanding of society and human nature. Higher level math does none of this. For most people, it is simply pointless number puzzles.

See, you missed the point entirely. High level math teaches you to think critically, logically, which is also important in life. I am a math person, but actually understand literature and can appreciate it. My DH, also a math person, doesn't get most of the literature he had to read. He doesn't feel it's helped him at all. It was the bane of his existence in school.