Teachers please explain the mathematics obsession

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How can you live a normal life and not use math everyday. Im a designer and use it every hour.

[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.

The language of Shakespeare and Latin, just like cursive, is dead. The stories in modern English have value to a general education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

But how often do you sit around thinking or having conversations about mathmatical concepts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How can you live a normal life and not use math everyday. Im a designer and use it every hour.

We're not talking basic math here. Very few people use high level math in their day to day lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The language of Shakespeare and Latin, just like cursive, is dead. The stories in modern English have value to a general education.

But it gives insight into what the past was like. It also helps people understand cultural references.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The language of Shakespeare and Latin, just like cursive, is dead. The stories in modern English have value to a general education.

Hey, genius, "modern English" began in about 1500. I think you are trying to say "contemporary English"?

Your ignorant assertion strengthens the arguments of the opponents, in any case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

But how often do you sit around thinking or having conversations about mathmatical concepts?

I don't sit around thinking or having conversations about Shakespeare, either. Like I stated up thread, higher level math is not about math, per se, but about solving more complex problems, developing higher level critical thinking skills. The current and future job market for highly paid jobs require complex critical thinking skills, not just rote memorization of math. I read an article about how CEOs are looking for problem solvers for complex issues. I'm not saying only higher level math can teach this, but it certainly helps use a certain part of your brain to develop these skills.

[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

It is very much an elective. DS, and most of his peers, started the sequence with Algebra I in 7th. DS starts HS next year at Algebra II with 2 HS math credits. All math after his freshman year will be "elective." The really smart kids started the HS math sequence in 6th, and have their math requirement to done before they set foot in a HS. And if you don't like Calculus (I never saw the point), there is very useful math out there. Probability and Statistics come immediately to mind. So does discrete math and game theory, which I took in college, and did more to help me ace the LSAT than any other class I took.

And yes-- in Virginia, personal finance is a required class to graduate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Explain the higher level math encountered by an average american on a day to day basis then

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Only using a legalistic view

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

It is very much an elective. DS, and most of his peers, started the sequence with Algebra I in 7th. DS starts HS next year at Algebra II with 2 HS math credits. All math after his freshman year will be "elective." The really smart kids started the HS math sequence in 6th, and have their math requirement to done before they set foot in a HS. And if you don't like Calculus (I never saw the point), there is very useful math out there. Probability and Statistics come immediately to mind. So does discrete math and game theory, which I took in college, and did more to help me ace the LSAT than any other class I took.

And yes-- in Virginia, personal finance is a required class to graduate.

Took 3 statistics classes in college - no use at all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything beyond algebra and geometry is pretty much useless for most of us. Learning to use a graphing calculator has done nothing for me in my adult life. We would all be better served if there was a requirement for a personal finance class.

That's what my neighbor said until her husband walked out and she realized that she didn't want to reach other people's kids all day - but that was her degree and she had no other options for a higher paying job as she had little math or science education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's foundational for a number of high-level career paths, including engineering, medicine, and applied sciences.

Plus general aspects of life - balancing your check book (or account), working out a budget, understanding how much you're spending in Bloomingdales on frippery, etc etc etc

??? Who balances a checkbook anymore? Who even uses one regularly? I do 99% online except the mortgage as we pay extra in the principle. Everything else goes on a credit card we pay off monthly. Math at school never taught me money management.

You don't need to be taught these things - if you've received a good education you should be able to figure out these kinds of things for yourself.

[Anonymous]

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

Well it's sad if most people in DCUM are this dumb. I've got to get off of here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything beyond algebra and geometry is pretty much useless for most of us. Learning to use a graphing calculator has done nothing for me in my adult life. We would all be better served if there was a requirement for a personal finance class.

That's what my neighbor said until her husband walked out and she realized that she didn't want to reach other people's kids all day - but that was her degree and she had no other options for a higher paying job as she had little math or science education.

I have "little math or science education". Last years HHI was $2.7 Million. Your experiences are not universal