Hopefully reality sets in before some college confers a degree in Chemical Engineering on any of these kids. If the Chemical Engineer doesn’t know what he’s doing, the billion dollar petrochemical plant blows up. Chemical reactions are racially blind; they don’t care about color of skin of the plant engineer.
I would be willing to bet serious money that 63% of educators in the Empire State cannot pass a college-ready proficiency test in Algebra.
So as to not have to admit that certain kids are not up to it, and that it is correlated with race.
How does one make algebra easier? It is what it is - it’s either right or wrong. But then, algebra is logical and how many of todays high schoolers know anything about thinking logically? I suppose if you “feel” that your answer is correct, that’s good enough.
Shouldn’t Left-Wing ‘Americans” embrace the AlGebra as one of the manifold benefits of Islamic thought?
Algebra is stupid anyway.
Teaches you to solve pwoblems?
1. Fix my speiling.
2. Only 10 or so equations are actually useful.
3. I not only earned A+’s in AP Mechanical Drafting, I tested out of several courses in college, which I attended at age 15 after testing out of high school in 10th grade.
4. Chess champion of High School, beating every senior, who pretended to be smawt. Chess champion of 8th grade and 3rd place in my county in 7th grade.
5. Made it this far in life and done more than most will ever do and I’m only 52, with new plans.
6. Can frame a window or door, square.
7. Figured out how to get my dogs to obey my 3 imperatives without ever fearing me.
8. Came up with a clever idea to fix a port-a-potti to just about any bed, so it can be safely mounted by the least agile and most fragile, with confidence it will not tip over. It will literally save their shit.
Just thought some other clever idiot would have thought of the same thing by now. Strange.
Most important: “I discovered infinite uses for duct tape, my favorite being its use for prevention of blisters”
Geometry on the other hand is more than useful, is the root of mathematics.
More of whitey’s useless B.S.
Who needs algebra to charge stuff on an EBT card, sell dope, or make up home-made names?
How did we land a spacecraft on the moon and bring it back in the 60’s?
With this new crop of perpetually offended students I have serious doubts we could do the same thing today.
So despite all the complaints about Common Core, at least it appears to be raising math standards.
1. Teaching Math In 1950s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?
2. Teaching Math In 1960s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Math In 1980s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math In 1990s
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok. )
6. Teaching Math In 2009
Un hachero vende una carretada de madera para $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha ganado?
7. Teaching Math In 2016 and on.
Who cares, just steal the lumber from your rich neighbor’s property. He won’t have a gun to stop you, and the President says it’s OK anyway cuz it’s redistributing the wealth.
I have a novel idea: actually TEACH algebra.
The way they did it when I went to NY schools, they toss a bunch of words at the kids, fail to adequately describe the order of operations or methodology, then go “we’re done”.
And that was before Commie Core.
In other words, make algebra into arithmetic. (And that’s pushing it.)
Things sure have changed since I went to a NY school in the ‘60s. Their school system used to be very good.
then NYT will have more of these types:
http://nypost.com/2015/11/22/struggling-firefighter-injured-after-just-10-days-into-new-job/
Teaching Math In 1950:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
Teaching Math In 1960:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
Teaching Math In 1970:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
Teaching Math In 1980:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20 Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
Teaching Math In 2010:
A logger cuts down some beautiful forest trees because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. How do you feel about this way of making a living?
The ability to learn math is obviously a white privilege racist micro-aggression thing.
Algebra problems violate safe space.
Today MOST College is a JOKE, an Expensive Worthless JOKE for the majority of those that attend.
It has become just another method of re-distribution.
It is is the unflavored Rice Cake of Junk Food, over-hyped and useless.
My wife recently subbed in a middle school math class for a few days. Most of the kids (except for a core of the really smart ones) had no clue of the order of operations, nor did they know basic math facts - needed the calculator on their school issued Macbooks to do the simplest arithmetic. Such is the state of math instruction these days.