Posted on 04/27/2003 8:25:39 PM PDT by Sweet_Sunflower29
She is a high school teacher. She should be expected to have at least some knowledge of all of the courses a student will take at any level in high school. (She did pass high school didn't she?) OK, exceptions for foreign languages, auto shop and very specialized things like that. But the minimum is that she should be able to pass a test in the core curriculum.
When I went to high school, eons ago, that meant she should know math right up through advanced algebra and geometry. We could go easy and not require calculus, even though some of the advanced seniors will be taking it.
Now, without seeing the test, I will speculate that it could easily be passed by someone with a knowledge of basic algebra. I know teachers here in Kali, and my wife is a Professor in the education department at a California State University--I have personal knowledge that the standards are much lower than I would like.
The concept of just giving this woman a "bye" on the math portion of the general knowledge test is completely ridiculous.
As others have pointed out, she may soon be assigned to teach a different class than English.
I well remember the time that my seventh grade daughter's school had a problem with filling a position. Things got shuffled, and because she had the least seniority, the gym teacher was assigned to teach science. About two weeks later, after I saw the graded papers and tests that came home, I went down to the school and raised hell. The teacher was German, spoke and wrote in broken english, and got about half of the basic concepts in science wrong. It ended up that the principal had to take over the class.
The bottom line here is that there is a very good reason to demand a certain proficiency in general knowledge and if the woman doesn't have it she should go somewhere else.
That's not an easy class...I think anyone will agree on that.
I don't think you have seen the math they are doing in 9th grade these days. Trig, Algebra, Calculas. There is no reason why an English teacher should have to pass a math test. This is idiotic.
That is total BS. There is no reason an English teacher should have to know even algebra. For what reason if she is teaching English will she have to figure out you can add letters.
You are way off base, seriously. Some people just don't get math and fortunately for those of us that don't some real smart math people invented calculators. Those people, by the way, rarely are any good at composition or other advanced English subjects. Again, this is pure BS.
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. USA.
It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley
Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS and reprinted by the
Salina Journal.
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per are, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of theRebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607
1620
1800
1849
1865
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono,super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd,cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane,fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced andindicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is theocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba,Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
Unless of course none of her math teacher co-workers are good math teachers. If none are, then she's up the creek with out a brain.
No one who doesn't understand basic math, and by that I mean at least some algrebra and geometry, isn't really a literate and educated person. Evey engineering school I'm aware of makes the student engineers take English and/or composition, along with 12-15 additional semester hours of what were termed "Humanities and Social Science" electives, back in the dark ages when I got my undergrad degree.
I don't think it's asking too much that an English teacher know as much math as say an elementry teacher, which is most likely the same level that is expected of her. If anything the "general" requirement for math might be less than that for an elementry teacher, who might have to actually teach the subject. Knowing math means that she migh thave some insight into how "analytical" learners learn, In fact that is the purpose of the requirement. Not all her students are going to be the same style of learner as most English majors, or even Teaching English majors and she needs to understand a little about how the "other people" think.
They gotta' be kiddin'.
Mrs. Cougill was CHS Teacher of the Month-September 2002.
Math is the language of numbers, there are rules for languages, if you learn the rules, you have learned the language.
I tell you what--you keep your beliefs, I keep mine. I will insist that my kids get English teachers who have to know math also, you go right ahead and let anyone teach yours.
I think that would be considered an unbalanced education by most quality institutions. The one I attended offered education degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels, but at my college, it didn't matter if you planned to major in underwater belly dancing, you still had to spend your first 2 years focused on the solid basics of English, math, history, political science, humanities, sciences and languages.
That's not an easy class...I think anyone will agree on that."
LOL! We were required to take a course in statistics as well, regardless of major. I heard such horror stories that I put it off till the last possible time I could to take it. It ended up being the only class I took where I never scored below 100% on any test or exercise. I even ended up tutoring a group in the class. I have to laugh, because I really hate math in general, at least beyond the basics, because it is just too abstract and I had a terrible mental block against algebra (which I passed with a high B), but I found statistics to be completely logical and therefore quite simple.
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