[SE Mom]

Common sense...Williams nails it here.

[SE Mom]

~snip~

It also seems that children these days prefer not to study very much; I’m not sure if it’s because they are so busy with other things, or they just have been handed so much that the idea of hard work is foreign to them. But whatever the reason, it’s obvious to parents and teachers across America that kids aren’t putting in the effort to excel in math and science. One explanation may be because math and science generally demand specific solutions, meaning either a right or wrong student. So for a lot of kids who are scared to fail, or sadly even scared to try, math and science are just pushed away at all costs. Instead, more kids focus on subjects like History and English which tend to be more philosophical and interpretive which allows for more wiggle room and less hurt feelings...

~snip~

[Condor51]

If you want to see a HS kid's head explode from overload give him one of these, the instruction manual - and nothing else. Brain and skull parts will be all over the room.

[Odds are his first question will be, "Where do the batteries go?"]

[wintertime]

Too many government teachers are math phobic themselves. Also, if their SAT, ACT, and GRE scores are any indication, too many teachers are too dumb to learn math themselves, let alone teach it.

Next, what about the Bell Curve?

How many children realistically have the IQ to take and pass Algebra? What is the cut off point on the Bell Curve? Obviously a certain number of children are incapable of learning it!

Also..., where is the cut off point on the Bell Curve where it is impossible to master the material in a typical high school program? Obviously, there will always be a certain number of children who are incapable of graduating from high school!

We have a choice:

1) A high school diploma has real meaning and a certain percentage of children will never earn one.

Or..

2) A high school diploma means nothing and everyone can get one.

Finally, I think every government teacher should be required to sit in the same math classes as math and science majors. They should be required to take and pass Calculus I. Yes, I know that most teachers do not need Calculus I for to do their jobs,,BUT,,,it would assure that they were smart enough to deserve a government paycheck!

[RonF]

That’s the problem with math class. There ARE right answers, and there are WRONG answers.

[wintertime]

Common sense...Williams nails it here.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

He misses 4 important points:

1) Too many government teachers are math phobic themselves.

2) Too many government teachers have never taken serious math in college.

3) Too many government teachers do not have the IQ to master math themselves. ( Their SAT, ACT, and GRE scores) are the lowest on campus.)

4) If a high school diploma is to have any value, a certain number of children on the low end of the Bell Curve MUST fail!

[PreciousLiberty]

Great article! I agree that math and science need to be sold to young people as important and positive things. From personal experience, I also encourage parents to remove some of that “over stimulation” sooner rather than later. I mean things like constant iPod use, cell phone and messaging overuse, too much TV and so on. It’s no wonder kids are having a tough time learning with all the junk information that goes into their little heads. ;-)

I do have a nit to pick with the article:

“Also, science tells us that it is impossible to hear a bullet, because they travel faster than the speed of sound.”

That is of course completely incorrect. The correct statement is “Also, science tells us that it is impossible to hear a high-power rifle bullet before it arrives, because they travel faster than the speed of sound.” Some bullets are subsonic, and you sure has heck can hear a supersonic bullet AFTER it goes by, they make a nice little sonic boom. ;-) Also, I think the writer was really talking about hearing the shot rather than hearing the bullet.

In addition to math and science, critical thinking is an important skill, and severely undertaught today. I think it’s for the same misguided “feel good” issues described in this article.

[detch]

Go to this site, after viewing the intro, go to the trailer...

http://www.2mminutes.com/

I don’t see our congress or presidential candidates addressing the problem with any credibility.

[Malesherbes]

Kids need “real tutelage in math and science.” Granted, but just who is going to provide it?

[ladyjane]

College students don’t even have an understanding of math.

If you ask them to tell you which is largest
a. .019
b. .09
c. .01

they will guess .019 and they’ll say “everything works backwards to the right of the decimal.”

There’s no hope. And it has nothing to do with overworked teachers or overcrowded classrooms.

[RightWhale]

The available jobs do not involve science or math. Waste of time to study those subjects.

[xjcsa]

I wonder if "skills for life" include taking money under the table to promote a government agenda?

And I wonder why a columnist who has been discredited as dishonest still somehow has credibility, regardless of how well he writes or how right a given column might be?

[wastedyears]

I could use a couple of remedial mathematics classes. No, not just one.

[AnimalLover]

PING