Does math really hurt?
I pondered this as I drove to work this morning. My students and I worked two weeks understanding and exploring equal and mixed fractions. One of my kids actually stated, "This hurts my brain!"
Understanding fractions is an important skill. We use fractions in all kinds of daily thought-money exchange-figuring out all those 10 for a dollar-figuring out how much your mortgage is in proportion to monthly income.
What do we really need, I asked myself? Do we need to know the standard two years of algebra now required of most freshmen? Do we need to understand geometry and calculus-to get by in daily life?
We used to offer courses in consumer math. We covered balancing a checkbook developing a budget, writing checks, figuring taxes, bookkeeping-understanding division and multiplication in the context of daily life.
I sure don't remember what algebra skills had to be used-although I can understand the importance of geometry, area and perimeter. How will understanding various angles help unless one is planning some kind of project?
It is those elite educated who develop a curriculum -needless and not essential for survival-we have too many computer skills and technologies available to do our work for us-teach students how to access those..
I remember studying for my private pilots license and without calculator, having to figure weight and balance of the aircraft, fuel projections based on mileage, wind speed and direction. Now computer models take care of all of it. I remember having to do the work of the now standard GPS .
Perhaps I might need to know some of this in an emergency-but that is what landings are for..
I believe high standards are important-I do-I also believe that elitist ideals do not help the average worker survive day to day life. Ask any English lit major who works at McDonald's or sells insurance how much that degree helped..
