No. We should though start to segregate students into paths that fit their aptitudes and career goals. If Algebra fits?..fine. If not? Then basic mathematic skills are adequate. We need more emphasis on teaching kids things that will either prepare them for the workplace after HS..or prepare them for college. One size fits all is a failed paradigm IMO.

(04-01-2016 11:33 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  No. We should though start to segregate students into paths that fit their aptitudes and career goals. If Algebra fits?..fine. If not? Then basic mathematic skills are adequate. We need more emphasis on teaching kids things that will either prepare them for the workplace after HS..or prepare them for college. One size fits all is a failed paradigm IMO.

thank you.....it's shockingly disturbing the regime has dropped 'this' ball and allowed the pc faghags to rule......

a tiered system of some sort of training has to be implemented.....

(04-02-2016 12:17 AM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(04-01-2016 11:33 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  No. We should though start to segregate students into paths that fit their aptitudes and career goals. If Algebra fits?..fine. If not? Then basic mathematic skills are adequate. We need more emphasis on teaching kids things that will either prepare them for the workplace after HS..or prepare them for college. One size fits all is a failed paradigm IMO.

thank you.....it's shockingly disturbing the regime has dropped 'this' ball and allowed the pc faghags to rule......

a tiered system of some sort of training has to be implemented.....

YES. And more funding should be put into programs for the gifted. There are many students (my guess, maybe 40%) who can complete the current high school curriculum by 10th grade. They should be provided the opportunity to take college courses (not just AP but real on campus courses).

No reason a gifted 12th grader should not be able to take Differential Equations.

(04-02-2016 08:04 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(04-02-2016 12:17 AM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(04-01-2016 11:33 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  No. We should though start to segregate students into paths that fit their aptitudes and career goals. If Algebra fits?..fine. If not? Then basic mathematic skills are adequate. We need more emphasis on teaching kids things that will either prepare them for the workplace after HS..or prepare them for college. One size fits all is a failed paradigm IMO.

thank you.....it's shockingly disturbing the regime has dropped 'this' ball and allowed the pc faghags to rule......

a tiered system of some sort of training has to be implemented.....

YES. And more funding should be put into programs for the gifted. There are many students (my guess, maybe 40%) who can complete the current high school curriculum by 10th grade. They should be provided the opportunity to take college courses (not just AP but real on campus courses).

No reason a gifted 12th grader should not be able to take Differential Equations.

it's an investment worth exploring....

I will give the AP coursing some credit....that did not exist when I was in HS....

the important point is having a public tiered system conjoined with redeveloping business practices that will maximize that training inside our borders....

this is not a novel concept.....business has been trying to tell the gooberment bobble heads this for decades....

(03-31-2016 08:54 AM)Crebman Wrote:  There are a lot of stupid kids that go through school - tons that won't grasp Algebra. Tons that will go on in life and whatever job they have - they'll never use Algebra.

Perfect example of why kids should be tracked going through school. The smart one's go through the "University prep" track and learn Algebra and more higher level math. The stupid ones go through a "vocational" track and learn basic math and how to balance a checkbook, etc.. They both still graduate high school - just different tracks.

Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.

Yep, that's totally legit, not everyone has the same ambitions or skillsets. And indeed, not everyone can sit in an office cubicle and make 100k a year, we do need the vocational types as well.

(03-31-2016 08:54 AM)Crebman Wrote:  There are a lot of stupid kids that go through school - tons that won't grasp Algebra. Tons that will go on in life and whatever job they have - they'll never use Algebra.

Perfect example of why kids should be tracked going through school. The smart one's go through the "University prep" track and learn Algebra and more higher level math. The stupid ones go through a "vocational" track and learn basic math and how to balance a checkbook, etc.. They both still graduate high school - just different tracks.

Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.

And I forgot to add that it's a bit of a misnomer to call some kids stupid, we all have relative strengths, weaknesses and areas we excel in. As the saying goes, you can learn something from everyone. And some skills are in demand while others aren't.

You use algebra every day.

(04-03-2016 02:13 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(03-31-2016 08:54 AM)Crebman Wrote:  There are a lot of stupid kids that go through school - tons that won't grasp Algebra. Tons that will go on in life and whatever job they have - they'll never use Algebra.

Perfect example of why kids should be tracked going through school. The smart one's go through the "University prep" track and learn Algebra and more higher level math. The stupid ones go through a "vocational" track and learn basic math and how to balance a checkbook, etc.. They both still graduate high school - just different tracks.

Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.

And I forgot to add that it's a bit of a misnomer to call some kids stupid, we all have relative strengths, weaknesses and areas we excel in. As the saying goes, you can learn something from everyone. And some skills are in demand while others aren't.

Oh, there are plenty of kids that can learn to be welders, plumbers, etc. and they can and do fine in life. With that said, it's not a misnomer that there are lots of dumb kids that walk through the schoolhouse doors every day. Those kids can also do okay in life also long as they are willing to be dependable and work hard. The dumb and lazy ones become part of the government dependent class.

With that said, where our government has failed miserably is by doing very little for those that aren't college material and the really smart ones. Nope, they just lump all together.

Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.
[/quote]

And I forgot to add that it's a bit of a misnomer to call some kids stupid, we all have relative strengths, weaknesses and areas we excel in. As the saying goes, you can learn something from everyone. And some skills are in demand while others aren't.
[/quote]



Agree 100%. My BIL couldn't/wouldn't be called a genius or smart as per the standards in this forum, but one thing he can do is take a small house and build onto to it all by himself. In my eyes he's the type of person that brings much to society.

There are geniuses here that probably couldn't change a tire but heck they can make an algebraic equation on how to do it. I worked on aircraft for four years in the Air Force and retired as an airport firefighter with 30 years service and never once did I need algebra to do my job. And get this, I actually was able to save a person with my medical knowledge but yet you guys think I'm dumb because I can't do algebra. What a bunch of loons. You remind me of that skinny kid in The Big Bang Theory that thinks his genius is all that is needed to fix the world and everyone else is dumb.

I think you're all putting to MUCH emphasis on algebra. Like I said, this country was built by people that didn't even graduate from school and heck they've done a better job of things than the Ivy Leaguers are today.

(04-03-2016 03:29 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.


And I forgot to add that it's a bit of a misnomer to call some kids stupid, we all have relative strengths, weaknesses and areas we excel in. As the saying goes, you can learn something from everyone. And some skills are in demand while others aren't.

Quote:Agree 100%. My BIL couldn't/wouldn't be called a genius or smart as per the standards in this forum, but one thing he can do is take a small house and build onto to it all by himself. In my eyes he's the type of person that brings much to society.

I'm no contractor but my guess is if he can do that then he's using LOTS of math. Maybe more trigonometry than algebra, but I'd bet there is some algebra involved.

(04-01-2016 11:33 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  No. We should though start to segregate students into paths that fit their aptitudes and career goals. If Algebra fits?..fine. If not? Then basic mathematic skills are adequate. We need more emphasis on teaching kids things that will either prepare them for the workplace after HS..or prepare them for college. One size fits all is a failed paradigm IMO.

I tend to agree with this message. My concern however is who gets to make that decision?

We need to start teaching kids a lot more in grades K-8.

i'm one of those people who didn't read the entire thread before posting. if you get rid of algebra, might as well get rid of math period. math stimulates the mind, that's why it's there. i hated math, even though i was decent at it. there were just parts of my mind that i didn't want to explore. but i remember being very engaged while solving a problem. i prefer open ended questions to solutions. i can only handle addition and subtraction nowadays, preferably in small numbers.

(04-04-2016 01:04 PM)Lush Wrote:  i'm one of those people who didn't read the entire thread before posting. if you get rid of algebra, might as well get rid of math period. math stimulates the mind, that's why it's there. i hated math, even though i was decent at it. there were just parts of my mind that i didn't want to explore. but i remember being very engaged while solving a problem. i prefer open ended questions to solutions. i can only handle addition and subtraction nowadays, preferably in small numbers.

I agree. I checked out once they started adding ans subtracting letters.

(04-04-2016 08:50 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(04-03-2016 03:29 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.


And I forgot to add that it's a bit of a misnomer to call some kids stupid, we all have relative strengths, weaknesses and areas we excel in. As the saying goes, you can learn something from everyone. And some skills are in demand while others aren't.

Quote:Agree 100%. My BIL couldn't/wouldn't be called a genius or smart as per the standards in this forum, but one thing he can do is take a small house and build onto to it all by himself. In my eyes he's the type of person that brings much to society.

I'm no contractor but my guess is if he can do that then he's using LOTS of math. Maybe more trigonometry than algebra, but I'd bet there is some algebra involved.

Believe me he doesn't use algebra or trig. just general mathematics

(04-04-2016 02:40 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  

(04-04-2016 08:50 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(04-03-2016 03:29 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Remember - about 70% of adults never graduate from college.


And I forgot to add that it's a bit of a misnomer to call some kids stupid, we all have relative strengths, weaknesses and areas we excel in. As the saying goes, you can learn something from everyone. And some skills are in demand while others aren't.

Quote:Agree 100%. My BIL couldn't/wouldn't be called a genius or smart as per the standards in this forum, but one thing he can do is take a small house and build onto to it all by himself. In my eyes he's the type of person that brings much to society.

I'm no contractor but my guess is if he can do that then he's using LOTS of math. Maybe more trigonometry than algebra, but I'd bet there is some algebra involved.

Believe me he doesn't use algebra or trig. just general mathematics

Interesting. Just a side note, but back in high school one of our math "field trips" was to a construction site where the builder showed us what he did, etc. He was using Trig, but like anything, it was via a calculator and he probably didn't even know what he was doing was trig or algebra, etc.

(04-03-2016 03:21 PM)Crebman Wrote:  Oh, there are plenty of kids that can learn to be welders, plumbers, etc. and they can and do fine in life. With that said, it's not a misnomer that there are lots of dumb kids that walk through the schoolhouse doors every day. Those kids can also do okay in life also long as they are willing to be dependable and work hard. The dumb and lazy ones become part of the government dependent class.

With that said, where our government has failed miserably is by doing very little for those that aren't college material and the really smart ones. Nope, they just lump all together.

Yep because as I said, we all have relative strengths and weaknesses. Oh well, it'll be football season in 5 months (e.g. I'm highlighting another issue which hinders academics. They need to separate those who have different goals: from athletics, to going to college to those hoping to be a craftsman, etc...) I don't even know why some universities pretend anymore, they need to create a semi-pro league and be done with it. And starting in high schools, academies should be created for aspiring athletes. It is increasingly a waste of everyone's time and money paying for tuition (et al) for people who have no interest in going to school and that either just want to play pro sports or aren't realistically capable of doing much more to get out of their circumstances.

[small rant, you can stop reading if you want] And honestly, what are some of those classes pupils take going to do for you in the real world? After middle school, you should want to take the initiative to learn about history, geography, biology and especially the foreign languages. The foreign language classes are a waste of time unless accompanied by real world interaction with people who speak the language so that not only do you learn form and structure but slang and lingo. They're also better studied intensely day to day rather than 2-3 days a week along with numerous other classes.[/small rant]

(04-04-2016 04:42 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(04-03-2016 03:21 PM)Crebman Wrote:  Oh, there are plenty of kids that can learn to be welders, plumbers, etc. and they can and do fine in life. With that said, it's not a misnomer that there are lots of dumb kids that walk through the schoolhouse doors every day. Those kids can also do okay in life also long as they are willing to be dependable and work hard. The dumb and lazy ones become part of the government dependent class.

With that said, where our government has failed miserably is by doing very little for those that aren't college material and the really smart ones. Nope, they just lump all together.

Yep because as I said, we all have relative strengths and weaknesses. Oh well, it'll be football season in 5 months (e.g. I'm highlighting another issue which hinders academics. They need to separate those who have different goals: from athletics, to going to college to those hoping to be a craftsman, etc...) I don't even know why some universities pretend anymore, they need to create a semi-pro league and be done with it. And starting in high schools, academies should be created for aspiring athletes. It is increasingly a waste of everyone's time and money paying for tuition (et al) for people who have no interest in going to school and that either just want to play pro sports or aren't realistically capable of doing much more to get out of their circumstances.

[small rant, you can stop reading if you want] And honestly, what are some of those classes pupils take going to do for you in the real world? After middle school, you should want to take the initiative to learn about history, geography, biology and especially the foreign languages. The foreign language classes are a waste of time unless accompanied by real world interaction with people who speak the language so that not only do you learn form and structure but slang and lingo. They're also better studied intensely day to day rather than 2-3 days a week along with numerous other classes.[/small rant]

It's funny in junior high I had a geography class, and the teacher made up jeopardy-like trivia games related to geography and I remember that most of all about that class. Maybe that doesn't work for a lot of people, but it worked for me. That made me interested in geography (of course I was also into reading before that). Of course, the teacher was pretty funny also, which didn't hurt. Without that particular teacher, I don't know that I would have been interested at all. I had a science class and I got so much homework answering boring-ass questions that I didn't like science (other than astronomy) until I got out of high school.

But see that's junior high. By the time you get to high school, you should be getting tracked to figure out what you're gonna do for the rest of your life. You very much should take every subject imagineable before a certain age but after? Some can be a waste of time and an extra burden. Anyone remember the time and distance jokes from Family Guy, like when Chris stops and asks for directions?

(04-03-2016 03:29 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Agree 100%. My BIL couldn't/wouldn't be called a genius or smart as per the standards in this forum, but one thing he can do is take a small house and build onto to it all by himself. In my eyes he's the type of person that brings much to society.

There are geniuses here that probably couldn't change a tire but heck they can make an algebraic equation on how to do it. I worked on aircraft for four years in the Air Force and retired as an airport firefighter with 30 years service and never once did I need algebra to do my job. And get this, I actually was able to save a person with my medical knowledge but yet you guys think I'm dumb because I can't do algebra. What a bunch of loons. You remind me of that skinny kid in The Big Bang Theory that thinks his genius is all that is needed to fix the world and everyone else is dumb.

I like the people who get arrogant because of their academic credentials in earlier years. They sit on those and, especially from a highly reputable school, think of their views as infallible and that no one else's opinion is worthy. Granted, it's a good idea to go to school for a number of fields and it means something to graduate and learn in those disciplines but it's also important to adapt and change because the world is constantly evolving and changing. The education you got 20-30 years ago may not be as relevant as the realities of today.