Common Core Math

'tis 2015 and they finally figured this out?

 

Hey there, thanks, and I do hope I find some more fulfilling path, that lets me use my creativity more, and what I feel are my talents.

I guess it was a rather strong reaction, but it did remind me how little whatever 'skills' I have seem to be wanted...I guess after several decades of trying, and struggling to get by, a person can get depressed, and this just reminded of that. I do struggle with suicidal ideation a good deal, though, I have a therapist and everything, but I dunno how much it's helped. I mean, I am still alive, but the ideas and plans are something I think about and have thought about for a long time now, and as time grows shorter in life, the urges to throw in the towel get stronger.

The other day, I considered all the studying I did: graduated 7th out of a class of 720 in High School, BA degree in English with honors, then I ran out of $$$ and couldn't afford more loans, and never found a way to go back to school, and drifted from one job to another. Oddly, the other day, I was looking though this box of important papers I keep handy, for when I have to go to the MVA or other legal matters, and I was thinking: Not once, not ever, not for one single job in 25 years has anyone even wanted to see my transcripts or my degree, and see all those 4.0s that really mean shit in the long run despite all the work I did to earn them, as far as the world is concerned. It seemed almost funny, only it also made me very sad, like what I did, did not matter

So all this talk of common core and math and science remind me how much of an outsider I am. I think if I was younger, it might give me more hope...but at 47???? I mean, it's like I'm almost looking death in the face, here, and seems like there is not enough time to do anything different, as I'd be ancient, by then, if I'm not already.

 

Sad, isnt it?

 

Its for All Grades. The Common Core wants kid to think and explain WHY they got there final instead of just HOW. Its more challenging compared to the math before common core.

 

I don't really have the knowledge to be able to really form a solid opinion on Common Core math. Although I will say--my cynical comment earlier aside--that the idea (in general) of teaching people to think has real merit.

This said... One thought has been on my mind: the quality of teachers teaching math. It seems to me that no matter what approach one uses, a lousy teacher will get lousy results. Somehow, past teaching philosophy, there needs to be a way of getting the best people into the classroom.

I'm not particularly good or particularly comfortable with math. That said, looking back, I have to wonder if I wouldn't have been better off if I'd had better teachers at certain points...

I am sure, of course, that there are good teachers. But I'm also sure there are bad teachers. Indeed, when I was in 11th grade, my teacher (head of the department) told the class one day of what fun they'd just had hiring a math teacher. Apparently more than one applicant was beyond hopeless--a couple apparently didn't even have the basic math skills to use themselves, let alone teach others. This about 28 years ago, so those teachers could potentially be out there today teaching--or trying to teach--math.

 

Okay not really on the topic of common core specifically but whether or not you actually are in a field where you use math, going through algebra 2 is super beneficial. Algebra is taken while the brain is developing and involves all sorts of abstract thought and all that cool stuff.

So next time you're going to ask "why do I need to take algebra if I'm never going to use it?"... don't.

---------- Post added 29th Sep 2015 at 10:45 PM ----------

Definitely! So much of how math is taught right now is just memorization. Students don't actually get anything from memorization and it leaves them quickly. In calculus last year, our teacher had to train us not to use all these tricks and instead taught us how they actually work; he's by far the best math teacher I've ever had (I actually still have him this year) and it's way better to know WHY you're doing something than to just know what it is your doing.

The problem I see with common core is that, as I understand it (and I'm still a bit confused about this) it seems that common core doesn't exactly say what to teach, but requires that teachers know multiple ways to teach it. If you have a bad math teacher, though (and there are plenty of them), then they come up with confusing things that don't actually help.

 

Someone said this earlier and it bears repeating...

We are really going to treat math as a subjective matter than an objective process?

 

The problem with common core for me is that they made the math WAYYYYY too difficult. Like come on , I did COLLGE MATH in Algebra 1 last year.

 

For what it's worth, Intermediate and College Algebra, both courses taught in college, are not really above high-school level.