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Sometimes I think Algebra is...


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stupid :001_huh: I love math...useful math that is, but there's so much of it that just seems needlessly overdone and convoluted!

 

I was watching my daughter do her lesson and helping her with a problem she was struggling with and it was all I could do to keep myself from saying how pointless it seemed to put something on one side so that you could go through the process of undoing it on the other side. Gah!

 

I often think to myself that she will never use this in life, so WHY do we spend valuable time on it. Really? Someone enlighten me...or just kindly agree with me and send me chocolate :D

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stupid

 

there's so much of it that just seems needlessly overdone and convoluted!

 

I was watching my daughter do her lesson and helping her with a problem she was struggling with and it was all I could do to keep myself from saying how pointless it seemed to put something on one side so that you could go through the process of undoing it on the other side. Gah!

 

I often think to myself that she will never use this in life, so WHY do we spend valuable time on it.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

I've been thinking the same thing while teaching my dd. :glare:

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I sit with my son while he does his Math. I didn't find Geometry and Trig/PreCal to be any easier as far as complicated concepts go. I dread Calculus. But he's probably going into some type of computer science major so we think the highest math is important. Thank goodness he understands what he is doing. He looks smart as he figures out these concepts. I just look ridiculous as most of the time, my face looks like :001_huh:. I didn't go past Algebra 1 in my high school years and I'm fairly certain I haven't needed those concepts in my adult life. Then again, that was the class that had the teacher who told me I would probably never understand and I should just sit down and stop raising my hand. Yeah, she was a beaut of a teacher.

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Some concepts in Algebra I are directly useful in real life. Some concepts are building skills needed for upper level maths and sciences. Some exercises develop logical thinking skills which are directly or indirectly useful in wide variety of applications.

 

I tell my students that working math problems is kind of like a cardio workout. A cardio workout strengthens your cardiovascular system which is beneficial to a wide variety of sports, activities, and life in general, but doesn't necessarily improve specific skills needed for a specific sport or activity. Math problems strengthen your logical thinking skills which are applicable to a wide variety of fields and real life even if you aren't using a specific algebra concept that you learned.

 

Showing your work in math also develops discipline and organizational skills.

Edited by maryanne
fixed typo
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Some concepts in Algebra I are directly useful in real life. Some concepts are building skills needed for upper level maths and sciences. Some exercises develop logical thinking skills which are directly or indirectly useful in wide variety of applications.

 

I tell my students that working math problems is kind of like a cardio workout. A cardio workout strengthens your cardiovascular system which is beneficial to a wide variety of sports, activities, and life in general, but doesn't necessarily improve specific skills needed for a specific sport or activity. Math problems strengthen your logical thinking skills which are applicable to a wide variety of fields and real life even if you aren't using a specific algebra concept that you learned.

 

Showing your work in math also develops discipline and organizational skills.

 

 

:iagree: It is one tool in the arsenal for teaching logical thinking skills. It's the difficult topics that many times make us grow and mature neurologically.

 

Additionally, not teaching algebra, prevents one from pursuing other subjects. Chemistry is algebra based, physics is pre-calc/calc based and requires solid algebra skills to get that far, etc. The other consideration is that unfortunately, not knowing it - for a college bound kid - is a disaster because even if reading comp, English/Verbal, and science reasoning are high on the A.C.T. or on the S.A.T. comparable sections, the score is going to be significantly lower because of that math score. These are heavily math and geometry based exams. I know of several colleges that require a minimum 26 in the math section of the A.C.T. in order to major in a large number of non-math related disciplines...it's used as a weeder tool - whether it should be or not is a topic for a different discussion.

 

I know a lot of people really do not want to teach it, but I also know - from having tutored in higher mathematics - that for even the students that struggle very hard for C's and D's, there is amazing growth in all areas of their thinking and academics for every concept they conquer once they recognize that they "got it". So for me, it's the same question as, "Why teach logic? Why teach Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Locke, etc.?" Yes, in the short term one cannot see any practical application for teaching about the philosophers and logicians of the past. Who is going to use it? No one needs that for their job? But, the value is the brain development that occurs from thinking critically about the topic.

 

I had a very wise math teacher once say that there are only a handful of subjects left that can be taught in the public school which will help kids learn logic, Algebra and geometry, grammar - specifically diagramming sentences - physics, and literary analysis. Since diagramming went the way of the dodo bird a long time ago, and teachers' hands are practically tied in terms of literary analysis because "discussing the underlying cultural themes of Hamlet" will not be on the multiple-choice test for evaluation of teacher merit, and they have to be exceedingly careful with subjective topics anyway since people are so easily offended these days and storm the principals' offices for every little thing, logic was abandoned by the 19040's, and the only students taking physics are those that made it to trig/pre-calc, it ends up, of necessity, meaning that ideally everyone gets funneled through the algebras. There used to be other subjects that assisted with that brain development - woodworking, metalworking, sewing, Latin, etc. but those types of classes, once taught at an extremely high achievement level, are now gone.

 

There is of course an added weight now placed on the higher maths due to the fact that in this economy, many of the really good jobs that are available are STEM based. Most of the nursing departments dd checked into required a 27 in the math portion of the A.C.T. or one would be sent to remedial maths (paid for by student, not covered by scholarships, and not counted towards graduation) before being allowed to enter even basic college chemistry. This alone guaranteed that the potential nursing student would not graduate in four years.

 

It's tough....I know that algebra is the number one "killer" of homeschooling parents and it is a reason many homeschooled kids do not remain home for high school.

 

:grouphug: Hugs to the OP! Homeschooling for late middle school and high school takes nerves of steel sometimes.

 

Faith

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:iagree: It is one tool in the arsenal for teaching logical thinking skills. It's the difficult topics that many times make us grow and mature neurologically.

 

Additionally, not teaching algebra, prevents one from pursuing other subjects. Chemistry is algebra based, physics is pre-calc/calc based and requires solid algebra skills to get that far, etc. The other consideration is that unfortunately, not knowing it - for a college bound kid - is a disaster because even if reading comp, English/Verbal, and science reasoning are high on the A.C.T. or on the S.A.T. comparable sections, the score is going to be significantly lower because of that math score. These are heavily math and geometry based exams. I know of several colleges that require a minimum 26 in the math section of the A.C.T. in order to major in a large number of non-math related disciplines...it's used as a weeder tool - whether it should be or not is a topic for a different discussion.

 

I know a lot of people really do not want to teach it, but I also know - from having tutored in higher mathematics - that for even the students that struggle very hard for C's and D's, there is amazing growth in all areas of their thinking and academics for every concept they conquer once they recognize that they "got it". So for me, it's the same question as, "Why teach logic? Why teach Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Locke, etc.?" Yes, in the short term one cannot see any practical application for teaching about the philosophers and logicians of the past. Who is going to use it? No one needs that for their job? But, the value is the brain development that occurs from thinking critically about the topic.

 

I had a very wise math teacher once say that there are only a handful of subjects left that can be taught in the public school which will help kids learn logic, Algebra and geometry, grammar - specifically diagramming sentences - physics, and literary analysis. Since diagramming went the way of the dodo bird a long time ago, and teachers' hands are practically tied in terms of literary analysis because "discussing the underlying cultural themes of Hamlet" will not be on the multiple-choice test for evaluation of teacher merit, and they have to be exceedingly careful with subjective topics anyway since people are so easily offended these days and storm the principals' offices for every little thing, logic was abandoned by the 19040's, and the only students taking physics are those that made it to trig/pre-calc, it ends up, of necessity, meaning that ideally everyone gets funneled through the algebras. There used to be other subjects that assisted with that brain development - woodworking, metalworking, sewing, Latin, etc. but those types of classes, once taught at an extremely high achievement level, are now gone.

 

There is of course an added weight now placed on the higher maths due to the fact that in this economy, many of the really good jobs that are available are STEM based. Most of the nursing departments dd checked into required a 27 in the math portion of the A.C.T. or one would be sent to remedial maths (paid for by student, not covered by scholarships, and not counted towards graduation) before being allowed to enter even basic college chemistry. This alone guaranteed that the potential nursing student would not graduate in four years.

 

It's tough....I know that algebra is the number one "killer" of homeschooling parents and it is a reason many homeschooled kids do not remain home for high school.

 

:grouphug: Hugs to the OP! Homeschooling for late middle school and high school takes nerves of steel sometimes.

 

Faith

My husband certainly agrees with you. He uses higher math daily in his career. What's more - he loves math.

I don't (love math, that is). You hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph - Algebra is going to be the death of our homeschool at some point. I am comfortable teaching Algebra 1 (which our dd is slated to begin next year), but beyond that, I'm useless. My husband can *DO* math, but he cannot *teach* it to the under 16-ish crowd; inevitably, every time he tries to help dd with math, it ends in tears on both sides. Lol.

Edited by AimeeM
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Today I don't think there is any logical reason why a child who wants to grow up to be a dance instructor needs algebra. I'm not even sure she needs to go to college at this point. :glare:

 

But we keep banging our heads against a brick wall trying to figure this stuff out so she can go to a good college. Just in case she changes her mind about her life path. Although she has been saying the same thing now for 4 years.

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