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I'm a junior in high school and I'm about to fail algebra 2, I take the final tomorrow. Why can't math classes like algebra and geometry be electives? I've had to retake every math class 2 or 3 times, and I struggled to learn the basic stuff in elementary. Learning long division was hell! I'm obviously not very good at math and I pass all my other classes, so why can't useless classes like algebra 2 be an elective?
Back when I went to school, the math requirements were less, but if you were in a college prep track, you needed to take 3 years of math including Alg II/Trig. Kids who were not going to college did not take these classes.
Math helps you to develop thinking skills that help in calculating solutions to problems and quickly coming up with answers. IMHO it is needed for all at least a little. You will have to do it again in college if you have to go there. I use algebra from time to time but I use geometry quite often when I am figuring out problems like tile coverage for a room and so forth.
Taking a class 3 times to pass is is a problem. It shouldn't take that long.
I believe there should be a different math track for students who have not developed the logical reasoning skills needed for algebra. I was one of them. I was a D math student through high school. I remember studying and just not getting it. I'd get enough to squeek by but that was it. As a result, I did not think I was college material so I didn't head straight for college.
When I did go to college at 25, I had to retake high school math and found myself wondering why I ever thought this was hard. Everyone assured me, that calculus would change my mind. It didn't. I don't know what happened between high school and college but math got easy. I'm convinced that something happened, developmentally, after I turned 18.
I'm a junior in high school and I'm about to fail algebra 2, I take the final tomorrow. Why can't math classes like algebra and geometry be electives? I've had to retake every math class 2 or 3 times, and I struggled to learn the basic stuff in elementary. Learning long division was hell! I'm obviously not very good at math and I pass all my other classes, so why can't useless classes like algebra 2 be an elective?
Math is needed for critical thinking and problem solving skills in all areas of your life. Sounds like you need some modifications if you are really truly trying and still don't get it. Are you spending time in your book every single day? Do you complete all of your homework assignments? Do you pay attention in class? Are you coming in before and after school to get help from your teacher? Are you taking advantage of tutoring opportunities? I don't know you and what you have tried in the past to help yourself out, but I find a lot of students that say they don't get it, but have done nothing to help themselves out.
First of all - algebra (of any kind) is not useless. As others have pointed out, all matematics classes teach problem solving, logical and critical thinking - in addition to the actual mathematical operations.
Maybe you're not a traditional learner in math. Maybe you have difficulty with the way its being taught - that I dont' know. But, its being taught for a reason - which is that without it, you miss out on an opportunity to think a certain way. And that can be helpful later in life.
As in: I have $100 dollars in my pocket, Beer costs $7 a case and Chips cost $2.50 a bag. How can I maximize my party supplies??
You can solve that with algebra. Yes, you can also solve that with common sense (but that common sense is basically using the rules of algebra).
Its everywhere. If you are given one item/fact, and its relationship to another item/fact - you can get from one to the other through manipulation. This is common in logic, and is the basis for most algebraic manipulations.
(If X = 25, and a video game costs 4X, how much is the video game??)
So, while I sympathize with your difficulties, and hope you find a way to overcome them - please remember that it IS a useful subject and that its being taught to you to HELP you later in life, not to tortue you now.
Algebra is not useless nor should it be an elective. Many occupations use some form of algebra regularly. Many of these occupations do not even require a college degree. Occupations like carpenters, cooks, nurses, pharmacist, roofers, framers, plumbers, carpet/flooring installers, and the list goes on and on.
If they make math an elective I want English to be an elective as well. I hated that class and never understood why we had to put words here and there when I could say it a different way and you would still know what I am saying. lol
If they make math an elective I want English to be an elective as well. I hated that class and never understood why we had to put words here and there when I could say it a different way and you would still know what I am saying. lol
There's a big difference in people simply knowing what you're saying, and people comprehending what you're trying to explain.
If they make math an elective I want English to be an elective as well. I hated that class and never understood why we had to put words here and there when I could say it a different way and you would still know what I am saying. lol
Because it's not just WHAT you say...it's HOW you say it.
Consider this:
I have this ongoing hope in my head that in Georgia, which possesses iron-rich soils, those who were descendants of humans in a state of servitude will consume a meal together with the descendants of those who owned other humans in a state of servitude.
Versus...
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
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