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Which looks like the college prep courses I finished in high school 23 years ago, when I was 17.
I took Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry and tried to take trig, but damn, I suck at math. Trig blew my mind. I lasted about two weeks and then dropped the class. Had to take an elective. The only thing open was !$%!$%! gym. So, I had to spend a semester with 9th graders playing sports. 5'11 (and 3/4"s), 170 pounds of 17 year old boy. DOMINATION.
I wish I was better at math. I speak Japanese at conversational level. Got a great grasp of language. Everyone's got different talents. Math ...definitely not mine.
The problem there is that Algebra is also a core class in college. It would do students good to have at least a basic knowledge of algebra.
That is true and college algebra is not breeze as it is much more difficult for a beginner if they don't know the basics because colleges expect you to know the basics.
My oldest always give me the same old line why do I need to know this and that when he was in jr high. Now that he is looking at maybe getting into an engineering school he understands. lol
You can get rusty. My son took a 3 week evening course before he left for college, and he was pretty good at math. I'm pretty good in math too, but i'd have some difficulty with basic Algebra right now if i was in a classroom environment. I'd get in the groove and excel at it eventually, but it would be tough at first.
LMAO..."Texas History?" Texans are even more full of themselves than i thought they were. In any case, i guess there is nothing wrong with it if you're learning something. Maybe it's interesting to some people...i guess.
You are correct there. I get asked for some help with homework at times and find myself forgetting some of the basic rules. May as well start with algebra and keep on rolling if your in jr high/high school because it is fresh in the mind.
I agree about personal finance. That's a pretty critical area with an immediate profound impact on everyones life. EVERYONE has to deal with this topic in real life.
First I would like it if people stop being delusional and acting like all high school kids are college material. Second they need to start offering more trade school type classes. Classes to teach kids how to be mechanics, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welding, cosmetology. Jobs that pay good and are always in demand(you can't outsouce a plumber)
Cut algebra???? That is a horrible idea, but I see no problem with cutting Texas History out of the curriculum (something that is required in our school district).
Why would you want to cut anytype of history from the curriculum. Its important people know their history so not to repeat it. You sound like a book buring fascist.
I think algebra and geometry should still be required. You always say you don't need this stuff, but these are pretty basic and I think they're necessary. Here are two examples: I was trying to figure out a pricing structure based on a percentage of a certain product's price and how many products I needed to make a certain total price point. Algebra. And when I played on a pool league, playing pool is geometry and physics (although playing pool is not a necessary part of life, just a hobby).
I think English classes should be a lot different. Kids can read Cliff's Notes and get by. Do we really need to study Shakespeare? High school is not to become cultured, it's to gain knowledge you need for the real world and analyzing Macbeth is really not necessary to get by in life.
I think history is important, as boring as it may be. I actually think physical education should be extended for all four years in some form (at my high school 10 years ago, we stopped in 9th grade). I do believe the arts and different technical things should remain in place as electives. I think typing and computer classes (as electives) could probably be done away with at this point since kids know these things just through their personal lives.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I actually think it's not the classes or course selection that should change but maybe how it's taught. It should be more like college and life as you go up each grade, less hand-holding and more focus on doing things independently without the teacher and working as a team with peers. And more oriented toward the real world.
I don't know the answers but I do know that something needs to change b/c kids act like they are allergic to work these days.
+1 I think all kids should be required to play a sport(any sport). People are always complaing about how the the kids are getting fatter, but nobody forces them(including the school) to go outside and get exercise.
I am asking this in response to a recent controversy by some scholar in the NYTimes saying Algebra might be dropped as a requirement to graduation. I think, in the US, some twenty five percent of ninth graders do not complete high school and the biggest stumbling block is algebra.
Just providing a link to the article you are referring to:
The problem here is that whenever someone suggests that we refocus education on what matters, we can never agree on what matters. Every course has some supporters who can persuasively argue in support of it.
Insisting a specific course is necessary doesn't do these kids much good if they aren't learning the material.
I remember high school. I did well because I had to do well to get in to college. That doesn't mean I learned much. After six classes a day for four years, my only strengths were English, math, and science. Everything else fell away because we would learn it for a semester then move on to the next thing.
So, if I forgot so much material despite doing well academically, what hope is there for students who don't get the material and get buried by the volume of it?
"Educating the whole student" is a nice goal, but goals don't matter much if it's unreasonable.
First I would like it if parents, school boards, upper level administrators and educational theorists stop being delusional and acting like all high school kids are college material. Second they need to start offering more trade school type classes. Classes to teach kids how to be mechanics, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welding, cosmetology. Jobs that pay good and are always in demand(you can't outsouce a plumber)
I had to fix that for you. Now, they are only saying what people want to hear.
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In any case, i guess there is nothing wrong with it if you're learning something. Maybe it's interesting to some people...i guess.
