Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not good at algebra. I had a brain injury at birth.
I guess I'm doomed to be a failure.
No you just have to work harder and probably differently. I had a student who had a brain injury during his first junior year due to a car accident. It suddenly became much harder for him to remember anything new. He had to learn a whole new way to learn. It took time, hardworking, lots of help and he was frequently frustrated especially when he had to repeat a year. But he figured it out eventually.
If algebra is something you need to learn in order to get something you want, than you should do what he did. Maybe it will work for you. Have you been seeking help from a professional to help you cope with your brain injury?
If you have a mortgage payment on a house that costs $100,000 and you have a choice of paying
1) $421.60 per month for 30 years or a total of $151,777.45
2) $554.60 per month for 20 years or a total of $133,103.42
which mortgage is the better deal? Which has the higher interest rate?
If you feel like option 2 is too expensive, and you take option 1, how much money will you still owe on the mortgage after 20 years.
^^
Excellent real life example.
If you want a better understanding about your personal finances and investments (which can be HUGELY profitable), you'll be using algebra quite a lot throughout your life.
I agree with him. Math has basically ruined my life.
Ruined? Really? How so?
And while you may like his video he is wrong about the numbers. He claims less than 1% of Americans work in jobs that "need math". Nope.
According to the National Science Foundation, there are 12 million Americans who work in just STEM jobs alone. That is four times the number of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers and does not include the millions of cashiers, carpenters, architects, and so on who also "need math" everyday as part of their jobs.
Now, I am not a fan of required classes just to require them, but if you take math out of middle school you will create an underclass of people who cannot even check to make sure they are not bung cheated when given change, or getting a mortgage and so on.
DUDE, have you really listened to what he's saying? The only thing he's advocating is a change of teaching methods.
People on earth cannot live without math. Everyone does math everyday. You do math everyday.
Math hasn't ruined your life.
Obviously, elementary math is required to survive in the world. I never had a problem with that, and I agree with him that it should be required.
Middle school and high school math is not required to survive in the world (At least, it has very little practical use. It's required right now because you need good grades to get a job). I agree with him that it should no longer be a required subject in middle school and high school.
Allow kids who want to be mathematicians and math teachers to study Algebra and Calculus. Allow kids who want to be musicians to study Music. This will result in a better outcome based in consent. My societal worth shouldn't be based on whether I can solve a complex Algebra problem that ancient Greek mathematicians would be stunned by.
Also, yes it has. I always did well in every subject except for math. If math wasn't a required subject, I'd be in college and on my way to a well paying job right now. So yes, I'd say that it has ruined my life. I'm not sure how you can claim to know what has/hasn't had a significant effect on my life.
Now, I am not a fan of required classes just to require them, but if you take math out of middle school you will create an underclass of people who cannot even check to make sure they are not bung cheated when given change, or getting a mortgage and so on.
I was taught how to deal with change in elementary. As for mortgages, calculators and Google exist. That's like saying, "If you come down with a cold, how are you going to get better if you were never taught medical science?" Well, I would take some medicine. I don't have to be the person who invents and manufactures the medicine. I only need to understand the basic concept.
Last edited by Neurosis Osmosis; 12-28-2013 at 01:06 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
