It was open house at my daughter’s high school last night. Lots of earnest teachers and hallways full of focused parents. Everyone seeking the same outcome: the best pre-college education for the best and brightest of our community.
Each teacher had 10 minutes to explain the wonders of her subject, reassure parents that their budding stars were doing “great,” and answer questions (in six sessions, there were 3 questions). Then we parents were on to the next ten minute spiel.
My daughter is in her third year and sixth semester of math that has included algebra, geometry, more algebra and calculus to follow. Her teacher said: “Even though colleges are fine with three years of math, I recommend that kids take a fourth year of advanced high school math so they don’t forget the stuff when they get to college.”
Then it hit me. It might be in some of these kids best interest to forget some of this math. Or better yet, never learn it.
We have built an educational system around math and science that aspires to turn out thousands of engineers, scientists, chemists, and technology wizards. No doubt we will need that horsepower in the future. But do we need every kid to be one of those? I don’t think so.
The fact is that for the majority of these kids, the math they will do in the future will not include binomial coefficients, a trapezoidal rule or differential equations. But it will include balancing a checkbook, creating and managing a budget, reviewing balance sheets, income statements, analyzing cash flow, calculating the yield on a bond, assessing the potential value of a stock or mutual fund or deciding if now is the time to refinance the house.
This is math too. In fact it is the daily math for life. Last night I realized that my daughter is going to graduate from high school and never be exposed to any of this “daily math for life.” I know, I know; this material will get handled in college. But why wait until then?
Check it out next time you buy a latte from a high school kid at a coffee shop. It’s the exception when he can count back to me the change on my ten dollar bill. Usually is a hand-over of a pile of money with no geometric progression included.
I am questioning the macro educational system’s intention, its drivers of motivation and the statistical basis it uses to design the high school-to-college math curriculum. So is Michael S. Teitelbaum of the Sloan Foundation
Next year I’m bring Teitelbaum to my daughter’s open house. I bet he’ll ask more then 3 questions.
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