Americans are afraid of math.
This is anecdotal, but I think it holds up. Today my math teacher asked why we, as a nation, are weak in math. It seems like our education has not done so well in the area of mathematics, and I'm here to offer my opinion why: I think that we are increasingly afraid of answers. We have let ourselves become so tolerant that we don't think anyone could ever be right, or that anything could really be true.
Think about it. In English things are different. The ability to communicate is stressed, but there is essentially no wrong answer, as long as that answer is well reasoned, defended and expressed. In my math class, we talked briefly about other reasons for American weakness in the subject; negative experiences from childhood, elementary school teachers who prefer English, childhood impatience, etc. Still, maybe this runs deeper. Maybe our weakness in mathematics is a symptom of our desertion of a belief in truth.
Listen to news radio, or politicians, and you may begin to see:
to quote 2 Timothy 3:7
"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Think about it. In English things are different. The ability to communicate is stressed, but there is essentially no wrong answer, as long as that answer is well reasoned, defended and expressed. In my math class, we talked briefly about other reasons for American weakness in the subject; negative experiences from childhood, elementary school teachers who prefer English, childhood impatience, etc. Still, maybe this runs deeper. Maybe our weakness in mathematics is a symptom of our desertion of a belief in truth.
Listen to news radio, or politicians, and you may begin to see:
to quote 2 Timothy 3:7
"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Labels: Americans, answers, math, objectivism, truth
posted by Sterling at
12:45 AM
3 Comments:
Huh. I've always seen the opposite --- we have lots of scientists and engineers and the like, but the youth of America couldn't compose a grammatically correct sentence with proper punctuation and stellar spelling (or alarmingly awesome alliteration) if their life depended on it.
But it's really the same issue --- what you said is true; there is no "correct answer." Everything is relative, as long as we "express our feelings" [or insert your own nonsensical rhetoric]. And though there may be much stressing of communication and the like, we're never actually taught anything. What skill I have with the English language I learned from two places: 1) reading works of others and drawing conclusions of what is correct (in a technical sense) from contextual example, and 2) practicing it out.
I realize this is primarily what makes up (or is supposed to make up) English classes around the nation, so what accounts for the asininity of our culture's young adults' communicative ability? I don't know. Perhaps it is because our teachers and/or the curriculum do not successfully convey or even care to try to convey a passion for language or a sense of beauty in art. I'm not sure that kind of thing can really be conveyed very easily, especially in a public school setting? But the current method of teaching isn't helping; in fact it is doing just the opposite. More students learn to hate literature --- or, at the very least, be put off by it (myself included, and that's a whole, other post) --- from their experiences in public school than learn to love it. Again, that's not easily solvable --- forcing it on them makes them angry and rebellious; making it optional will inspire the laziness and apathy in them. Neither situation is desirable.
But I've digressed. I think I'll make this issue a lengthy-type essay at some future point.
Maybe it's not even specific to writing. It may be (and probably is, now that I think about it) that our culture is exactly as you said, Sterling: we're accepting of anything and everything. Quality of output (of any kind) does not matter among today's young, as long as it gets done. There's no pride in one's own work anymore; we aren't taught to be proud of what we contribute to society and the world. "Everybody's special, no matter what," right?
I think whoever is in charge of the prevailing attitudes of the nation needs to watch The Incredibles again.
It actually isn't math or English that is the problem with American education. The problem lies within all aspects of education. Math, language (English or foreign), science, computers, and just about anything else I can think of.
The problem stems from lack of funding, nurturing, and interest. Public schools have little money, and many smart students stem from families that don't have the ability to pay for college. Some children are raised to believe that they'll never get into college. These students learn that since they wont go to college, they don't need to try in school.
The side effect of this is that students who do wish to learn and who do wish to go to college (me, specifically) are grouped in the same classes as these students. Both students get the same funding. The schools that host many of the students who refuse to try are labeled by colleges. Good students from these schools have a harder time getting into college because of this label.
Very few students make it past high school. Schools fail to aid good students in their quest to seek higher education.
My high school has never done anything more than provide AP classes (all of which occupy the same three schedule slots) and give me a little presentation that said "get good grades" (it did not mention the many benefits of going to college or list ways to appeal more to colleges).
The problem can be solved (or at least we can say we tried) if we do a few simple things. The first is to increase funding, schools can then provide better programs for students, update old textbooks, and buy computers. This is less of an expense and more of an investment because by doing so we could make students more competitive on a global scale and earn all the money we spent on little Timmy's education back through taxes on his job that pays ten-times higher than the job he would have gotten had we left him to his own devices. The second item on the to-do list is to encourage education. This includes more than an inspirational speech. It requires presentations on the benefits of college, better access to information on colleges, and programs (such as after-school programs) that encourage learning and aid students in their mission to go to college.
Two things: a little money, and a lot of love. That's all we need. That's all I need.
I see your point, but still disagree. We generally don't import writers.
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