4 ms·

>BUT people are always afraid of anything past 4th grade math! Then the solution is simple! We teach calculus to 3rd graders, then no one will be afraid of it!

by kj01a 10y ago

>BUT people are always afraid of anything past 4th grade math! Then the solution is simple! We teach calculus to 3rd graders, then no one will be afraid of it! But seriously, I agree that calculus is taught way to late. I wasn't introduce to calculus until college, and if I had been even by senior year of high school, I would probably be a mathematician right now.

dboreham 10y ago
In the US, problem #1 is that it is very hard to find people who understand Mathematics sufficiently well to teach it effectively, who are willing to work for the salary typically paid to a teacher. For example, my 8th grader is being taught "Higher School Algebra" by a teacher who last year taught 5th grade and by all accounts has to leave the classroom often to get tips on the material from the 7th grade math teacher.
- sokoloff 10y ago
  Spot on. Both of my parents were high school math teachers (for most of their career). They essentially forbade me from going into public education, which is what I thought I wanted to do when I was in high school. Boy, am I ever glad! I am much more financially comfortable, enjoy the hell out of my job, and don't have to deal with the annoyances and politics of being a high school teacher. Would I be technically capable? Absolutely. Would I be good [enough] at it? Probably. Would I do it for a mid (or even high) five-figure sum, even with the good retirement package? Not on your life...
- sigstoat 10y ago
  the other criteria that kicks some people out are the requirements for a K-12 "teaching certificate". if you don't get a degree in education, it can be difficult and time consuming to get a teaching certificate. a friend of mine some years back desperately wanted to teach high school math, and had a bachelor's in pure math, tutored for years and was well loved, but couldn't surmount the teaching certificate hurdles. so now he works in software QA.
- sdenton4 10y ago
  Yeah, the line in the article about demand for calc teachers outstripping the supply suggests an obvious remedy... Unfortunately, the fragmented (ie, redlined) us public school system means that higher teacher play is impossible in lower income areas. So private schools will pay more for the calculus teachers, and the low income public schools will continue multi-classing pe teachers for the task. And in another twenty years we will continue to lament the increasing lack of social mobility in this country...
  - ashark 10y ago
    > Unfortunately, the fragmented (ie, redlined) us public school system means that higher teacher play is impossible in lower income areas. The lowest-income school districts around here pay higher salaries than the nicest districts by a solid 20-30%. Most teachers with options still won't work there because the environment is frustrating, unrewarding, dangerous, and toxic.

by kj01a 10y ago

dboreham 10y ago

In the US, problem #1 is that it is very hard to find people who understand Mathematics sufficiently well to teach it effectively, who are willing to work for the salary typically paid to a teacher. For example, my 8th grader is being taught "Higher School Algebra" by a teacher who last year taught 5th grade and by all accounts has to leave the classroom often to get tips on the material from the 7th grade math teacher.

sokoloff 10y ago
Spot on. Both of my parents were high school math teachers (for most of their career). They essentially forbade me from going into public education, which is what I thought I wanted to do when I was in high school. Boy, am I ever glad! I am much more financially comfortable, enjoy the hell out of my job, and don't have to deal with the annoyances and politics of being a high school teacher. Would I be technically capable? Absolutely. Would I be good [enough] at it? Probably. Would I do it for a mid (or even high) five-figure sum, even with the good retirement package? Not on your life...
sigstoat 10y ago
the other criteria that kicks some people out are the requirements for a K-12 "teaching certificate". if you don't get a degree in education, it can be difficult and time consuming to get a teaching certificate. a friend of mine some years back desperately wanted to teach high school math, and had a bachelor's in pure math, tutored for years and was well loved, but couldn't surmount the teaching certificate hurdles. so now he works in software QA.
sdenton4 10y ago
Yeah, the line in the article about demand for calc teachers outstripping the supply suggests an obvious remedy... Unfortunately, the fragmented (ie, redlined) us public school system means that higher teacher play is impossible in lower income areas. So private schools will pay more for the calculus teachers, and the low income public schools will continue multi-classing pe teachers for the task. And in another twenty years we will continue to lament the increasing lack of social mobility in this country...
- ashark 10y ago
  > Unfortunately, the fragmented (ie, redlined) us public school system means that higher teacher play is impossible in lower income areas. The lowest-income school districts around here pay higher salaries than the nicest districts by a solid 20-30%. Most teachers with options still won't work there because the environment is frustrating, unrewarding, dangerous, and toxic.