Making a subject mandatory is a great recipe for sucking all the life out of it, and mathematics is one of the best examples. Is algebra awesome? Absolutely.

Making a subject mandatory is a great recipe for sucking all the life out of it, and mathematics is one of the best examples. Is algebra awesome? Absolutely. Does every member of our society need to be able to factor polynomials? ...not really, especially not at the expense of a child's natural love of learning.