High School Math is so pointless!

They need to fix this system badly. IT would be better to have high schoolers so advanced in basic math rather than memorizing useless information about Calculus. In other words, I'd rather prefer someone who gets an 800 on an SAT Math Subject Test than someone who gets an A+ in their Calculus class.

Logic is better than knowledge, but the Logic should be about stuff we do everyday rather than complex functions. Most of this stuff we will never use later in life, and if we will, let us learn it in college if that's going to be our major! What do you guys think?

What school do you go to where you are forced to take such advanced math as calculus? If you don't want to learn it, don't take it....

And not saying you need it, but having a good understanding of Calculus can help you solve certain problems you may encounter. (Related rates mostly)

I agree. Ill be taking Calculus next year, as well as taking my SAT's so Ill be in the same boat...

I think the education system as a whole is messed up. I always liked the idea of going into aprenticeships at 10 years old or somewhere near there like they did in medieval times, and then learning just what your going to do for your whole life. Maybe we could modify that a bit so we have 2-4 years of basic math and english (or primary language wherever you live) schooling, followed by a long aprenticeship.

I agree. Ill be taking Calculus next year, as well as taking my SAT's so Ill be in the same boat...

I think the education system as a whole is messed up. I always liked the idea of going into aprenticeships at 10 years old or somewhere near there like they did in medieval times, and then learning just what your going to do for your whole life. Maybe we could modify that a bit so we have 2-4 years of basic math and english (or primary language wherever you live) schooling, followed by a long aprenticeship.

gamer_marrik

This is definitely the direction schooling needs to go. It should be very flexible though so kids can figure out what they like by doing.

I haven't been paying attention for the last few days, my grade is a 79 and there is a test that could tip me over, tomorrow

:cry:

i agree. i mean when am i gonna need to you sin, cos, tan and that kinda crap in my day to day life? now that i think about is there even any real use for that crap?Blitz_Nemesis

Maybe not in your everyday life... but more on-the-job... you'd be surprised where those functions come in handy

They do teach logic and basic math, but most people don't pay attention. The only reason you feel this way is because you're not good at it, amirite?FalcoLX

I would say I'm pretty decent at Math and I still think the OP is right. My Algebra 2 teacher was just telling me how most of his students have a hard time grasping basic math, that says a lot about the system and you here about this kind of stuff across the country. Also, the only reason most people are even bothering to take advanced math like Geometry and Algebra 2 is so they can get accepted at a college without having to pay for these courses.

The only use I have found for Geometry is for building my MAME Cabinet, because it's helpful to understand transversals and angle relations without a protractor. I don't have a use for Algebra 2; I know I wont for Trig; and I'm not even bothering with Calculus.

They do teach logic and basic math, but most people don't pay attention. The only reason you feel this way is because you're not good at it, amirite?FalcoLX

i got an 800 on my math 2c test but i cant get an A+ in my calculus bc class :'(

and i find calculus to be good. i get college credit assuming i pass the AP test and Calculus takes reasoning as well. At least, when you get to word problems. Calculus = harder than math 2c subject test (assuming your teacher isnt easy)

BTW, you are talking about the SAT math 2c? i might have misinterpreted :P

I agree, im never going to use eny of the stuff they teach us.

hell i asked my mom if she knows eny of this stuff and she dosnt know it, and shes a nurse! surely she would need to know this stuff right!? wrong!

Come to think of it, students shouldn't be in classsrooms for 60 minutes for 4-5 times a day for 5 days a week. That's not how we should learn. We forget most of what we learn for a test the next day anyways, I just wish they would put more emphasis on logic and health than on memorizing and listening to some teacher's lecture. RyuHayabusaX

While we're at it, let's toss out learning acclaimed literature in high-school. It's not like anyone speaks or writes in the same way Shakespeare did, or uses near the same vocabulary. If people want to learn how to "analyze" books and do "critical thinking", they can do it as a major.

Also, why in the heck are we learning chemistry in high-school? How many people end up using knowledge from that class?

Come to think of it, students shouldn't be in classsrooms for 60 minutes for 4-5 times a day for 5 days a week. That's not how we should learn. We forget most of what we learn for a test the next day anyways, I just wish they would put more emphasis on logic and health than on memorizing and listening to some teacher's lecture. RyuHayabusaX

There should be 1 or 2 classes per week, and after a small amount of weeks, there's a course test on it. It's fresh, it's been taught back to back so it's burned in.

I'm not feeling the logic/health deal though. We're already getting more stupid as years go by. Kids need to learn things at younger ages so they can be better equipped to learn at an older age.

I couldn't agree more. At this moment, I'm studing for a Math Analysis test I have tomorrow, and the sheer uselessness of it all is incomprehensible. Fotuntately, we'll be done with trig (until the final) after this chapter.

Plus, some of the word problems are just stupid. "A surveyor measures the angle of elevation from the ground to the top of a building and a flagpole on top of the building." Isn't a suveyor someone who finds good land for a construction project? Even then, why does the angle and length to the building matter?

I guess the stuff about bearings and such has practical application, but even then I have no plans to work in navigation or anything having to do with the ocean!

While we're at it, let's toss out learning acclaimed literature in high-school. It's not like anyone speaks or writes in the same way Shakespeare did, or uses near the same vocabulary. If people want to learn how to "analyze" books and do "critical thinking", they can do it as a major.

Also, why in the heck are we learning chemistry in high-school? How many people end up using knowledge from that class?

Lockedge

Come to think of it, students shouldn't be in classsrooms for 60 minutes for 4-5 times a day for 5 days a week. That's not how we should learn. We forget most of what we learn for a test the next day anyways, I just wish they would put more emphasis on logic and health than on memorizing and listening to some teacher's lecture. RyuHayabusaX

I have math every other day for 82 minutes.

I agree. If you arent going to major in something in the field then its pretty much pointless crap that youre going to forget in a few months. I say that only those who are actually going to use it should be made to take it.Tauruslink

Why not adopt what the USSR did? Send kids off to specialized school at the age of 10 or 12 or something, and they learn that and do it for the rest of their lives. Efficient. No excess learning, and you end up efficient and masterful at what you do by the time you're 20 or so. :P

Or at least this is how my grandmother explained their education system to me. It was mostly so they'd be the best in everything, at the cost of their people's freedoms.

[QUOTE="Lockedge"]

While we're at it, let's toss out learning acclaimed literature in high-school. It's not like anyone speaks or writes in the same way Shakespeare did, or uses near the same vocabulary. If people want to learn how to "analyze" books and do "critical thinking", they can do it as a major.

Also, why in the heck are we learning chemistry in high-school? How many people end up using knowledge from that class?

FalcoLX

I think that's sarcasm? I hope you're kidding about chemistry. You would die in college chemistry without taking High school chemistry.

I hope you realize I was being sarcastic. I should probably put a [/sarcasm] tag in there. You know how the internet is.

EDIT: *sigh of relief* Good to know you're on the stick. :) I was trying to make as ludicrous a statement without being too transparent. It seems that every few days there's a post about getting rid of things in our education system that "we don't need"(which also mysteriously are usually the harder subjects) while promoting logic and health-based initiatives (like Phys Ed, and basic skills, which aren't necessary beyond grade 9, or at least shouldn't be if elementary teachers were doing their jobs).

Even if you're not going to major in any science/math based field, you're still required to complete a number of GE courses which include at least one math course, so just take it and be prepared for the college experience. IT. IS. AWESOME.

Math midterm tomorrow....must sign out.

The school system in general is deeply flawed.gobo212

Pretty much.

well i take ap calculus and physics aswell as college level engineering classes and ill tell you its deffinetly not pointless. if you plan on working at mickydees or being a writer than yea you will have no use for it in life. if you want to do anything involving math or science than you really need it. the problem is that you only know the very basics and you cant apply them. once you learn more you will see how you can use it practically.

also, these advanced classes require you to think logically to figure out word problems. gone are the days of x+1=2. a friend of mine who does get A+s in these classes also got an 800 on his math section of the SAT. damm you tim:x

I have known what I want my career to be since before I started high school but I still have to take classes that are useless for that career path. I want to be a computer programmer, but instead of taking extra programming classes I have to take english and gym. I will not need to know how to analyze literature or write essays as a programmer. I really think that the US school system is poorly designed. bazookajoe19

Well, I "knew" what career I wanted before I entered high school as well, but now that I am out of college, I am doing something completely different. If you let most kids choose their classes entirely based on what they want to do for a career when they are still in junior high, there are going to be a lot of kids only taking shop and gym class.

I would disagree that math isn't important. I'd say everything up to trigonometry is stuff that you can use on a daily basis, then you have calculus which...I don't know why you're complaining about calculus though, is it a required course at your school or something? Because at my school, we weren't required to take it.Ghost_702

My high-school felt it wasn't important enough(Calculus, that is) and dropped it from the curriculum and possible class-choices in favor of "Hockey Business", where students study the business side of hockey, and the sport of hockey itself.

It's one of the only things I dislike about my country. I love hockey, but sometimes we're too intense about it.

Come to think of it, students shouldn't be in classsrooms for 60 minutes for 4-5 times a day for 5 days a week. That's not how we should learn. We forget most of what we learn for a test the next day anyways, I just wish they would put more emphasis on logic and health than on memorizing and listening to some teacher's lecture. RyuHayabusaX

[QUOTE="Ghost_702"]I would disagree that math isn't important. I'd say everything up to trigonometry is stuff that you can use on a daily basis, then you have calculus which...I don't know why you're complaining about calculus though, is it a required course at your school or something? Because at my school, we weren't required to take it.Lockedge

My high-school felt it wasn't important enough(Calculus, that is) and dropped it from the curriculum and possible class-choices in favor of "Hockey Business", where students study the business side of hockey, and the sport of hockey itself.

It's one of the only things I dislike about my country. I love hockey, but sometimes we're too intense about it.

Speaking of which, I heard on the radio today that at one of the universitys in montreal they are going to start teaching a course about ''the religion of the montreal canadians''. After hearing that I would agree that sometimes we take hockey a little to seriously.

[QUOTE="Lockedge"]

[QUOTE="Ghost_702"]I would disagree that math isn't important. I'd say everything up to trigonometry is stuff that you can use on a daily basis, then you have calculus which...I don't know why you're complaining about calculus though, is it a required course at your school or something? Because at my school, we weren't required to take it.redstorm72

My high-school felt it wasn't important enough(Calculus, that is) and dropped it from the curriculum and possible class-choices in favor of "Hockey Business", where students study the business side of hockey, and the sport of hockey itself.

It's one of the only things I dislike about my country. I love hockey, but sometimes we're too intense about it.

Speaking of which, I heard on the radio today that at one of the universitys in montreal they are going to start teaching a course about ''the religion of the montreal canadians''. After hearing that I would agree that sometimes we take hockey a little to seriously.

That's almost as depressing as a university in Britain offering a course where they critically analyze Harry Potter Books and the mythology/religious undertones within it. *shakes head*