Is algebra an unnecessary stumbling block in US schools?

I've managed to dodge the ban bullet so far.

My earlier contribution to this thread wasn't meant to be taken seriously, of course! :-)

When there's no real-world application implied, students have no incentive to WANT to "learning something they'll never use", and would rather think of all 120 things they'd rather be doing.

The educational system in general is a kind of atmosphere that conforms to the lowest standard. It's always the disruptive and slowest learning that set the pace for the "no child left behind" classroom. Funny how such an accommodating environment exists inside the classroom for poor performers, but as soon as you leave the classroom its survival of the fittest.

• Homework is bullshit and applies socioeconomic factors to academics. If you start working part-time at the age of 14 because you want to buy your own shit you shouldn't have to worry about homework
• For most students, you could teach the necessities for grades 1 - 10 in about 6 years. There's an excessive amount of repetition in the curiculums
• "Advanced" classes in high school are the same material except for tests; True/False becomes multiple choice, multiple choice becomes a direct answer, and a direct answer becomes a 5 paragraph essay. A 5 page synopsis becomes 10 pages. Essentially you're not learning more, you're just getting an increased work-load with no advantage other than being "more prepared for college" Bullshit. Teach me moar math so I can calculate 10 years interest on my student loans.
• Four years of language courses and you still can't speak it fluently. Waste of time. Four months in Mexico and you can teach the language.
• Arts and Music and all that bullshit needs to be extra curricular. Design Engineering is an Elective. Introductory to CADD is an Elective. Accounting is an Elective. Pottery is not. Its a class for people that want to get an easy grade for dicking off at the end of the day.

It's a stumbling bloc for people too lazy to think.

My only stumbling was Cheminformatics, but maybe cause i was not on good term with my teacher.

Been out of school for a couple years now on a full time job with rent, bills etc to handle and used quite a bit of Algebra in my daily life with a job that has zero to do with math.

HS Algebra is a must in my opinion but College courses requiring Algebra with those absolute nonsense formulas you will never use in life suck. Those courses were a complete waste of money

Algebra is a problem because kids these days aren't building proper skills in math before being passed onto the next grade without being TAUGHT anything.

Only in America

There is a reason music is taught,

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun06/iq.aspx

That said, once my school made music extra curricular. I never touched an instrument again.