def.

Teachers have a profound, but understated, influence upon their students. The risk isn't just that teachers will teach the material incorrectly (which they often do, cf. the ever-rising emphasis on standardized testing) but rather that teachers will communicate their poor attitudes and anxieties about the material. Reluctant, apathetic teachers will also express frustration at having to answer questions or give additional help to students, teaching children that it is socially improper to seek additional help. Beyond being obvious as all hell, this is (increasingly) well-documented in the pedagogy literature. For example, the paper I cited.

In other words, I feel this way for the best possible reason: because it is empirically correct to feel this way.

Edit: ^- answers the part about pedagogical incompetence.

About mathematics being useful to everybody: I'll give you two arguments that should completely convince you.

1.) It is useful in a literal sense. It depends on what you're doing, but I can come up with a scenario for everything. Calculus is the study of areas and rates. Linear Algebra is the study of direction. Combinatorics is the study of counting things. Statistics is the study of uncertainty. If you deal with any of these things, there is a place in your life for higher mathematics. If you don't deal with any of these things, you are probably catatonic.

2.) Mathematics is a part of our culture, especially as a technologically-advanced civilization. We should study mathematics simply so that we can understand the attitudes and beliefs that pervade our culture. We should study mathematics for the same reason we should study English literature and history.

Ok, I'm just making sure. Many times people like to say they'll go get a job doing something manual, and they have no idea how hard it often actually is.

I can actually relate to this because, when I think about what I learned in high school, there was 2 teachers where I distinctly remember most of what I learned in their classes. One tried to basically turn each lecture into a stand-up comedy session, and he would even make the class sing songs together and we did a stock market project (it was economics). I don't remember as much as I should have in government, because.. well I was bored in government.

The other teacher I loved was my AP computer science teacher, who let me work on a project to develop a 2d game instead of doing homework as long as I did well on tests. That was probably the most fun I ever had in public school.. I know personal anecdote isn't a sound method to judge by, but I'd have to say I agree with you.

Can you think of some policies to implement to help remedy this problem? To be clear, I'm not trying to imply that my solution is ideal. It's just a policy that I feel would improve the current system.



In a perfect world, no one would have to do any manual labor at all. Some people have to. Hell, in a vocational system we could even have classes to teach people how to lift boxes properly to help improve worker health..

I wonder if Jon thinks teachers affect students more than the institution of school itself.

I appreciate the clarification. In my friend's defense, he only told me that 65-75% was considered the "best estimate," to which I probably attached a greater degree of confidence than he meant me to.

I think we should vote for the party we find the most... sexful.

This is not a joke.

Transfer ownership of the means of production to the working class and implement a planned economy. Duh