TOW #19- The Wrong Way to Teach Math

        Is America really as advanced as we think we are? In a recent New York Times article by Andrew Hacker, the mathematical skills of American adults were put to the test to discover whether or not the way schools teach this subject is the most effective and long-lasting. Hacker believes that although basic classes such as geometry and algebra are critical to everyday life, more advanced classes like calculus are not nearly as applicable. America has become more of a quantitative country, squeezing in as many possible areas of math as possible, not taking into account the qualitative side- the side that really determines the usefulness of the course. "What citizens do need is to be comfortable reading graphs and charts and adept at calculating simple figures in their heads... Decimals and ratios are now as crucial as nouns and verbs." Math is a language that must be mastered. However, even with the recent rise in advanced statistic courses this country is still not on the path towards creating a statistically sophisticated citizenry. The idea is certainly there, but the information that these classes focus on does not allow students to recognize how such formulas connect with the lives they'll be leading in the future.
        The assumption that all this advanced math will make America more numerically adept is certainly flawed, for the majority of the content focused on in these classes will never again appear in the students' lives once they enter the real world. "In the real world, we constantly settle for estimates, whereas mathematics- see the SAT- demands that you get the answer precisely right." I couldn't agree more with this statement, for I certainly can connect to feeling lost and confused when I am taught specific topics in my math classes. How is finding the asymptote of a exponential function ever going to help me in the life besides passing one test? As a prospective AP Stat student it worries me that the information I will be taught next year will not be as useful as I hoped it to be. If I wish to pursue business as my major in college, math is certainly something I need to be fluent in in order to be successful, however, success in areas that are not applicable to my life in the future is not going to allow me to be very prosperous. As Hacker clearly stated, maybe the one thing this country does need to do better is refocus our mathematical curriculum.