Metro Nashville Public Schools is eliminating Algebra and Geometry.

[Dustbuster]

So basically as a machinist programmer you're saying my job isn't going to be challenged by the up and coming generation lol.

Today's society demands you run the machine like you were taught, and don't second guess it unless qc is an issue. Algebra trig and geo not needed to run digital calipers or micrometer. Either

[R_Bert]

As Bersa said, it has gone on for decades.  My instructor for Algebra 1 and Geometry was the school basketball coach.  Guess where we were about three days a week. 

 

I cannot describe how much damage that man did to his students. (of course, being the  young twits that we were, we did not have sense enough to complain or resolve it).

[peejman]

As much as people rant about the common core stuff, have you talked with your child's teachers? Do you help your child with their homework?

I'm continually surprised by the difficultly of my 1st grader's homework, the reading and vocabulary in particular. I dare say there's more than a few high school graduates that would struggle to spell some of the words he's expected to read and spell. My mom taught low level high school math for years, I won't be surprised to see my kids doing work of similar difficulty by the 3rd or 4th grade.

Is common core different? Yep. Is that a bad thing? I don't have a firm opinion yet, but so far I don't think so. Does it kinda suck for the kids stuck in the middle who are having to change the way they learn somewhat and catch up to the new standards? Of course it does. But if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.

Kids today have to compete on a global level very early on. While I do think test results from other countries aren't fully on the up and up, it would seem clear that the US isn't leading the pack anymore. Continuing to do the same things won't fix that.

I will add that this idea that every kid need to go to college is nonsense. This free 2 yr community college stuff is not the right place to start. Trade schools need to be the starting point. The US was built on its ability to make things, but we've transitioned to service providers. If you want to restore the economic might, you must start at the fundamental level of simply building things. If there's not people who know how to build things, having the technology is irrelevant. You'll never get past step 1.

[btq96r]

As much as people rant about the common core stuff, have you talked with your child's teachers? Do you help your child with their homework?

I'm continually surprised by the difficultly of my 1st grader's homework, the reading and vocabulary in particular. I dare say there's more than a few high school graduates that would struggle to spell some of the words he's expected to read and spell. My mom taught low level high school math for years, I won't be surprised to see my kids doing work of similar difficulty by the 3rd or 4th grade.

Is common core different? Yep. Is that a bad thing? I don't have a firm opinion yet, but so far I don't think so. Does it kinda suck for the kids stuck in the middle who are having to change the way they learn somewhat and catch up to the new standards? Of course it does. But if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.

Kids today have to compete on a global level very early on. While I do think test results from other countries aren't fully on the up and up, it would seem clear that the US isn't leading the pack anymore. Continuing to do the same things won't fix that.

I will add that this idea that every kid need to go to college is nonsense. This free 2 yr community college stuff is not the right place to start. Trade schools need to be the starting point. The US was built on its ability to make things, but we've transitioned to service providers. If you want to restore the economic might, you must start at the fundamental level of simply building things. If there's not people who know how to build things, having the technology is irrelevant. You'll never get past step 1.

 

I agree with your assessment that Common Core isn't the evil, brainwash the children, type of plan some make it out to be.  It's absurd to use 20th century learning models in the 21st century.  Just because it was good enough back in the day, doesn't mean it's good enough today. 

 

I do think the 2yr community college can help, if it's targeted towards specific career fields.  I would like to see it infused with more vocational courses and have it minimized on the general education side.  There are plenty of fields in the technical, medical and yes, the service industry, that can have a plan of study set out in a 2yr college plan that will prepare people for entry into a workforce.  From there, follow on training and on the job experience should be just fine instead of two extra years of college full of electives and classes not really relevant for the field. 

 

Production in the American economy isn't making a surge anytime soon.  At least not as long as we have trade agreements with countries who will make it cheaper than it can be made here.  Businesses are always going to look for the lowest production costs.  Preparing the next generation to take their place in an economy with that fact in mind is essential.   It sucks, but it is what it is.

Edited January 25, 2015 by btq96r

[Spiffy]

This type of garbage has been going on for years. I was talking with my Son the other day about back when he was in school. He had one teacher that didn't teach but would just give out an assignment to the class and then get on the computer in the class room the entire period. One day he had a question about the assignment and made an attempt to walk up and ask the teacher the question. She stopped him short of her desk and asked him what he wanted. He said he had a question about the assignment and she told him that this was not a question and answer period and told him to return to his seat. He did as she instructed and when class was over he walked up and put his text book on her desk. She ask him what he was doing and he said turning my book in so my parents do not get charged for it at the end of the year. I won't need it since your not going to teach out of it. He went the last 3 months of that class without ever completing an assignment and she gave him a C+ for the year and he was moved to the next grade. That is how they taught back then and it has not improved yet. That was back in 1982. I look for i to get much worse and not better......................jmho

 

We had a math teacher who graded you on what he thought you deserved. Didn't matter what your grades actually were you got what he wanted you to have.

 

He failed me on quarter......Dad flipped out on me. I had every homework assignment he handed back and here was nothing lower than a B. That shifted the wrath from to the teacher and he went to talk to the teacher. The teacher pulled out his grade book and showed Dad all my "F's"......Dad pulled out my papers and sis's papers so he couldn't say I changed the grades on them....well it seems he had 2 grade books. One for what you earned and one for what you "got".

 

The teacher was the pastor of a church too boot.

[Dustbuster]

If I was in your class spiffy, we would have made that thing disappear. We would be blessed for doing such ;) Edited January 26, 2015 by Dustbuster

[dlmeadows]

Burn the church and wipe your *@# with the grade book Edited January 26, 2015 by dlmeadows

[E4 No More]

What do they expect these kids to do when they get to college?

 

Maybe this is what the 2 years of free community college is all about? So they can begin to teach high shcool level?

This might be closer to the truth than you think. Consider that the high school is filled with a lot of kids who don't want to be there but drag down the system for those that do. At least at college there are far more kids who actally want to be there than those who don't, but mommy and daddy insist.

[gun sane]

All I remember from algebra is that x =1, but I can still dissect a frog.  You'd be surprised how far that bit of knowledge has taken me.  :pleased:

Edited January 26, 2015 by gun sane

[E4 No More]

As much as people rant about the common core stuff, have you talked with your child's teachers? Do you help your child with their homework?

I'm continually surprised by the difficultly of my 1st grader's homework, the reading and vocabulary in particular. I dare say there's more than a few high school graduates that would struggle to spell some of the words he's expected to read and spell. My mom taught low level high school math for years, I won't be surprised to see my kids doing work of similar difficulty by the 3rd or 4th grade.

Is common core different? Yep. Is that a bad thing? I don't have a firm opinion yet, but so far I don't think so. Does it kinda suck for the kids stuck in the middle who are having to change the way they learn somewhat and catch up to the new standards? Of course it does. But if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.

Kids today have to compete on a global level very early on. While I do think test results from other countries aren't fully on the up and up, it would seem clear that the US isn't leading the pack anymore. Continuing to do the same things won't fix that.

I will add that this idea that every kid need to go to college is nonsense. This free 2 yr community college stuff is not the right place to start. Trade schools need to be the starting point. The US was built on its ability to make things, but we've transitioned to service providers. If you want to restore the economic might, you must start at the fundamental level of simply building things. If there's not people who know how to build things, having the technology is irrelevant. You'll never get past step 1.

I know a graduate of Overton HS who in all honesty has no idea what the Revolutionary War was about, and thought the 4th of July celebration was just about fireworks.

[Dustbuster]

Todays education system is a fng mess. My mom taught high school students for 30 years. she agrees. The bottom line is, the quality of teachers has diminished, not all but most. Students are being taught irrelevant topics that wont further their education, its mostly filler. Parents allow their kids to run like wild indians with no disciplline making it difficult for others to focus on studies. The focus on the study of basic needs, ie reading writing and "rithmatic" is always disrupted by some new policy that mandates focus on other subjects irrelevant to basic needs. Parents are quick to defend a child in a stupid issues, but wont help w homework or do their part. KIds have to be motivated to learn.Motivation today consists of 500 buck sneakers, bling, or a beating for failure to be the best, or being a class clown or underachiever.

There are more cases of ADD ADHD,OCD, wet pants and more than there was 20 years ago. Kids today focus on instagramming another student being forced to eat a rat turd by a bully than working together on a science project.I had a nephew that went from one school to another public school in nashville.Took him 3 weeks to get books casue the school didnt HAVE ANY. god forbid we run out of scratch offs, but books? they said we have to wait. This was in march. Best bet for any parent is send em to private school cause davidson co schools just suck. Any county that wants to build a 75 million dollar train ( AMP) for the homeless to ride in and then claim theres no money for school books when we have a lottery, is just fire trucked up. :down: really, if they get rid of algebra and geometry and focus on basketball and football well produce millionaire athletes instead, after all we have enough lawyers and doctors by natl statistics....... :puke:

[BLACKVANDRIVER]

I don't know what they expect them to do, but I know what WILL happen. Americas children are fast becoming the laughing stock of the earth.


Meanwhile, some 12 year old Chinese girl is solving some string theory equation before her violin lessons.

And my wife wonders why I want to relocate our family to Japan.. LOL, seriously I have talked to other Americans returning from tours with there families that were stationed over seas and they said that the schools in Japan where the best thing that there kids have experienced!

Edited January 26, 2015 by BLACKVANDRIVER

[bud]

. Edited August 5, 2015 by bud

[R_Bert]

Husband of teacher of the year 2014-2015 here- Announced today! I can vouch for metro having at least one good one. I prefer to keep mnps magnet schools a secret so the bad kids don't attempt to infiltrate the system and so metro will keep a hands off approach

Awesome!

[bud]

. Edited August 5, 2015 by bud

[railfancwb]

Think Nashville Auto Diesel

[daveW]

And my wife wonders why I want to relocate our family to Japan.. LOL, seriously I have talked to other Americans returning from tours with there families that were stationed over seas and they said that the schools in Japan where the best thing that there kids have experienced!

Want to know what kind of math classes they have in Japan? They are called integrated math! How do I know? I teach high school math and have had numerous Japanese foreign exchange students pass through. I (don't) wander why Japanese students outperform their American counterparts in math...not all change is a bad thing.

Kids will still learn Agebra1, 2, and Geometry content. It's rearranging the order and streamlining the standards. As an example: currently, kids "learn" the distance formula three times (all 3 classes), but out of context. Why teach the distance formula in Algebra 1 without teaching the Pythagorean Theorem (in detail-Geometry!) first? Then they get to Geometry with an exposure to the concept that required they memorize-now they forget but don't want to see the Geometric side of it. Later, they get to Algebra 2 where they can finally use the formula in a mature way and its this thing that 3 different people have tried to cram down their throats from 3 somewhat different perspectives, and they fully resent it.

The integrated math classes only replace the core content (alg 1,2, geo.) for now...all the other classes like Trig, Calc, Stats, etc.m are still the same. Those classes are electives.

I don't work in Metro (I used to) so I can't speak for them but my school system is also likely gonna adapt this curriculum...I don't believe that its related to the common core concept directly.

As a parent, I'm not thrilled about the common core concept (not for the tinfoil hat reasons some have) but as a parent and math teacher, I do favor the integrated math concept. Take that for what it's worth...???