WuMo by Wulff & Morgenthaler for September 20, 2021

It seems that many kids are just graduating with a googling degree. No need to learn anything, just ask Google. Oy vey!

I don’t particularly care for pumpkin spice, and am mildly annoyed to find it everywhere I look, particularly at Trader Joe’s, where they are very enthusiastic. I’m waiting for Christmas season when they bring out the CHOCOLATE!!!

Not a very high opinion of math, huh?

Sounds about right.

Works for 3rd grade math. If you want to solve anything more complex you need to understand the math to know what equation to enter.

I still don’t know what “x” is, and don’t get me started about “y”.

Math isn’t that important. It’s just a numbers game.

In the far distant past the teacher would be holding a slide rule and by the end of the day you would be able to multiply 2×2.

Not a good teacher either

Too bad I took algebra long before the invention of cell phones (or personal computers)

So why doesn’t the elementary school just issue apps!?

Now let’s move on to history. Salute the flag, sing the national anthem. Great, you’re good to go.

Heck, you don’t need to even enter the equation anymore. There are apps now that allow you to take a picture of the equation and then solve it for you. Wow, where were those when I was taking calculus? :)

Advanced Math teaches you what you use those equations for. You probably won’t need that for the job you’re going to get.

4 credit hours for math… approx $1000 avg for instate universities. 1 class and party sigh

Is this comic written by a law firm?

How do you know if the answer you get makes sense?

Now I understand why math was so tough and confusing for me.

Speaking as a math teacher: Oh no you didn’t!!!

For some reason, I have to URGE my students to pull out a calculator when they’re still attempting to multiply and divide by hand. Not that I skimp on building basic skills like arithmetic facts, but the material they are expected to learn goes at a different pace than even what I learned in school with all the other “smart kids.” If you’re going to need math in your career, then you will be relying on technology to do the heavy lifting. You just need to know what functions to write and what data to feed it. And the majority of people who WON’T EVER AGAIN use equations, algorithms, transcendental numbers, etc., learning to use the calculator is even MORE essential. Even if they don’t fully comprehend the nature of rational functions or statistical residuals, by learning how to represent and organize them on a screen they build critical thinking and organizational skills that will help them for the rest of their lives.

At the start of every year, I tell them an alternate version of The Karate Kid. “Young Daniel is having trouble with bullies and is rescued by Karate master Mr. Miyagi. Daniel asks him for training, and Mr. Miyagi shows him how to do various chores. Daniel masters these skills and goes on to be a master in car detailing and house maintenance, thus showing his bullies the value of long-term persistence.” THIS is how “you’re gonna need this someday” is misinterpreted in many math classes, while they too easily overlook the basic logic circuitry that students are building. If constructed and trained well, those circuits will benefit them throughout their lives, typically without even doing a single math operation.