Math Curmudgeon

@drantbradley If you include all the religions in this country, not just the Catholics, the sexual abuse by "God-fearing men" is far and away more prevalent and far less prosecuted.

US public school teacher sexual abuse of children is actually worse than the Catholic priest scandal in the US but it is rarely reported the same way. America, we have “public school” sex abuse problem.

@SoLInTheWild And all the posts saying that schools should ditch algebra and teach: finance/balancing a checkbook home economics car repair etc.

100% agree that this is terrible in all the ways listed. What matters most, though, is understanding why a teacher would feel compelled to do something like this. It’s systemic. This is the effect of the “make it fun and relevant” at all costs cause. I used to be this teacher. Teachers in the U.S. are constantly bombarded with messages about making learning “student-centered”—that it must feel relevant to students’ lives, be fun, and revolve around engaging, activity-based experiences. These messages aren’t subtle; they’re pervasive. They show up in professional development, teacher education programs, staff meetings, and books, all circling the same questions: How do we make this fun? How do we hook students? How do we “gamify” this so some kind of magic spell is cast and students suddenly want to learn it? The problem is that this thinking ignores reality. Students are not automatically more interested just because something is dressed up as a game or made to feel superficially engaging. In many cases, it does the opposite. It’s distracts from the content and decreases the likelihood that students actually learn the concept you’re trying to teach. Students also recognize how forced and inauthentic these approaches can feel. They often come across as cringe, not compelling. Most students don’t need, or want, school to mimic their entertainment or digital lives. They want clarity. They want teachers to get to the point and help them understand something they didn’t know before. School can, and should, look different from how they spend their free time. Trying to replicate that world in the classroom is cliché and ultimately reflects a shallow understanding of how learning actually works.

@AlecLace It’s also wild to watch people who freaked out over a few peoples reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination by a right-wing nut case now being so blasé over Trumps being his normal asshole self.

It’s wild to watched the people who celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk melt down over Trump’s reaction to the passing of Robert Mueller

Scoot Bessent is on #meetthepress absolutely lying and bullshitting his way through this interview.

@SallyTiger Well, I just watched an even wealthier dude, wearing suit and tie, using a EBT card to buy a Mercedes sedan for his yacht. That’s why I’m so angry. This billionaire has an EBT card! He was a white guy. Welfare queen!

@avidseries They stopped requiring the SAT bc they didn’t want to have to admit highly qualified non-whites instead of the stupid sons of wealthy alumni. They wanted Affirmative Action gone.

The SAT is an excellent numerical indicator of the academic ability of the test taker. It was the biggest obstacle to colleges being able to get away with increasing representation of much less qualified black and Hispanic students in the name of "diversity".

So why did so many colleges abolish the SAT requirement? Here's why: Asian SAT mean, 1220 White SAT mean, 1080 Black SAT mean, 900

@MrsJLovesJesus @Homeschool_LLC Dunno about all cases, but a lot of the HS parents around here teach some topics themselves and pay for an algebra or science online course from Fl. Online or Liberty, Summit, etc. Success depends on student effort and quality of the program. Some are not good.

@MathCurmudgeon @Homeschool_LLC Online learning =\= homeschooling. It’s just school at home, homeschooling is a very different thing.

When you say you want to homeschool, they say: You aren’t qualified to homeschool You don’t have a degree You are too poor You aren’t smart enough You aren’t a teacher You need two incomes Are they afraid you might succeed and make them look bad?

@Homeschool_LLC I also tutor kids who are homeschooled. If it’s Florida online, it’s mediocre but passable. If it’s Bible-based, it’s a complete mess scientifically. If it’s Khan Academy or other choose-your-own path, it’s decent but with gaping holes. If the parents are capable, it’s great.

@Homeschool_LLC Nothing wrong with homeschooling. What I hate is when a lot of that is true. The kid learns nothing and cheats through online courses. Now, they’re in my class, can’t do basic work, can’t focus bc mommy never made him do that before, and his low scores count against us.

@Theurb @JeremyTate41 “You have to go to college to be a success in life” is probably the most damaging thing every guidance counselor ever said.

@JeremyTate41 The districts just need high pass rates and GPAs. Education is just an adult jobs program no longer focused on educating our youth.

It’s an incredible dynamic, as American students get dumber by every other metric they are doing better than ever on College Board’s AP! I am in communication with administrators from the most selective universities in America and they universally think AP is a joke.

@JeremyTate41 @MrDanielBuck That many colleges are refusing to grant credit for AP classes (if the course is needed for your major) has been common knowledge for at least 10 years. Of course, if you’re a history major then the AP Calculus credit is acceptable.

@MichaelPhe42792 @ThudPlane @DemocraticWins Exactly. There is no need for an overhaul because there is no problem. If you’re not allowed to vote, how could you possibly benefit by taking the chance?

@ThudPlane @DemocraticWins You say that...but non-citizen voting in federal elections is a felony. Where are all the prosecutions and convictions? We need to see the receipts before we overhaul our system of elections.

BREAKING: In a stunning announcement, both Senators Republican Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis are saying they will vote against a motion to proceed on Donald Trump's Save Act. This is amazing.

@ScottWi92107364 @NancyH_60 The reason USA schools rank low is bc we include absolutely everyone. VT has a “graduate or 19yo” to leave school … not every kid gives a damn about statewide English and math tests or the SAT. Click-click-click, “I’m done.” Still better than 100 years ago.

@ScottWi92107364 @NancyH_60 Right now: Math from pre-alg through APCalc & statistics. Half credit req. in Finance via TheBudgetChallenge. Civics in 8th Drivers Ed at 15/16. Building is w-shape: tech center is on wing incl. wood, auto shop, cosmetology, forestry, culinary, more. Prob same in your state.

High school classes that Gen X took that no longer exist. I really think they should bring these classes back. We also had a class called Daily Living that taught real-world skills. Too many young adults today don’t know how to do basic things to get by in the world. What classes do you think they should bring back into classrooms today that would help young adults?

@teachthemx3 @Cratscadle 16 million over the entire state of Texas (total 90 billion) is both a lot of money and a small percentage 0.02% Sounds like Schrödinger’s outrage.

@Cratscadle Yes, its called School Health and Related Services (SHARS) program. Some districts were overbilling. cbsnews.com/texas/news/tex…

@GlenHaroldkrue1 @NancyH_60 Yeah. That’s not happening these days.

@NancyH_60 There was a gun range in the basement of my Jr High,a public school on Grand ave. In St. Paul.,sponsored by the NRA, it taught gun safety (with pellet guns) That school is now called Hidden River School.Don’t choke on your Latte Macalester students it’s long gone .

@Phobetron @ScottWi92107364 @NancyH_60 Funny that. I teach the same things every year … but it’s a different cohort. Weird.

@ScottWi92107364 @NancyH_60 The same shit over and over again every year, for all intents and purposes.

@ScottWi92107364 @NancyH_60 Obviously not much in your state. You should do something about that.

@NancyH_60 If the schools aren't teaching these things, what kind of crap are they teaching our kids?

@NancyH_60 Typing is keyboarding. Photography. LOL. How were these pics taken? It’s a mystery. Drivers Ed. Still there. Civics is 8th grade social studies renamed. Shop, home ec, forestry, small engine repair, auto, moved to the tech center … literally a third wing of the HS. (In VT)

@AdamPage85 Elementary? Maybe. By middle school, with some obvious exceptions, kids are not well served by being with parents 24/7.

If you homeschool your children from Kindergarten to 12th grade, you get 16k more hours with them than if they had attended school. How can that not matter?! What a gift.