Math Class

I believe people should learn critical thinking in a math class.  The best way to do this is with proofs.  Students need to understand why the math works.  Is this easy?  No.  Is that an excuse?  No.  Not even for the teachers.

Here is a quote from the 2012 NY Times article "Is Algebra Necessary?" by Andrew Hacker, "A TYPICAL American school day finds some six million high school students and two million college freshmen struggling with algebra. In both high school and college, all too many students are expected to fail".  Hacker's idea is to scrap the study of Algebra altogether (to hack it). 

Hacker brings up several good points in his article that question the role mathematics should play in education.  I believe it is time for Math Educators to examine what the purpose of teaching mathematics is.

I argue that mathematics should be used to teach students critical reasoning.  A mathematician does not spend their day...

Should We Be Blogging About Whether We Should Be Talking About Piers Morgan Bringing Alex Jones on Television

The Sandy Hook tragedy has led to much bickering, arguing, and a general opportunity for Americans to express their opinions.  But a person has to ask themselves if the opinions they are expressing are "good-natured".

Every time a disaster falls, Americans feel the urgent need to enact new legislation.  After 9/11 we were rushed into the Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Iraq War.  Now after the Sandy Hook tragedy many states are passing gun control legislation (see link Gun Control Bills Flood Statehouses.., ) and there has been talk of a national ban on "military-style assault rifles".  Are we a people prone to panic?  Why is it that it takes a national tragedy to produce such an urgent need to enact change?  When is the last time that something good happened that put a fire into the people?

Certainly there are special interests capitalizing on the events of the Sandy Hook tragedy as a means to enact push forward gun control legislation.  It is difficult to deny that this also happened after 9/11.  Of course there is not a lot of mention of the purpose of the 2nd amendment- the citizenry has a right to protect itself against an oppressive government.   For this reason it is contrary to the notions of liberty  to talk of banning "military-style assault rifles" for all but the military.  Many of you who are reading recognize this truth.

I grew up in a small rural community, where there was constant talk of the government "taking away our guns".  I recognize their sentiment and agree that the government should not take them away.  That is not to say that we should have guns or use them, or more importantly, we need not be passionate about guns.  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".

It does not appear that the federal government will be a leader in world peace.  They are not going to give up using their weapons.  The citizens of this country need to do that.

We should not ban assault weapons, we should just not use them.  Jesus said, "Do not resist an evil person".

Great things can happen.  Believe in those things. 

Great things can happen.  Believe in those things. If you believe you have something to say that expresses the will of God, then you need to express it.  This is not easy.  In finding a way to articulate a message in a way that people can understand and receive it can be a painful process.  It can take hard, hard work.  But the more you work, the easier it gets.

GRE Essay Practice

Prompt: Write about your opinion pertaining to this statement. Nations need to require all their citizens to study the same national curriculum until college. A national curriculum would not be good for a nation., although it is not unreasonable to require some minimal educational requirements. By imposing a standard national curriculum educators would have to choose which pieces of knowledge to teach and which to exclude. A large amount of knowledge would be neglected by the majority of the nation. A national curriculum may cause dull uniformity or maybe even something worse. The country of America for instance has been a melting pot of people and ideas. To make every student in the entire country learn the same things would be to lessen the diversity of ideas. If evil people came to rule a certain nation, and imposed a national curriculum, the education could be controlled by the state; and the citizens may be indoctrinated with nationalist propaganda. Such a nation may slide into despotism or war as in Nazi Germany. The no-child left behind act introduced tough requirements on schools in relation to academic performance. The act has been the cause of grief for many educators. Certainly the students also suffer as the necessary curriculum is taught while leaving a student devoid of a love for learning. Each and every student is unique and has their own talents. To impose the same national curriculum on every student may prohibit some students from taking the time to pursue the subjects that excite their minds. Not every student is good at math, but some are. Instead of requiring every student to learn the same mathematical material we should encourage some to pursue it much more than others, while at the same time requiring that all students have a basic knowledge of mathematics. We should not expect all students to have a mastery of mathematical proof, but at least those who get A's in mathematics should have it. There needs to be some flexibility in the school curriculum so that students can pursue what they are good at, and the nation's creativity can flourish. By imposing a national curriculum the teacher's may not be able to do their best. Some teachers may have a love for a particular topic in their discipline. Say an English teacher has a passion for the writings of Jules Verne. If given the opportunity they may be able to make English exciting and fun while working with some of their favorite books. If the national curriculum did not include Jules Verne in the list of acceptable books, then the teacher would have to teach material they were less excited about; and consequently the students would be less excited as well. A national curriculum would infringe on the rights of parents who send their children to private schools and parents who home school. Certainly a course on the Koran would not be a part of the national curriculum of the United States, but it may be important for the parents of those who wish to send their children to a private school dedicated to religious tolerance. Certainly there are some things that a nation could require of all of its students. It is certainly beneficial for all students to learn basic arithmetic. There may of course be some things that all the students of a nation should be reasonably expected to understand: a nation's political structure for instance. It would not be unreasonable to have a set of minimum standards for all students. It is not a good idea for a nation to require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college. While it may be beneficial to require a minimum set of standards that all students must learn, it is not acceptable for the whole curriculum to be the same for every student. This would cause dull uniformity, a possible infringement of freedom, and loss of excitement and creativity for many teachers and students.

Arisotelian School

In a previous post I wrote about Aristotle's view of friendship. Here is a quote "The model of the best friendship that Aristotle outlines in the Nichomachean Ethics is based upon virtue. Aristotle writes, “when everyone strains to achieve what is fine and concentrates on the finest actions, everything that is right will be done for the common good, and each person individually will receive the greatest of goods, since that is the character of virtue”. This is Aristotle’s ultimate goal. If every person strove toward what is virtuous then eventually everything would be done for the common good, and nothing would be done selfishly. Even though we may never reach Aristotle’s ideal, individuals can still improve their lives, friendships, and the lives of others around them by aspiring to live virtuously." Why not found a school based on this idea? It would not be a religious school, but certainly religious people would be welcome. But also muslims, buddhists, even atheists would be welcome as long as they (or their parents) were committed to achieving good. The school could offer classes in philosophy or religion. I think it could be good.

Bite Me

Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of ticky tacky Maybe she's got the bends Am I really sinking this low We don't have any real friends I wish that something would happen. I use to wish that something would happen ( In High School ). I guess something has happened. I am a father of two children and a stepdaughter. That is something. But why did I want something in the first place? Dissatisfaction with life. My life is pretty busy now. Not a lot of time for dissatisfaction. Only a little. But now the song would go... I wish that so much wouldn't happen so often. Why wasn't I blissfully happy in material wonderland like everyone else? Tomorrow is Sunday. Maybe I will go to church. With God all things are possible. Jesus don't lose a sheep. Except one that the scriptures be fulfilled. What if it was you? Judas.

The Dishwasher Goes Tink Tink

I am not exactly sure what I want to write. Something about how my body/mind needs certain stimuli before it can adequately function... something else about means and ends... and sacrificing our lives to Jesus. The last week has been pretty miserable. I've even had trouble sleeping... until yesterday when I made love to my wife. Then I was happy enough to sleep! I slept from midnight till noon; except of course for the interruptions of children puking or climbing into my bed. I woke up to a day when both females of my house were sick. So I gladly took on the responsibilities of housekeeping. I would rate my housekeeping a C- for the day. tonight I drank 3 beers and some wine... two is usually my limit but I have had a steady supply of water going since the first drink. after watching 2 episodes of weeds I had the urge to pray. So i prayed briefly. After the third episode I washed dishes. Moral of the blog post? I don't have one. But I do want some -----, and also a maid. Please let me know if you could provide either service. I did want to write about sacrificing our lives to Jesus. When I prayed after that second episode of weeds I yearned for God. Sometimes I think I should just be praying all the time. But praying is not the end. It is the means to God. Just like sex was not the end, but the means for achieving some level of happiness. And beer, wine, and ---- ... not the end, but the means for prayer and getting some dishes done... But prayer was not the end... but the means for getting closer to God, the true end.

Saddest Book Ever!

Tonight I was coming home and I got an idea for the saddest book ever:

"No Time for Little Man"

Little baby Matthew loved his mother and father. Everyday he woke up thinking of them. One particular morning he woke up making every noise he could think of trying to get their attention. His father had already gone to work. Matthew's mother was in the kitchen making breakfast. There was no time for little man.

Eventually his mother came to his room, got him out of his crib, and changed his diaper. Matthew was very happy to see his mother. He liked the way her hands felt on his back. He smiled as he looked into her beautiful brown eyes. Little Matthew ate breakfast while his mother checked her e-mail on the computer. Then they loaded into the car together. Mother drove to daycare to drop Matthew off for the day. She needed to get to work. Matthew waved goodbye but his mother did not wave back. There was no time for little man.

Matthew had a good day at daycare. He played with the blocks and ate some fun foods. He liked the women at the daycare, almost as much as his parents. Matthew took a long nap, and when he awoke his father was their to take him home.

On the way home Matthew tried to talk to his father from the back seat of the car, but he did not know any words. His father was talking on the cellphone anyways. Matthew heard his dad say something about a "ball game tonight". Matthew was excited. "Maybe my daddy will play ball with me tonight", he thought.

At home Matthew and his father and mother had dinner. They had spaghetti with meatballs that night. Matthew ate up all his spaghetti but he did not like the meatballs. He said "UHMPH" as he threw them across the table. Matthew noticed that his parents looked very tired. Matthew's mother kissed daddy goodbye, and then she put little baby Matthew to bed for the night. There was no time for little man.