Subbed A Freshman Math Class Yesterday

[3catwoman3]

55. My senior year of high school had an optional math class they called Math 12X - a little bit of exposure to...

...higher concepts beyond the required 9th grade algebra, 10th grade geometry, and 11th grade trig. My 9th grade algebra teacher, who was fresh out of college, was so bad she got fired after her second year. I had thought it was me, and that I just didn't "get it." Turned out that most of the students who had her also didn't get it.

The final marking period of Math 12X was 6 weeks of intro to calculus. In attempting to explain that calculus had everyday usefulness, the teacher gave the following example - imagine you are a kindergarten teacher, and your students are going to make Easter baskets from a standard 8x11 piece of construction paper. If you know calculus, you will be able to figure out how they can make a basket with maximum capacity so they can fill it with the most candy.

She then handed us a slender black volume and said, "Here. This is all self-explanatory." It was not. Only thing I ever got an F in was that 6 weeks of calculus.

Many years ago, my husband gave me a book entitled Math Without Tears. When I got to page 6 and re-read it 3 times and it still didn't make sense, I closed that book and never opened it again.

I would have so appreciated a teacher like you.