my little Algebra rant + predictable cheerleading (Score 1)

I think that Algebra is one of the most important math courses for young people.

I learned Algebra in 7th grade (I had a great teacher). I stopped taking Math courses in 10th grade, and didn't start-up again until my mid-twenties, when I decided to return to school instead of remain working at word-processing jobs by day (while trying to write novels and children's stories by night).

I found that I still understood the Algebra after I returned to school. I was pleasantly surprised. To my mind, it's because Algebra can be learned as a set of ideas, rather than a set of facts and rules to be memorized and forgotten. (I'm not called 'Forgotten Password' for nothing).

Later, I taught Algebra in college, as well as to junior high kids. I've watched a lot of Algebra instructors: I was often disappointed by what I saw, and wondered how any of the kids in the classroom could possibly see the simplicity, or fun, or beauty of the subject by listening to the instructor that they'd been placed with.

Without interest, insight and a little mathematical maturity on the part of the instructor, Algebra can easily be taught as a book-keeping or rule-memorization activity, rather than as a perspective and mode of inquiry. And, if students learn that Algebra is boring, I doubt that it will be easy for them to find the fun in future science or math classes.

Sorry for the rant. I just think that Algebra is an incredibly important subject that should be taught well.

Best wishes,

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