So how important is algebra?

[lisalinnay]

[ncmom]

[Theodore]

[Ginia]

Whether you feel that Algebra will be useful in daily life or not, learning and practicing the higher level maths does a couple of very important things for the student:
(1) It teaches the student to think things through logically, step-by-step, to get to the final answer.
(2) It teaches him to do persevere through an entire problem until he reaches a solution.

When my daughter was in Algebra II, it was clear she would never use this math in her chosen career. Yet we persevered. She learned how to think things through. These critical thinking skills helped her tremendously in writing essays for college.

And in almost any 4-year college, math is a requirement for the degree.

On another note: I have a nephew who struggled with math.
He didn't want to go to college.
He wanted to become a carpenter, and when he applied to be apprenticed, he had to take - guess what! - a math test.

[mark_egp]

[Bob Hazen]

As a former home school dad, as a current public school teacher, and as a contributor to the PHS magazine and forum, I'm here to say that ALL higher math can be of great help for students in several ways.

I'm going to skip the "pragmatic" approach - "Well, you'll use algebra when you..." or "You'll need trig when you..." While I don't dismiss the pragmatic aspects of higher math (and it is pragmatic), I want to emphasize the "training" aspect of higher math.

I tell my students that higher math is marvelous for three things: 1. to learn how to pay attention to detail (Was that exponent a 3 or a 5? Was that a positive or a negative? Is this sine or cosine?); 2. to learn to keep the big picture in mind (Wait - the square root of a negative number has no real number answer); 3. to learn how to solve problems.

Then I tell my high school kids, "I'll break the news for you: Many of you after you leave this precalculus class will NEVER use trigonometry again, ever. BUT.... but... but... if you realize that math is a training program to do #1 and #2 and #3 above, then I've got another bit of news for you. ALL OF YOU indeed WILL spend the rest of your lives needing to pay attention to detail (Was that bill due on the 14th or the 24th?); needing to keep the big picture in mind (Wait - call the customer - nobody could possibly want to order 14,000 cupcakes); and needing to solve problems (One of the four boxes on the shipping order isn't marked - how do we figure out which one? What's the shortest route for me to take to deliver these orders in as little time as possible? as little mileage as possible?).

Math is a training program in which you have trememdous opportunity to train your eyes, your brain, and your will to pay attention to detail, to keep the big picture in mind, and to solve problems. Hope this helps!

Bob Hazen