Roland
Full Member
Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues
Posts: 235
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Post by Roland on Jul 7, 2004 16:25:45 GMT -5
So what is it that you do teach Roland? Mathematics. Or more precisely, the disasterous mess that currently passes for mathematics.
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Post by Roughneck on Jul 7, 2004 17:11:36 GMT -5
Ah. I haven't taken a real math course since 11th grade. Got out of college with a Math in Western Civ course, which was really a history course taught by the math department and counted towards math credits. Still, when I took the GREs I was surprised how much I remembered. 44th percentile, but I didn't do too bad considering it had been about 5 years by then. I began as a secondary ed major for history, but I made a stop to high school to drop my brother off for pictures and decided then and there that I had done my four years. I knew I didn't have the petience for it, and I salute those who do. I salute you Roland.
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Post by Mr._Shooter on Jul 8, 2004 10:27:34 GMT -5
Mr. Shooter, likewise pleased. Still, history teachers are higher up on the food chain than the dreaded math teacher. I can't say I blame you for giving it up for a more, how shall we say, lucrative profession? It's become the norm over the past decade. Ashamed? No, never. I'm afraid it's a case where the teachers' unions are responsible for generally giving us a bad name over the course of the last couple of decades. (I AM annonymous here, right? ) Discouraged and disgusted? Yes. Lunatic parents and assinine dept. heads are simply an occasional unpleasantry that goes with the job. It's the "bureaucratic nonsense" caused by administrators, along with under and un funded State and Federal mandates that are destroying the system. Throw in an ever increasing number of students and/or their parents who can't speak English that we're expected to deal with, as well as our hands being tied over matters of discipline and, well I think you get the picture. Hee hee...even I hated math way back when, so I understand your point, Roland. ;D Still, there is no great love-fest between students and history teachers. I believe the words "boring" and "dry" automatically come to mind when people look back on their history classes and history teachers. Heck, my own wife admitted that she hated history...all that memorization of dates and names really took its toll. Anyhow, math is certainly more useful in our daily lives, so I would argue that you as a math teacher are up there on that old food chain. ;D The lack of education funding boggles my mind. There is no greater investment we as a nation can make. But politicians on both sides of the aisle lack sensitivity in this regard. Just as the politicians' sons and daughters will never put on a military uniform (Michael Moore, thanks for hilariously pointing this up), they likewise will never have to attend public school. And if their children never have to attend public school, politicians never get a true sense of the damage caused when public education gets short-changed.
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snizz
Full Member
I'm sure I'd be more upset if I weren't quite so heavily sedated
Posts: 322
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Post by snizz on Jul 8, 2004 23:23:47 GMT -5
You didn't do too bad there yourself man. Still slurring your words? Rest easy snizz, it's not English. Huh? What? What'd I do?
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snizz
Full Member
I'm sure I'd be more upset if I weren't quite so heavily sedated
Posts: 322
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Post by snizz on Jul 8, 2004 23:44:07 GMT -5
Speaking strictly for myself, now it all depends on what it is you teach. Whew! Math's cool. I was always decent in math. If you said lit, then we might've had a some problems. ;D
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Post by LS on Jul 9, 2004 0:32:32 GMT -5
Huh? What? What'd I do? LOL!! Uh- snizz darlin'...I think you're lucky Roland isn't an English teacher 'cause your spelling leaves a little to be desired ;D ... 'theraputic'??
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Post by LS on Jul 9, 2004 1:25:00 GMT -5
Thank you and it's nice to know there's a place tolerant of the socially impaired. ;D What do I do for a living? Now I might be walking on thin ice with some people since we're not on the top of many popularity lists. But here goes. I'm a teacher. I presently teach in middle school and got called at the last minute to take over a summer school class. It always worries me when I see Shooter wander into places he usually doesn't frequent ...and I see he's managed to take another thread off course... A teacher...yep that's cool. A math teacher?? Ouchie...that was definitely my very worstest subject. But as long as we don't wander off on that subject- I'm ok. ;D Yeah I was reading about it...they recorded it in an old tire factory I think. Sounds like another interesting outting... ;D
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snizz
Full Member
I'm sure I'd be more upset if I weren't quite so heavily sedated
Posts: 322
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Post by snizz on Jul 9, 2004 1:30:31 GMT -5
LOL!! Uh- snizz darlin'...I think you're lucky Roland isn't an English teacher 'cause your spelling leaves a little to be desired ;D ... 'theraputic'?? How about a little slack? The holiday weekend. It was the beer. I swear! ;D
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Post by LS on Jul 9, 2004 1:34:54 GMT -5
How about a little slack? The holiday weekend. It was the beer. I swear! ;D I know ya better than that ...But yeah the holiday- the booze ;D ...ok- but just this once.
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snizz
Full Member
I'm sure I'd be more upset if I weren't quite so heavily sedated
Posts: 322
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Post by snizz on Jul 9, 2004 1:40:01 GMT -5
I know ya better than that ...But yeah the holiday- the booze ;D ...ok- but just this once. Now you shut down, go take care of yourself and feel better.
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Post by LS on Jul 9, 2004 1:41:12 GMT -5
Now you shut down, go take care of yourself and feel better. Yes boss... ;D
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Post by Mr._Shooter on Jul 9, 2004 9:04:50 GMT -5
It always worries me when I see Shooter wander into places he usually doesn't frequent ...and I see he's managed to take another thread off course... That's me. The human train wreck. ;D
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Roland
Full Member
Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues
Posts: 235
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Post by Roland on Jul 9, 2004 21:48:52 GMT -5
Ah. I haven't taken a real math course since 11th grade. Got out of college with a Math in Western Civ course, which was really a history course taught by the math department and counted towards math credits. Still, when I took the GREs I was surprised how much I remembered. 44th percentile, but I didn't do too bad considering it had been about 5 years by then. I began as a secondary ed major for history, but I made a stop to high school to drop my brother off for pictures and decided then and there that I had done my four years. I knew I didn't have the petience for it, and I salute those who do. I salute you Roland. You were one step ahead of most high schoolers. It's always been a fact of life, the majority take the required two year minimum and then jump that ship fast. ;D I did well in math in school, but it wasn't my favorite subject When I headed off for college, becoming a teacher wasn't in my game plan. My original goal was to become an architect. Halfway through I found myself in a class taught by a very motivating, inspirational professor and something made me re-evaluate my plans. And for better or worse, here I am. Thanks Roughneck but I don't know about patience. I don't think I have any more than the next person and some days probably less. I suppose it does take a person with the right kind of temperament and the ability to communicate well, but I've found it's not that much different from parenting.
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Roland
Full Member
Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues
Posts: 235
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Post by Roland on Jul 9, 2004 21:57:23 GMT -5
Hee hee...even I hated math way back when, so I understand your point, Roland. ;D Still, there is no great love-fest between students and history teachers. I believe the words "boring" and "dry" automatically come to mind when people look back on their history classes and history teachers. Heck, my own wife admitted that she hated history...all that memorization of dates and names really took its toll. Anyhow, math is certainly more useful in our daily lives, so I would argue that you as a math teacher are up there on that old food chain. ;D Mr. Shooter, there is no great love-fest between students and teachers of any stripe, with the possible exception of the substitute teacher with whom students equate a "free period." History still rates much higher than "I" before "E" expect after "C" (except in this case, that case and a few other cases ;D ), "Moby Dick" or "Of Mice And Men," the dissection of "icky" worms and frogs or finding the square root of 340. The math taught at the elementary school level, yes that's practical and follows you for the rest of your life. But at the secondary level, with the exception of geometry, Mr. Shooter be honest, when was the last time you used algebra or logarithms in your daily life? You've hit the nail on the head there. The politicians refuse to see the correlation between spending cuts in education and the annual reports that show our students are falling further and further behind the rest of the industrialized world. That doesn't bode well for the future of this country at all.
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Roland
Full Member
Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues
Posts: 235
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Post by Roland on Jul 9, 2004 22:09:19 GMT -5
It always worries me when I see Shooter wander into places he usually doesn't frequent ...and I see he's managed to take another thread off course... A teacher...yep that's cool. A math teacher?? Ouchie...that was definitely my very worstest subject. But as long as we don't wander off on that subject- I'm ok. ;D Quick LS, 4x9-7+2x3=? People are all different and some have a better aptitude for numbers than others. Some are better spellers than others. I think it's safe to say though, that you don't have to worry about conversation drifting off in that direction. Curiosity's back in my court now. So what was your "bestest" subject? Besides the people who post here , the topics going "off course" are what appealed to me about this forum. I enjoy coming here anticipating to expect the unexpected. ;D
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