Re: CHAT: Maths schooling.

> Date:         Sat, 24 Mar 2001 11:57:15 -0500
> From: Yoon Ha Lee <yl112@...>
> On Sat, 24 Mar 2001, Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:
> > > (Why teachers' conferences?  I think I'd like to teach math.  Shoot me
> > > now, please.  <wry g>)
> >
> > Nope, won't! As anybody knows who has children in school, the world
> > needs more maths teachers who actually like the subject. Female maths
> > and science teachers who like the subjects, even more so.
>
> <wry g>  The impression I had was that there are more female math(s) and
> science teachers--at least the places I've been--because we're the
> "washouts" who don't go on for the doctorate.  But the truth is I would
> rather share what I know about math with other people and show them the
> interesting, relevant and likable parts of it, than be doing original
> math research.  (Or...sorry for the American usage "math"...)  I've met
> close to a hundred female math majors (at a Nebraska conference), many of
> whom *do* plan to go for the doctorate--and they're bright people and
> love the subject and want to do research and it *is* what they ought to
> do for themselves.  It just isn't for me.
Well, perhaps it's different in the US, but in Denmark maths or
science tend to be people's minor subjects at teachers' college. It
seems that for young women, 'wants to work with children' and an
interest in 'hard' subjects rarely coincide.

Are all middle school teachers in the US really BA's or BSc's in their
subjects? In Denmark, and I suspect most of Europe, it's only at High
School age (grades 10-12: gymnasium, Abitur, baccalaureat, A-levels)
that students are exposed to teachers with basically no pedagogical
skills.

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)

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