Re: CHAT: Maths schooling.

On Sat, 24 Mar 2001, Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:

> > Date:         Fri, 23 Mar 2001 21:09:23 -0500
> > From: Yoon Ha Lee <yl112@...>
>
> > YHL, who spent spring break (almost over for me) visiting middle school
> > teachers' conferences, procrastinating, and doing Fourier transform stuff
> >
> > (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.

> So hurry up and get your degree and come to Denmark, so I can shoot my
> daughter's current maths/homeroom teacher.
<wry g>

> And what's this middle school? Just as I thought I halfway understood
> the US system, you lot go and change it. I googled a bit ---- in some
> places it just looks like a new name for junior high, grades 7-8 or
> so, at other schools it includes grades 5-8 or 6-9.
Er...I've never been clear on the difference myself.  I went to a Spring
Forest Junior High in 6th grade and the next year they changed the name
to Spring Forest Middle School, or maybe vice versa, and darned if I saw
any difference in how the place was run.  (It was grades 6-8.)  Then I
moved to Korea with my folks and did 8th grade (also at a grades 6-8
place) at Seoul Foreign Middle School.  Teachers at the conference
yesterday *did* speak of junior high and middle school as though there
were a diference, but I never got around to asking what it was.

YHL

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