Archive for: December 2007

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While listening to “Morning Edition” on National Public Radio awhile ago, I heard a report about self-esteem in the workplace, and how Gen-Xers need constant praise for the simplest of accomplishments in order to feel appreciated.

Oh, my! The poor darlings are in the workforce now and now there are actually consulting firms that deal with how to keep the delicate little flowers happy, to retain them as workers, powered by constant praise, awards ceremonies and cookies and milk, I guess.

My first reaction was, “How idiotic. Just don’t hire the little turdblossoms in the first place, and the problem’s over.”

As usual, my first reaction is pretty useless. It seems that a great majority of gen-xers suffer from this self-esteem pathology, and if you aren’t going to hire gen-Xers, you are going to severely limit your pool of potential employees, some of whom may be genuinely talented for the job, despite their self-esteem problem.

So what do you do?

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(Continued from the previous three posts.)

the reader replied to my answer:

thank you professor for answering all of my future qustions, but u never answered my old answer though. What happens if i fail math 9 of coruse ill be end up in emath10 whats emath10 (doesn’t sound good though)Like do i get to go to collage but if u can’t answer that qustion ill ask someone else. Heres a qustion for you though what good paying job are there in this world without math like doesn’t require math because u told me everything involes math. but i am asking you to name some jobs thats don’t require math as a requirement. I am asking you all these qustions because i am scared the world might be a different place when i grow up so i am just prepareing for the future.

Professor Homunculus’s reply:

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(Continued from the previous two posts.)

the reader replied to my answer:

thank you, that really help me but all the jobs your listed are basic math i can do that in my head. But the schools are teaching me alot of bullshit which i don’t know alot about i think there lessons are useless.i guess u need math for everything but can’t we just use techonology like a caluator to help us?

Professor Homunculus’s reply:

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“When I look back on all the crap I learned in high school
It’s a wonder I can think at all.”
- Paul Simon “Kodachrome”

(Continued from previous post.)

the reader replied to my answer:

Dear Professor Homunculus,

remember me my teacher sucks he doesn’t teach.But i am not a lazy sob student i am passing every class i hate math, maht is so gay what name some jobs can i get without math?

-Truman

Professor Homunculus’s reply:

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In 2000 an 2001, I was an “expert” on a website that helped kids with math problems. Most of them concerned problems they were having in school.

I’d like to publish some of the exchanges I had with some of the kids. I must mention some “warnings,” though.

1. These questions were asked by real kids, struggling with real problems. They express themselves like real kids. I appreciated that, sometimes. The grammar and spelling is generally miserable. I am going to try not to edit them. I think it’s important if a kid writes, “I want to mulily by too,” that the form of writing gives you several clues to what’s going on. Sometimes.

 

2. The answers were given by a real person (me.) I do not intend to bowlderize anything. There is quite a bit of swearing in them. Why? Because I tend to do a lot of swearing, especially at hypocrisy. Since the questions had a lot to do with schools, there was a lot of hypocrisy to swear at. I’ll try not to go overboard with it, because on this blog and in Math Mojo in general, I try to keep it to a minimum.
   (When we I publish as Joe Archimedes - Hard-boiled Substitute Teacher, the gloves will be coming off, though).

The real reason I am publishing this stuff, is to “speak truth to power.” If administrators feel offended, well…

I feel that there are a lot of parents, teachers, and especially kids out there who have always suspected the things I’m going to say are true, but haven’t heard it expressed. I think it will help to read it.

So here goes nothing…

I’ll be breaking up this post into parts. Here is the first exchange:

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Do you want to understand and be able to multiply in order to:
a) help you (or your child) with life in general and the education that counts, or
b) just help you (or your child) pass the next math test?

If your answer was b, you just saved yourself some time and effort for the next few minutes. You don’t have to read any further. But you’d be costing yourself (or your child) years of frustration. Passing a little (or big, standardized) test is just jumping through an artificial, meaningless, hoop. You don’t have to be a slave to the school system.

If you really need to beat the system, you need to game it. You need to learn math much, much better than they teach it to you in public schools. Then their tests will be a joke, and you will blow them away without being intimidated. But if you just want to learn enough to get through the next test, brother, you are digging your own educational grave.

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