Hating on algebra is all the rage these days. From New York Times editorials to cute little Facebook images, it seems that we’re settling into a big assumption: algebra is not useful to the average person. For the most part, this idea is pretty harmless. When I see those Facebook posts, I generally smile to myself and think, “Oh you’re using algebra. You just don’t know it!” (And yes, sometimes I say this out loud. I work alone, and my cats don’t care.)
But of course when there are calls to remove algebra from high school math curriculum, things get pretty serious. If you had driven past me at lunch time one fall day last year, you might have seen me (literally) shaking my fist and shouting at my radio. My local public radio station was airing a talk show featuring some doofus (I think he was a philosophy professor?) who was advocating that we actually stop teaching algebra. Seems it upsets students too much and, heck, we don’t need it anyway.
Want to make me mad? All you have to do is suggest this in a serious way.
So, prompted by all of the online ribbing that I get from people, I’ve decided to take on a challenge. This month, I’ll be writing about exactly how algebra is useful. My goal is to convince anyone who thinks differently that they’re wrong. But I know this is a tough sell. So I’ll settle for a couple of small concessions.
My thought is that I’ll focus on everyday uses for algebra (from spreadsheets to formulas), algebraic thinking (how we can think critically, thanks to algebra) and why I believe algebra is a cornerstone subject for middle and high school students.
Want to challenge my thinking? Go right ahead! Want to offer your own experience? Please do! I’d love to promote a real conversation on this topic. I can always learn something new about how real, live people use the math devoted to finding x.
In the meantime, share your algebra story in the comments section. I’d love to hear from everyone — whether algebra was the first time math clicked for you or you were one of those folks who said forget it, once letters were introduced to your math.