Robert Audley

Educator | Author | Counselor | Coach | Parent

Home
Win & Grin
Rise Up
Login

Menu

Home
Win & Grin
Rise Up
Login

Math graduation requirement hurts students! What to tell your child

PLEASE tell your kids…

Right now, the one thing we can do for our kids is to help them understand MANY struggle with math requirements…you are not alone and the amount of math you are required to do is unfair.

I am a High School Teacher and parent of 4 children. I want kids to walk in and out of school believing they belong, can learn and create a life upon graduation. That is it!

Coaching soccer puts you with extremely driven, motivated and above all, accomplished young people. Many earn top ranking of their graduating class. They create a healthy circle of friends. Inherited and bought into support at home. Yet, many believe they do not have what it takes to succeed tomorrow and the next level of living. Too often, the academic road block is math.

Jeff is a big beautiful young man. Quiet, kind, size that clears hallways. Owns a very unique life. Can do things most of us never bother to think of. He builds things. I have to ask him to show me the stuff he builds. Out comes the cell phone and a few modest pictures with a detailed explanation why he used certain material, angles, tools. Accomplished young man with tools to create a life designed by him. After 70 math minutes of trial and error to finish a 15 minute task he looked at me and said, “I don’t get it. Guess I’m just lazy.” His school day ended believing he is lazy…far from it!

Many people, of all ages, cannot do math well enough to justify 3 years of math requirements and Algebra for college students. I do not understand why it is so difficult to appreciate that many people simply cannot do high end math. Arithmetic – YES – the use of numbers that relate to life. NOT an abstract challenge. We can challenge students to create thinking skills without mandating an area of study that many fail over and over.

I want kids to walk in and out of school believing they belong, they can do it and can create a life upon graduation. That is it!

There is one academic subject causing trouble for our kids…the high requirement of math to graduate from high school and college.

As a result many students create a belief they cannot make it in school, so therefore, will not be able to make it upon graduation. That is wrong!

It is not limited to any specific socio-economic group. It impacts everybody!

There is NO justification to stress the amount and intensity of so much math. It does not make any sense to stress any specific subject over all others especially when so many students profoundly struggle and own no interest in pursuing math or a math related occupation.

By words, behavior, lack of energy, frustration our kids are asking…

WHY do I have to take so much math?
WHEN am I ever going to use it?
HOW does this help me?
I know I am never going to spend my life at a job doing math…so why do I have to take this?
WHY?

PLEASE tell your child…
Your questions and concerns are mature and rational.
They are legitimate thoughts.
You are no less a student for asking.
In fact, to engage in any activity it is critical to know WHY. It is VERY natural to seek relevance…why is this important to me?

$inspiration_maths$

With the help of Andrew Hacker’s book, Math Myth, I beg you to have a conversation with your student, your child. PLEASE use the following information…

WHY math is required…
WHY the math requirement is wrong and…
HOW it is hurting our kids…and quite possibly – YOU!

So, WHY do high school students and entry level college students have to take so much math?

We have been told…
The United States is losing its competitive edge. We need to strengthen our technological abilities. To accomplish this, ALL high school students have to take 3 years of math.
If our workforce – YOU – cannot do math then your job will be sent overseas.
Over the next 10 years ALGEBRA will be needed in 62% of new jobs.
The jobs of your future require math – especially engineering.
Jobs that require math will be more available than other jobs by 3 to 1.
If you decide to join the workforce instead of college you will need algebra.
Algebra is necessary if you plan on holding a job at a near basic level.

Yes…math is valuable to high tech jobs and that will remain true. But, is it accurate to say all students need 3 years of high level math to keep a job?

What is the REAL picture?

Only 5% of adult jobs need math based skills…NOT 62%.
Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) occupations will expand modestly.
There will be less demand for Engineers in 2022 compared to other jobs.
Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates by 2022 our country will have added 130,400 engineering positions. One year, 2013 we graduated 86,000 engineers. If we keep graduating 86,000 engineers per year that would be 860,000 college educated engineers…with only 130,400 available new positions. So, why do high school students need 3 years of math and Algebra in college? The jobs will not be there.
2014, the United States had 19.5 million college trained people with science or engineering degrees. 5.4 million were working in a STEM field – only 28%.
Another 28% of that 19.5 million were not working in their field or unemployed.
The numbers are even worse for computer science and math graduates = 38%.
BUT…health and education fields were doing much better.
The prevailing belief by people NOT in the classroom is that math will strengthen your brain, live more intelligently, understand deeper, create better strategies for problem solving. None of this has been proven to be true.
This leads to another issue…a whole bunch of talented, motivated people earned a college degree in a field where there is little hope of landing a job in their field. With better direction from people controlling graduation requirements they could have been trained in other fields…where jobs are available. Areas of HIGH interest, motivation to learn for our students. Huge waste of money, time and talent.
It is not true that training in math somehow develops brains for elevated success in other areas. Does strengthening your grammar skills improve your math ability? If you master sociology are you now better prepared to learn a foreign language?
In fact…are students CHOOSING to major in math? NO! The year 2014 saw 1,672,395 students taking the SAT. Only12,394 indicated they are interested in math. 66,461 were thinking of taking Psychology which is not offered in all high schools.
As they enter college almost all of those students will have to take Algebra and many will fail. Yet, only a small group were interested in math…but everybody had to take math, WHY?

So, what is the impact of the 3 year math requirement to graduate from high school…and…how does college Algebra requirement impact college bound students.

Across our entire country, 1 in 5 ninth graders will not graduate from high school, the ACADEMIC reason is meeting math requirements.That is 1 million young people your age who drop out.

Of those that do graduate from high school and enter college only 56% will earn a bachelor’s degree. (That means all those student who conquered 3 years of high school math quit college. The most popular academic reason for dropping out was the math requirement).
More than HALF of all students fail math. Those that pass barely do so.
Math has the lowest passing rate of all subjects.
Study of Los Angeles schools revealed 65% will fail Algebra, 51% will fail Geometry.
A study of 27 two-year colleges discovered only 25% of the students had fulfilled the math requirement…3 years after starting a 2 year college.
For students starting college it is math that impacts-IF a student will continue or quit – more than any other subject.
Remember how all this math is supposed to make us globally competitive? 12 other countries have a higher college graduation rate than us…they do not REQUIRE MATH unless it makes sense…ya know, your future job requires it!

We are losing talented people. Lost dreams, aspirations, goals, idea of a life they want because they have to take a course not at all relevant to their life and they cannot do. It is ridiculous to think the life I want to create requires a heavy dose of math. That thinking ruins kid’s belief in their ability to learn and create the life they want.

Math IS valuable, but is it honestly more important than the other subjects?

A step in the right direction – students who are good at math and want to study it…let them! I am sure they would be much more productive and happy learning with others who enjoy math as much as they do.

Currently we can’t change any of this for you. But, I want you to know that I understand. Do not let this one subject define a belief of who you are.

You are not lazy! You are SOOO much more than that!

Source of most information comes from the book: Math Myth, by Andrew Hacker. I strongly encourage everybody to get their hands on this fantastic book. A great start to creating a new belief for our children.

Here’s to you and your child’s success in & out of the classroom,

Robert Audley

Educator | Author | Counselor | Coach | Parent

Want More Help Empowering Your Kids? Click The Face!

Our Win&Grin program delivers daily emails from Bob for the next 6 months. These messages are designed using Bob's 30+ years as an educator to help you talk with your kids and give them the vital skills they need to succeed in and out of the classroom

Contact

7768 Mayfair Circle,
Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
315-382-7691

About Robert Audley

Robert has dedicated his life, both professional and personal, to helping kids overcome their unique obstacles. He’s worked in a broad range of education- and counseling-oriented positions, providing specialized services to challenged and at-risk students. Continued learning and work in the field gives him an ever-expanding arsenal of tools and techniques from which to draw.

Recent Posts

HOW Parents can motivate their children to learn?

HI! I have been a parent, teacher and coach for the last 37 years…still am! Our kids spend

Motivate kids to create their life in & out of the classroom

Hello Parents, Teachers and Coaches! Offer your kids a powerful form of communication that works! Encourage to create

My Family LOVED…LOVES…Youth Sports!

My Family LOVED…LOVES…Youth Sports! Before our first child was born, my dad’s side of the family stated, “Well,