<p>I personally don't. The bad teachers thread brought this up. Looking back at things in middle school, early high school, I now realize how terrible some of my math teachers were. It seems like just anyone is teaching algebra 1/geometry these days, and that even math that comes before that is not even taught properly. In my state in particular (Florida), they place so much emphasis on the state standardized test that it just takes away from learning in general. I felt like I had my first good teachers in 11th and now 12th grade, but before that it was mostly crap tbh. Sometimes I wonder how kids who compete in USAMO know so much by the time they finish high school, and how their math education has been so much more superior. I never knew about these things a few years ago, but if I did, I guarantee I would've made an effort to get involved since I am genuinely interested in math. It just kind of annoys me when the educational system doesn't widely advertise more advanced learning for motivated students.</p>
<p>I think that one has to consider the amount of time those participants spend self-studying on their own. Sometimes you have to take action and acquire information by yourself.</p>
<p>But disregarding that, I see kids who are taking Linear Algebra/Differential Equations by their senior year. Most schools don’t even offer those courses, and to be frank, the average high school student has never even heard of them, or will never hear of them at all.Then again, family background has a lot to do with it in my opinion, but that is another matter.</p>
<p>Yea, the U.S school system kind of sucks, it’s up to kids to find out by themselves. To be fair, anybody can do that though- depends on the motivation.</p>
<p>While motivation is indeed a key factor, you have to think about the fact that many are motivated by their mere interest in a subject, which can be developed largely because of the quality of instruction. I’ve seen so many people become frightened by the mere thought of anything math related. One of my biggest problems is the completely incorrect approach to learning and teaching math that I have seen a lot of. I know so many teachers that teach students “steps” to solve problems, and likewise I have seen students ask something like “What are the steps to solve this problem.” The problem is that they are completely ignoring the concept, and are just relying on memorizing some systematic method that is just going to lead them to failure in the end.</p>
<p>I live in the worst state for education so… no, I do not. AP and community college classes are the only classes I’ve felt like I learned something in.</p>
<p>My teachers were never great with the possible exception of one or two (one this year, one years back), but half of them weren’t that bad either…it was mediocre.</p>
<p>I haven’t received a good education, but it’s probably more due to my own fault for never studying and actively participating in school and taking it seriously until this year.</p>
<p>Overall, I don’t know about great, but good certainly. I’m able to take Linear Algebra/Differential Equations as a senior (I’m finishing my Multivariable Calc course tomorrow), so I guess that says some good things about the quality of my education.</p>
<p>There are some areas where I’d say I’ve had a great education. Histories, in general, as well as chemistry. But there are also some areas, like foreign language, where I can’t.</p>
<p>Best education I received is at home and from AP classes. Regular classes, they make me do the most tedious things, such as filling out the agenda at the beginning of class. I also feel that California English classes (not the AP classes) are not sufficient in prepping for college.</p>
<p>I haven’t completed high school yet, but I’ll share what I have so far.</p>
<p>Looking back at elementary school, I don’t think my education was that great, and I think this is because the emphasis is more on social education than academic education. Unfortunately, I found/find that really annoying and feel that it cuts in the way of actually getting something done.</p>
<p>In middle school, I had the occasional class where I felt like I got a really good education, but for the most part, everything seemed so downgraded and not intellectually stimulating, with no clear objective. I actually had a period of depression after middle school, where I had felt like I had done nothing with my life up to that point.</p>
<p>However, in high school, things started turning up, and I was/am genuinely excited to be there. First, having honors and AP classes allow me to be with peers who also had a strong motivation in academics. Second, the teachers also teach very well and are skilled in their subject area. Finally, the more advanced rigor actually gave a good challenge, and encouraged deeper thinking.</p>
<p>So, in summary, things were kind of slow and boring at the lower level, but everything got better as I moved on. I expect the trend to continue. :)</p>
<p>Honestly, I think I’ve received a pretty decent education. Definitely not top quality, but decent. There are so many people who have received a much worse education than I have.</p>
<p>It was great until I attend a public high school in the States. My teachers couldn’t teach well so I forgot everything what I’ve learned right after I took exams/tests. Plus, my Calculus teacher sucks the most because he always relies on students to get the answer. Calculus is more like a free period to me</p>
<p>I went to over 10 schools for my K-12 education. It’s pretty impossible to get a “great education” under those circumstances, but I think I made the most of it. I’m certainly disadvtanged though when I compare myself to classmates from the top private schools in the country like Exeter/Andover/Harvard Westlake.</p>
<p>It’s actually frightening for me to ask this, but how do you actually solve math/science problems without relying on steps? Heck, how do you actually learn how to do math/science problems the RIGHT way?</p>
<p>I guess that shows how much I learned from my years in HS…</p>
<p>I am a college student, so I am sorry for invading, but I was browsing and came across this comment about methods of math instruction and wanted to say something:</p>
<p>“I know so many teachers that teach students “steps” to solve problems, and likewise I have seen students ask something like “What are the steps to solve this problem.” The problem is that they are completely ignoring the concept, and are just relying on memorizing some systematic method that is just going to lead them to failure in the end.”</p>
<p>It is interesting that you would say that, because people with dyscalculia-- my learning disability-- often cannot handle sequential processes, which makes math even harder than necessary because of the way it is taught. As someone with a 7th grade math level I was able to pass college level algebra courses by removing the concept of “steps” altogether and treating each new math concept as a “tool” in my “algebra toolbox,” and I could then experiment with the different problems until I got the desired result-- and nearly got a 4.0 in a class I failed previously. I had to spend a lot more time on homework than anybody else because I had to “translate” all of my books into what I called dyscalculia-speak-- aka remove the steps. The “steps” issue, as I understand it, is primarily an issue with the way math is taught in Western mathematics. I don’t know why we do that here. If it makes such a big difference for someone like ME, obviously without steps is a better way to go. You actually learn how to do MATH that way, not just repeat what a calculator is programmed to do. I don’t know whose brilliant idea that was, but somebody screwed up!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I was not able to replicate the toolbox metaphor for college statistics. But one must celebrate even the small victories, eh? :P</p>
<p>At my first HS (the one I attended for grades 9-10), I was found to be memorizing as opposed to creatively/actively thinking about the material presented, and my homework mainly consisted of “busy work”. Now that I come to think of it, I seriously doubt anyone at my previous HS loved learning for the sake of learning, or even reading for its own sake. This was probably just due to the way we were taught to do things - merely “doing” them, without actively seeking the hows and whys of every process involved.</p>
<p>Now I’m at a small private school, and I’m incredibly thankful I’m here now. My teachers are amazing - they are genuinely passionate about the subjects they teach and, most importantly, are great at transmitting that energy to their students. I often find myself analyzing and questioning things a lot more than I used to - I’m wondering if this was one of the factors that led to the huge CR jump from my May '09 SAT that I took in sophomore year to my junior year PSAT from October… ;)</p>
<p>It depends on what you mean by education. If you mean learning facts and procedures and how to score well on the ACT (not SAT), then yes. If you mean thinking logically and solving problems… well, that I had to learn on my own (with some help from FIRST Robotics! ^.^).</p>