Re: Some grave concerns to the US education

On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 18:21:32 -0500, Fletch F. Fletch wrote
(in article <0ynDc.7993$Xn.2223@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>):

> Bob LeChevalier wrote:
>> "Fletch F. Fletch" <notme31415@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>> How many people do you figure are on the earth that don't know their
>>> times tables to say twelve, but can factor a quadratic?  I'm
>>> guessing it hovers around zero.
>> 
>> I dunno.  My kid passed algebra this year (not easily, but he did
>> pass), and he doesn't know the times tables to ten solidly.  I ran him
>> on flashcard programs for a few years, and he could get 98% on 100
>> multiplication facts in under 3 minutes 3 days straight.  But a month
>> after stopping the flash cards, he would be back at 50-60% and 6-8
>> minutes.  Addition was only somewhat better.  We tried this for four
>> years with the same results and then realized he would never really
>> master them.  He counts on his fingers when he doesn't have a
>> calculator.  He'll never be a math whiz.  But algebra is required to
>> graduate, and he seems to have managed it. (He actually got better
>> grades in algebra than in middle school pre-algebra cl*****).
>> 
>> lojbab
> 
> There goes my theory.  Of course, it may be the case that he will forget
> algebra quickly as well, and my theory will rise from the dead.
> 
> Slainte,
> Fletch
> 
> 

If you remember it.  ++ Gray //