Why do kids still learn boring Maths in school?

Question

Long story short.

In school, instead of being taught old fasioned methods, kids and teenagers should be taught, how to fill out a tax return, how to fill out forms, how to pay bills, how to choose insurance or gas suppliers etc...

Why don't they allow to teach relevant things in school that we never got taught but still needed to know once we were in the real world?

Common sense tells me that although bla bla bla! No! Scrap the old ways (not completely) and start teaching our youth valuable things, things they will actually need to know how to use in life!

I'm sure i'l be contested on this, but it can't hurt to at least try. I know I would have been less confused and a lot more prepared had I have been shown how to work out my insurance policy!

Answer 1

Math is not just numbers. It teaches logic. In a algebra problem you have to follow certain steps to get he right answer.  Sometime in life we need to think in the same step-by-step way.

Answer 2

I agree with you.

One reason so many young people are bored in school is that it is irrelevant to their daily lives.

This is why many families choose to homeschool.

Answer 3

Without math, filling out a tax return, paying bills, and choosing insurance would be impossible.  Once you know math, most people don't need help figuring out how to fill in boxes.  On the other hand, at least half the jobs out there require a knowledge of math.  Why do you think so many people get cheated out of their money?  They don't know how to do the math themselves, so they hire people to do it for them, and those people steal from them.  Personally, I wish I'd had more math in school, so that I didn't have so much catching up to do later in life.

Answer 4

wow - how about you learn that stuff from your family?

School is not a substitute for everything. families should prepare their kids for the real world.

learn to cook? not at school I'll bet...

Answer 5

maths is interesting...........

Answer 6

So, where do parents and family members come in?  Are we relegated to teaching the kids how to swill a beer and watch the game, or do we still get to have a hand in teaching them how to fill out a tax return or job application, how to pay bills, choose utilities, etc.?

My school didn't teach me any of that - my parents did.  And my husband and I will teach our son how to do them...and he'll teach his kids.  That's how it works.  When I have a question on which plumber to use, I don't call my high school math teacher.  I call my dad.

Higher math is more than arithmetic (which is needed for everyday use); it is logic, problem solving, and resourcefulness - all things that come in handy in life after high school.  Will I ever use the Pythagorean theorem in anything other than helping my son with his math?  Likely not, but I use the logical problem-solving skills that I gained in upper math on a regular basis.