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WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW THIS? WHEN WILL I EVER USE IT? WHY STUDY ALGEBRA?
My students have difficulty appreciating the usefulness of a particular math topic, prompting them to ask, "When are we ever going to need this?" This question used to really bother me, and I would look, as a result, for justification for everything I taught. Now I say, "Maybe never. You may never use this."Â I then go on to remind them that people don't lift weights so that they will be prepared should, one day, someone knock them over on the street and lay a barbell across their chests. You lift weights so that you can knock over a defensive lineman, or carry your groceries or lift your grandchildren without being sore the next day. You do math exercises so that you can improve your ability to think logically, so that you can be a better lawyer, doctor, architect, prison warden or parent. MATH IS MENTAL WEIGHT TRAINING. It is a means to an end (for most people), not an end in itself.--Dean Sherman, 9th Grade Algebra teacherexcerpted from "Made to StickWHY DO I NEED TO KNOW THIS? WHEN WILL I EVER USE IT? WHY STUDY ALGEBRA?
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