A funny e-mail I received satirizing the state of the U.S. educational system...

[TheCustomer99]

My cousin sent me this e-mail and I felt obliged to share it with you all. I think it really captures what's wrong with our educational system.

Evolution of Teaching Math in the U.S.

Teaching Math In 1950

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is 4/5 of the price, or $80 What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1970

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the birds and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math In 2006

Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera por $100. El cargo de
produccion es $80. Cuantas tortillas se puede comprar?

 

[iKitten]

This is satire? :yinyang:

 

[TheCustomer99]

This is satire? :yinyang:

sat·ire [sat-ahyuhr] –noun: the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.

I think so.

 

[cheesybanana]

Yes, it's satire.

...Although education was not anywhere near as good in the 50s as it is now.

 

[iKitten]

LOL ~ my question was totally...
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]fa·ce·tious [/SIZE][/FONT] (f

-s

sh

s)[SIZE=-2][/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1] ADJECTIVE: [/SIZE]
Playfully jocular; humorous: facetious remarks.

 

[TheCustomer99]

LOL ~ my question was totally...
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]fa·ce·tious [/SIZE][/FONT] (f

-s

sh

s)[SIZE=-2][/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1] ADJECTIVE: [/SIZE]
Playfully jocular; humorous: facetious remarks.

Your definition looks more professional than mine. Where'd you get it from? I used dictionary.com.

 

[walmartconnect]

Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera por $100. El cargo de produccion es $80. Cuantas tortillas se puede comprar?

National language anyone? I'm ready to pass the law and build the wall :bone:

EDIT: Sweet, 200th post

 

[johntalin]

My cousin sent me this e-mail and I felt obliged to share it with you all. I think it really captures what's wrong with our educational system.

Evolution of Teaching Math in the U.S.

Teaching Math In 1950

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is 4/5 of the price, or $80 What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1970

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the birds and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math In 2006

Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera por $100. El cargo de
produccion es $80. Cuantas tortillas se puede comprar?

It is a racist joke. It is a joke, because "Teaching math in 1990" is also not the correct picture of how math was thought back then.

 

[TheCustomer99]

It is a racist joke. It is a joke, because "Teaching math in 1990" is also not the correct picture of how math was thought back then.

I think he sacrificed accuracy for comedic effect.

 

[cheesybanana]

National language anyone? I'm ready to pass the law and build the wall :bone:

Yeah...I totally disagree. We have better things to spend money on than a wall.

Oh...like education.

National language? Sounds like politics to me. Why do people fear other cultures so much? Hispanics are as much a part of this country as any other group, including whites. ...this country is so great because of our diversity, not in spite of it.

 

[Netty4mac]

Yeah...I totally disagree. We have better things to spend money on than a wall.

Oh...like education.

National language? Sounds like politics to me. Why do people fear other cultures so much? Hispanics are as much a part of this country as any other group, including whites. ...this country is so great because of our diversity, not in spite of it.

Thanks for that. My family is from Mexico and I'm sensitive to the whole wall building/immigrant subject. My parents came here legally but I still think it's wrong what has been said about illegal immigrants. Building a wall is not going to solve anything. Mexico needs to improve their economic system, have better jobs, so that people will stay there. As for the immigrants here, they should pass the law for a pathway to citizenship.

Just my $.02 My intention is not to turn this into a debate. I'm just stating my opinion.

 

[TheCustomer99]

Ok, I'm officially abandoning this thread if this turns into an illegal immigration debate thread.

 

[Netty4mac]

Ok, I'm officially abandoning this thread if this turns into an illegal immigration debate thread.

The e-mail was pretty funny though. It reminds me of my math for teachers class. We always have to come up with word problems.

Ex. Jenny ate 1/4 of an orange on the way to school. On the way home she ate 1/3 of an apple. How much fruit did Jenny eat?

 

[johntalin]

We don't have to be all from the same block of cheese to like eachother.
Even though I came to study and my stay here could have been temporary, the main thing I was excited about coming to this country years ago was that I was going to meet so many people and learn about so many different cultures.

 

[walmartconnect]

I love diversity. Legal diversity. I do not love having to press 1 for English and I do not love dumping enormous amounts of money into the federal tax system so that more illegal aliens can suck our healthcare, penal, and social systems dry.

EDIT: Thread hijacking, I'm sorry . Back to the OP, regardless of the 2000 education status, the 1990 one made me laugh.

A lot

 

[christm]

lol. kl - some of its true tho.

 

[fleurya]

yeah, this shouldn't get into a debate, because the people who complain about immigrants depleting federal tax dollars from the healthcare have no idea how much more those immigrants actually contribute to the US economy.

I believe that anyone who chooses to live in a certain country outside their own with a different language base should take the initiative to learn the language, but I don't have a problem pressing one for English on the phone.

I worked in a hotel in Fort Lauderdale. A woman walked up to the desk and began speaking Spanish. I told her I don't speak Spanish and she looked at a girl next to me who did and said "how can he not speak Spanish, he lives in Florida". After she asked her question and it was interpreted to me, I answered, but before the girls could interpret it back, the lady said she understood, in English, and left. Basically, she refused to speak English to me.

I mentioned this experience as an example of how intolerance can come from both sides and doesn't help anything.

Oh yeah, and our education system is total crap. To get into graduate school I had to take an exam (the GMAT) that was nothing more than basic high school math and English composition. If this is all we require from out best minds, we do have a serious problem.

 

[Lisa]

Just my thoughts on education - quickly. It differs dramatically from school to school. My 8th grader is learning things that I was never taught in high school - and my 11th grader is learning things that I never even saw in college - our schools challenge our students and encourage growth. My educational experience was different - most teachers were only there for the paycheck, and students were not encouraged to really strive for excellence. I don't consider myself old, but I went to HS in the 80's and times were different -- and I grew up in a different state than my children have...where blue-collar working families were the majority, and a child was only expected to do the minimum for graduation.

The internet has opened the entire world to our children for knowledge - and I am grateful that they can learn about things that cannot be covered in a school textbook.

I digress - threadjack over. Carry on...

 

[Amen-Moses]

Ex. Jenny ate 1/4 of an orange on the way to school. On the way home she ate 1/3 of an apple. How much fruit did Jenny eat?

To which I would have replied 2/7 of the recommended daily amount.

OR

Depends on what she had for lunch.

(depending on what mood I was in)

Amen-Moses

 

[walmartconnect]

yeah, this shouldn't get into a debate, because the people who complain about immigrants depleting federal tax dollars from the healthcare have no idea how much more those immigrants actually contribute to the US economy.

Sounds like a debate to me :tusks:

Since I have no idea, how much do these aliens contribute to the US economy?