Battleground Schools

When I was reading the article, I was first astonished that before 1910, many mathematics teachers did not have strong background knowledge of mathematics and mathematics teaching, and math phobia with the lack of understanding of mathematics concepts was endemic among many elementary school teachers in North America. Also there was a presumption that mathematics was hard, cold, distant and inhuman. I can't believe these negative images about mathematics could be seen in North America as US and Canada are always viewed as technologically advanced countries whose people should have a decent background of science and mathematics.

Then when I read about the New Math Initiative, I was glad to see that the university mathematicians were involved in improving mathematics education at the K-12 level. I always have a thought that mathematicians mostly focus on their research of some abstract concepts which most people do not understand. However, in this initiative, they would help students, including those in kindergartens and elementary schools, learn mathematics and this action considerably change my perception of mathematicians who are the scholars of the ivory tower.

Lastly, when I found that California state tried to instill in students an appreciation for the power and beauty of mathematics, not just the fluency in calculation, I thought this idea was beneficial not only to students, but also to society. Mathematics is an important component of many scientific subjects like chemistry, physics and computer science. If mathematics is not appreciated by students who would be the future pillars of society, the development of science and technology in society will be hindered.