Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "You went to UCI? Wow - you might have been there at the same time as my big sister. (Along with tens of thousands of others, but still...)" I was on a seven year plan for my four year degree. Two years at Saddleback for an AA I got in 1978, then 78-83 at Irvine. It took five years to get the last two. I was on probation the entire time because the counselors didn't believe I could work full time and take a part time case load at the vaunted Stanford of the South. I was not a great student.
Originally Posted By fkurucz Allow me to add something to the discussion. This is Algebra II we're talking about. Not vector calculus, not differential equations, not linear algebra. Just plain old Algebra. In most other countries kids are expected to take it and more. We're constantly wringing our hands over how poorly American students do in math vs. kids from other countries. Jobs increasingly require problem solving skills, and those skills can be acquired by taking math classes.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 < then 78-83 at Irvine.> You definitely overlapped with my sister. She was the brunette one, 5'5", late teens/early 20's... don't pretend you didn't know her.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "You definitely overlapped with my sister. She was the brunette one, 5'5", late teens/early 20's... don't pretend you didn't know her. " Wel, there are many reasons why it took me so long to graduate.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Meanwhile in Texas, all four GOP candidates for Lt. Governor want Creationism taught in the public schools: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2014/01/all-four-republican-candidates-for-lt-gov-teach-creationism-in-public-schools/">http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2...schools/</a>
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>Meanwhile in Texas, all four GOP candidates for Lt. Governor want Creationism taught in the public schools:<<< Is this really possible that US public schools have to teach religious topics like Creationism? Over here even the Catholic private schools have to teach evolution.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Is this really possible that US public schools have to teach religious topics like Creationism?<< Depends on which backwards state you have the misfortune of living in.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Is this really possible that US public schools have to teach religious topics like Creationism? Over here even the Catholic private schools have to teach evolution. >>> Good point. This is always portrayed as an "us vs them" issue, with the poor, put-upon Christians being trodden upon by the secular liberals. Check out this rhetoric from one of the candidates: "We teach kids in church on Sunday about Jesus. On school, on Monday, they can’t talk about Jesus. They must be confused. We have yielded to secular left. I believe we’ve been blessed by God as a nation. When it comes to creationism, not only should it be taught, it should be triumphed, it should be heralded." They act like they are speaking for all Christians. Yet, the largest denomination, the Roman Catholic Church, believes in and teaches evolution. And, if you go down the list, quite a few Protestant denominations believe in things like evolution and science and don't find that they are in conflict with their religious beliefs. It's only a very narrow (in terms of both numbers and thinking) but vocal group of people that are all bent out of shape over things like Creationism in the public schools.
Originally Posted By EdisYoda It's part of the "Don't tell me what to believe in, I'll tell you what to believe in!" mentality.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I don't live in Texas, but I am a proud mom. My daughter just took a standardized fourth grade Math test, and placed in the 93rd precentile based on the national fourth grader average. Take that Texas!
