My name is Horatio Cornblower, and I am curious about your opinions

[Thanatos]

So I don't know if anybody remembers this, but a while ago I said I was gonna be a high school teacher.  Some people said "Jesus that's a bad idea" and some people said "Hooray!"  I assume the latter group didn't know me that well.

Anyway, I did it, I just finished my first year as a teacher, and now I'm about to go into my second.  I'm working on my master's in education, and I have to write SO MANY PAPERS. 

My master's program is so politically correct that it's kinda racist.  I just finished a paper on "non-Western contributions to discrete mathematics."  I'm about to started a paper on "non-Western contributions to measurement systems."  P.S., it specifically says in the assignments that Western means "USA OR BRITAIN."

I find it kind of annoying.  Respect your audience, graduate program.  If someone asked me about historic mathematicians, although they exist, I would not default to British.  And I certainly wouldn't default to American; I don't think there have even been any American mathematicians!   Jefferson was a hack and Franklin was a fucking hedonist, and both of them were capitalists before anything else!

But hey, I cannot be trusted to be not-racist, so thank god my graduate program is making me read about the history of math.  I don't really like to read, so.  You know.  Huge thumbs up. 

[Turjan]

Thanatos...the high school teacher? 

Man, I'm having trouble wrapping my head round that image, lol
Bizarrely though, I suspect that behind the self-deprecation, there lurks an extremely competent teaching fellow. Radical perhaps, unconventional certainly, but most worthy I'd say. Well done indeed!

So, non-western contributions to measurement systems...hmm...if you like, you can exclude the British (as instructed) and still give them a tangential mention to annoy your paper's creators. Do this simply by referencing Longitude and saying how the French went all pouty when their "Bureau des Longitudes" attempt to steal control of the world's seas from the English failed, and their gallic metric temporal scheme sank without trace

[BlueCross]

If someone asked me about historic mathematicians, although they exist, I would not default to British.  And I certainly wouldn't default to American; I don't think there have even been any American mathematicians!

Well...

Sadly true.

But hey, our 'American' history only goes back to 1776!   Everyone else had a super head start.

Britain at least had Turing.  We had... uh... er...  Grace Hopper?

[KMD]

Congrats bro, I remember you talking about this a while ago. Its nice to hear of people doing what they want to as a career. Just try to recognize if you become a bad teacher.

[Jester]

Congrats Thanatos.

[Hoopy Frood]

If someone asked me about historic mathematicians, although they exist, I would not default to British.  And I certainly wouldn't default to American; I don't think there have even been any American mathematicians!

Well...

Sadly true.

But hey, our 'American' history only goes back to 1776!   Everyone else had a super head start.

Britain at least had Turing.  We had... uh... er...  Grace Hopper?

We've actually had a few, but many were born (and educated) outside the U.S. and naturalized later.

I'll throw out Charles Sanders Peirce, though.

[Thanatos]

Peirce was a smart guy, but he wasn't really a mathematician.  Logic and mathematics are hella related but they're seriously not the same field.  I respect the motherfucker because he basically cleaved boolean algebra into existence with the machete of logic, but I don't know if he even knew what an integer is.  He did some stuff with statistics but that isn't really mathematics either. Logic and math: frequently related, but correlation does not imply causation.

[Thanatos]

Thanatos...the high school teacher? 
Man, I'm having trouble wrapping my head round that image, lol
Bizarrely though, I suspect that behind the self-deprecation, there lurks an extremely competent teaching fellow. Radical perhaps, unconventional certainly, but most worthy I'd say. Well done indeed!

I mean, that was my first year.  In American public high schools right now, the most important thing is to pass the SOL, which is a standardized test that stems from the "No Child Left Behind" act.  I have a whole speech about that that I will bring up later if anyone asks, but the point is, in American education right now, there are three standards of self-judgement:

Feedback from your students
Feedback from yourself
Feedback from your school (aka how many kids passed the SOL).

My SOLS went fine, I was a first year teacher so I was mainly teaching geometry.  Obviously, because I'm me, I had the best pass rates for geometry.  Next year I'm doing mainly algebra 2.  Hooray, promotion!

I got emails from several students about math and how they were more interested in it now and how I helped them and some bullshit.  I'm not gonna go into the specifics, but I had a girl who failed math for the last two years, and this year she got a Pass (Advanced) on the federal standardized test, and I think her mom may have orgasmed.

The mom sent me a really nice email about how the daughter was enthusiastic about her goal to become a scientist again after several years of being depressed.  I mean, that girl didn't need me, she had talent, I don't understand why her previous teachers were such douchebags.  Her 7th and 8th grade teachers claimed she wasn't good at math?  I talked to her for six seconds and it was clear that she was just nervous so I left her alone except when I ASSAULTED HER IN FRONY OF THE CLASS WITH A DEMAND TO ANSWER A MATH PROBLEM.

Seriously, being a teacher is fun.  Best part is that at the very beginning of the year the girl's mom emailed me to make sure I was professional and I was looking out for the girl's best interests.  Just get out of my way, lady.

I sent the "My daughter loves math again!" email to my mom and my sisters.  I'm not gonna lie, I was really happy about it.  I mean, I'm talking about it now.  Obviously I'm a little proud.

But finally,

[KMD]

I know theres nothing you can do about it, but standardized testing is bullshit. Especially when they just let you take them on the computer; I had a couple of fuck up friends in high school who dropped out at at 17, went to an alternative school working with my high school, took easy tests on a computer for a couple hours a day and within 6 months had a diploma from my high school. I was pretty infuriated that i had to bust my ass for Another year.

Anyway, when all that matters is numbers on paper, we're no better than those drones in China who memorize facts but dont really understand them.

[TK]

Congrats man, good luck for the rest of it.

[Thanatos]

Anyway, when all that matters is numbers on paper, we're no better than those drones in China who memorize facts but dont really understand them.

Dude, I have some opinions about the Chinese educational system and all, but you know this is a global board with members from all over the world, right?  I mean, it used to be, I don't know what our demographics are like any more.  Anyway, uhm.  Maybe don't try to make an argument about social injustice while being insanely racist.

[TK]

Nah I'm sure he was referring to the fact that they're all commies.  Red red commies.

[BlueCross]

I used to be but changed my mind.  Their munchies sucked.