Math is a boon
Jenny C
"Math is a boon and learning is always fun if taken in the right
spirit."
Someone left that on my blog. Anonymous said more than that, and the
rest was worse. I absolutely disagree with the assertion that math is a
boon, or that ANY learning is a boon. I'm not sure what they meant by
"the right spirit", but I can only assume based on the rest of the
comment that they meant that learning is fun if the student goes into a
classroom with a positive attitude.
I found these 2 definitions of the word boon:
A benefit bestowed, especially one bestowed in response to a request.
and
A general term that refers to a benefit or improvement for investors.
This can include such things as increased dividends, a stock market
rally and stock buybacks.
In either case though, I don't think math is a boon, or that any kind of
"teaching" is a boon, or that learning should be.
Learning about math shouldn't be a benefit for future investors, or
future employees, learning about math is inevitable if math is all
around us, defining the universe and the order around us. I really
really don't believe that any learning can be bestowed onto someone in
response to a request. Teachers truly believe that they can request a
student to learn and impart all their teacherly knowledge onto a student
and that it's truly a gift of the highest order of gifting, after all,
we do spend billions of dollars to "gift" upon students, in the form of
teachers and schools and math textbooks.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
spirit."
Someone left that on my blog. Anonymous said more than that, and the
rest was worse. I absolutely disagree with the assertion that math is a
boon, or that ANY learning is a boon. I'm not sure what they meant by
"the right spirit", but I can only assume based on the rest of the
comment that they meant that learning is fun if the student goes into a
classroom with a positive attitude.
I found these 2 definitions of the word boon:
A benefit bestowed, especially one bestowed in response to a request.
and
A general term that refers to a benefit or improvement for investors.
This can include such things as increased dividends, a stock market
rally and stock buybacks.
In either case though, I don't think math is a boon, or that any kind of
"teaching" is a boon, or that learning should be.
Learning about math shouldn't be a benefit for future investors, or
future employees, learning about math is inevitable if math is all
around us, defining the universe and the order around us. I really
really don't believe that any learning can be bestowed onto someone in
response to a request. Teachers truly believe that they can request a
student to learn and impart all their teacherly knowledge onto a student
and that it's truly a gift of the highest order of gifting, after all,
we do spend billions of dollars to "gift" upon students, in the form of
teachers and schools and math textbooks.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
I have been hearing my dad say that kind of thing lately about reading. He
thinks that if Karl could read (the sooner the better seems to be his idea)
then his education would be set!
I had half a mind to ask how blind people could possibly learn anything
before learning Braille. How do deaf/blind people figure out anything before
they can read? Surely someone could be there reading for them and talking
about all kinds of things! Same for Karl, who is not yet fluent at reading.
He's very fluent about lots of other things and he's learning tons of stuff
-- all without being able to read yet.
Incidentally, while watching a Godzilla movie (Tokyo S.O.S.) on Netflix and
thinking about how bodies work, Karl just now said "if we didn't have any
bones, we would be a puddle of skin." It's as if he's always proving to me
that he's taking in so much about what's around him, seamlessly, that
there's no way I'll even be able to record it or keep up with it. Only a
fraction that he's doing comes to my notice.
~Katherine
thinks that if Karl could read (the sooner the better seems to be his idea)
then his education would be set!
I had half a mind to ask how blind people could possibly learn anything
before learning Braille. How do deaf/blind people figure out anything before
they can read? Surely someone could be there reading for them and talking
about all kinds of things! Same for Karl, who is not yet fluent at reading.
He's very fluent about lots of other things and he's learning tons of stuff
-- all without being able to read yet.
Incidentally, while watching a Godzilla movie (Tokyo S.O.S.) on Netflix and
thinking about how bodies work, Karl just now said "if we didn't have any
bones, we would be a puddle of skin." It's as if he's always proving to me
that he's taking in so much about what's around him, seamlessly, that
there's no way I'll even be able to record it or keep up with it. Only a
fraction that he's doing comes to my notice.
~Katherine
On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 3:22 PM, Jenny C <jenstarc4@...> wrote:
> "Math is a boon and learning is always fun if taken in the right
> spirit."
> Someone left that on my blog. Anonymous said more than that, and the
> rest was worse. I absolutely disagree with the assertion that math is a
> boon, or that ANY learning is a boon. I'm not sure what they meant by
> "the right spirit", but I can only assume based on the rest of the
> comment that they meant that learning is fun if the student goes into a
> classroom with a positive attitude.
> I found these 2 definitions of the word boon:
> A benefit bestowed, especially one bestowed in response to a request.
> and
> A general term that refers to a benefit or improvement for investors.
> This can include such things as increased dividends, a stock market
> rally and stock buybacks.
> In either case though, I don't think math is a boon, or that any kind of
> "teaching" is a boon, or that learning should be.
> Learning about math shouldn't be a benefit for future investors, or
> future employees, learning about math is inevitable if math is all
> around us, defining the universe and the order around us. I really
> really don't believe that any learning can be bestowed onto someone in
> response to a request. Teachers truly believe that they can request a
> student to learn and impart all their teacherly knowledge onto a student
> and that it's truly a gift of the highest order of gifting, after all,
> we do spend billions of dollars to "gift" upon students, in the form of
> teachers and schools and math textbooks.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
plaidpanties666
Math could be considered a "boon" of our human brains, like language, but its certainly not bestowed by any human agency. And learning is frequently fun, if the spirit isn't sucked out of it by too much bestowing.
Probably the ickiest part is the implication that kids who dislike being taught need to change their attitudes. That, along with the idea that any kid can do well in school "if they apply themselves" are two of the most damaging preconceptions one can have wrt learning. Bleh.
---Meredith
Probably the ickiest part is the implication that kids who dislike being taught need to change their attitudes. That, along with the idea that any kid can do well in school "if they apply themselves" are two of the most damaging preconceptions one can have wrt learning. Bleh.
---Meredith
--- In [email protected], "Jenny C" <jenstarc4@...> wrote:
>
> "Math is a boon and learning is always fun if taken in the right
> spirit."
> Someone left that on my blog.
Sandra Dodd
-=-I had half a mind to ask how blind people could possibly learn
anything
before learning Braille. How do deaf/blind people figure out anything
before
they can read? -=-
Holly's example was Shirley Temple, who was acting in movies long
before she could read scripts.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
anything
before learning Braille. How do deaf/blind people figure out anything
before
they can read? -=-
Holly's example was Shirley Temple, who was acting in movies long
before she could read scripts.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]