The Punishment of Delay

As President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address tonight, he will presumably focus on the economic issues plaguing the nation. He will undoubtably mention the positive economic figures on unemployment and homeowner debt, and state that we're doing well. He'll also remind everyone that despite our progress, there's still more work to be done. Meanwhile, the Republican presidential hopefuls are campaigning in Florida, creating potentially eloquent speeches about how Obama is doing the completely wrong thing, and how if they're elected, they will work to undo many of his major achievements. They promise to cut taxes and spending, and get rid of the health care plan Democrats railroaded through Congress in 2010.

At this point, with conservatives in Congress railing against stimulus and tax increases and Democrats going all 'Occupy Wall Street' and railing for increased taxes on Americans in the highest income bracket, it is unlikely much will be done until the next Congressional election season. At this time, all the Tea Party senators and representatives come up for reelection. With approval ratings for Congress at an all time low, it seems that their reelection hopes are unlikely to come to pass.

Until then, we cannot have a stalemate. Extreme right-wing conservatives will oppose any liberal plan violently. It is at this time when we must rely on the public to tell what is right. It is beyond unlikely that a plan composed only of increased stimulus and tax raises on the wealthy will pass, but the same can be said of the conservative fantasy: a bill full of tax and spending cuts.

At this time, our best hope is to aim for a middle of the road compromise. The general member of the public would greatly prefer any sort of action at all to a political impasse. While it would hurt President Obama's liberal credentials to compromise, he would garner votes from some moderate Republicans if he successfully passed a bill involving a bit of everything - a small tax raise on the wealthy, a cut for other wage groups, increased spending in some areas and decreased spending in others.

Nothing can, or will, happen if the two sides stand off over every possible economic issue. There are enough conservatives in Congress who could come to the middle, and it seems likely that with some work, Obama could get the support of most every liberal.

Tonight, when Obama enters the room packed with the press and members of Congress, let us hope that he suggests compromise, and goes down in history as a president who successfully overcame a political stalemate and helped to bring a struggling economy out of a recession. For at the end of the day, it does seem that even a reasoned, wrong decision may be better than no decision. After all, members of Congress are elected to make decisions. It's time for them to start.

Understanding Math

At my local public high school, math classes primarily consist of algebra and geometry, with a few exceptions. The students who took algebra in the eighth grade take calculus in their senior year. Also, every student takes precalculus, which comprises topics in algebra, number theory and probability. Yet, a friend of mine who teaches high level geometry and calculus at the school frequently talks about how his calculus students cannot expand polynomials, such as (a+b) cubed. He has mentioned geometry students that can't find the slope of a line, or solve a quadratic equation, two things that are typically taught in algebra one.
Despite countless hours spent in math classes, students seem to lose their grasp on the basics, which makes understand advanced concepts even more difficult.

Why is this? I believe that the problem originates not in the difficulty of the material being taught, but in comprehension of the basics. For example, to understand algebra, you need a firm understanding of the fundamentals, such as simplification of equations. What are you doing when you simplify an equation? Students are frequently told to memorize something like, 'Isolate the variable'. To students, what does that really mean? I think that many students who have trouble in high school remember the phrase 'isolate the variable', but not why. Sure, isolating the variable is understandable when you're solving one variable, linear equations such as 4x+5 = 17, but the whole concept changes when you need to isolate the 'x' in 3xy + 4x = 5. This lack of understanding appears in many topics, such as factoring, the quadratic equation and coordinate geometry.

To solve this problem, I think that one year of math in middle school should be devoted to number theory and probability topics - both of which are heavily applicable in real life. For example, understanding the likelihood of winning the lottery. The basics of algebra, and to some extent, geometry, can then be taught in the same fashion. If you use math skills in a real world situation, they will probably be retained longer. In addition, most students won't go on to pursue a math related career or degree. Why not teach them general math skills that will be useful in daily happenings?

Another thing to remember is that everyone learns differently. Drawing graphs, equations and symbols on a whiteboard will work for some, and those are the students who excel in high school math and pass calculus with an A. For others, demonstrations or even hands-on work could make the topic 'click'. While it's hard to demonstrate the quadratic equation, it's always important to remember to explain it in as many different ways as necessary.

As a final point, I have to protest teaching calculus to advanced seniors. While it is a fascinating topic to some, and has many applications, most students will never find a derivative or a limit again. Instead, why not delve into advanced algebra, number theory or any other more applicable topic? Any senior who enters a math related field will take three or more semesters of calculus in college, and many, if not most, colleges will not give the student credit for any high school calculus.

While I'm targeting a single high school, I think many other public schools have these same problems. Fixing them would only require a change in curriculum, and it could result in a huge change for the better.  With the growing importance of math and science education, it could be vital to America's continued production of talented scientists, economists and entrepreneurs. 

The Coming of the New Year: The Pressing Issue of 2012

Sunday marks the start of a new year of chances for America. In it, we hope for the recovery of the economy, a severe drop in unemployment, the resolution of the Syrian uprisings and an end to the European debt crisis, among many other pressing national and international matters. It is unlikely they will all be resolved; perhaps only a few will. Despite all of our concerns, there is one national issue which hasn't been in the spotlight for many years now: education.

You might say that the economy, unemployment or the stifling debt of the nation are all more important than education. I strongly disagree. America's position in the world is decaying, however slowly, and while we're still on top in terms of GDP, we may not hold that position for long. We need to ensure our dominance in the fields of the future. The only way to do this is to ensure the adults of the future, namely the kids of today, are readily prepared for the pressing challenges that they will be faced with, because we won't fix them all. Even climate change alone is a depressingly large task, and we have barely started to curb our emissions as a nation.

My solution? Make 2012 a year of education reform. Get America out of the middle of the pack for math, science and English education, and start preparing the next generation for the challenges of tomorrow. This is certainly not an easy job - no number of education professionals will be able to solve it perfectly the first time around. But we have examples, and glaring problems.

Singapore, Hong Kong (China) and Finland all dominated on recent international PISA tests. There are consistencies between them - the fact that education is a national priority, for example. In Singapore, education is treated as part of the economy, rather than part of social services. There's a good reason to treat it like such - the next generation of educated tech professionals is as much a part of the economy as Wall Street is, since they will create the next generation of startups and fill the upcoming technological jobs.

China is a bit tougher on education - Amy Chua's 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother' gives a fascinating insight into traditional Chinese parenting, where teachers hold an honorary position in society. To Chinese kids, disappointing your teacher is a matter of family concern. In Finland, like China, teaching holds a high position in society. A high percentage of their college graduates go on to become teachers, and it is considered a very good career choice. They are on a higher pay scale, and are well respected.

The examples from these three countries alone provide America with several starting points, but there are numerous other examples which can be found simply by browsing through the New York Times or reading the new book by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, 'That Used to Be Us'. The details are not as important as the overall culture though - education currently is being 'swept under the rug', when it comes to debates about national priorities. It's our job to pull it back out.

In 2012, America needs to undergo another Sputnik moment, this time for education. This time, however, it won't just be Russia surpassing us, it will be much of the industrialized world.