FURIOUS with Gove's maths comments

[BusterGut]

The man is a total twat.
He is so out of touch, he must be living on Mars.

Bloody 'pre-algebra' - that's missing no. sums in Y2.
Bloody 'maths every day' - who doesn't?
Bloody teaching maths till 18 ????????? (Pity the sec sch maths teachers)

GGrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
(I've written to the slimy little toad. Anyone else going to join me?

Moondog, I have read Dalrymple, but I don't think he sees the irony of insisting the poor are the authors of their own misfortune while at the same time insisting that it is namby pamby liberalism that has done them in. Some good points though. (His book on sentimentalism had me nodding in agreement frequently.)

However, I agree with your views expressed here wrt maths.

I went through school in Ireland, where maths is compulsory all the way through (required for matriculation into the majority of third level ed), and some of my DCs went through school in the US, where it is a core subject and everyone does it at some level. If you go to university there, you do maths at least for one year, no matter what you end up studying with a career in mind. Even with a curriculum that didn't shy away from mandating core subjects in both places, it was the students with parents who were involved who succeeded imo.

Neither the US nor Ireland are world leaders in maths, but at least they are trying.

Maths is vital, and not just because you will specifically need calculus some time in our life as a SAHM or whatever you end up doing. Maths is taught in order to train a brain to think.

The quality and quantity of teaching should be improved at all levels.

I think he sees it as a toxic combination of both-self indulgence and learned helplessness, combined with a well meaning but ultimately disenabling liberal left wing intelligentsia, atoning for perceived class crimes of the past.

Yes, my family on the continent are grappling with maths and science well into teens.
Excellent.