[Mid] OT--Math Bashing

On Tue, 21 Dec 1999, Melanie Johnson wrote:

}That sucks. This is exactly what I am afraid of. And I KNOW I would be
}really good with kids too. An instructor from my child
}development/observation classes told me I was one of the best writers she'd
}ever seen in applying theories to explain what I was seeing in the
}classroom. A lot of people go through the program. I trust her opinion.
}And I don't WANT to do something else. The irony is that I don't NEED
}algebra to work with babies-it's just a university thing. Go figure.
}Siobhan

I went through a statistics class for my psychology degree. My overwhelming
impression was that fear, not ignorance, was what held people (invariably
women) back.

Did you know that the supposed superiority of men over women when it comes
to numbers only shows up in middle school--and that it's also been shown
that middle school is the period when teachers start treating boys better
than girls? The whole idea that girls are bad at math is a good example of
an unconscious conspiracy--a bunch of people who are unintentionally
doing things that help keep men in better jobs and higher social positions
than women.

I don't know you, but I guarantee that you can pass a course in basic
algebra. Don't be afraid of the math class--be pissed off at it!

Alan

From: Alan Terlep <atterlep@oakland.edu>
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Received on Tue Dec 21 13:33:57 1999