Exploits of Tutoring "old math" in the "New Math" World

It's probably been 12 years since I've tutored anyone in Mathematics. Let me tell you, times have changed.


The good news, is that there are beautifully new ways to look at math, now that computers are there to do our bidding; that leaves us humans with more time to do solve problems by thinking creatively. 
Mathematicians now approach the same old problems in new ways that blend supreme levels of computing with ingenious techniques, but from completely new perspectives. 

There literally is, a new math for me to learn.

But, oh the bad news.


When I see the way that my beloved Mathematics is being taught, I am appalled. 

Teachers seem to be teaching the subject of Mathematics in a piecemeal way, as if you could teach the entire subject of English by giving each student only two books: one with only verbs, and one with only nouns.  In this way, Trigonometry and Geometry have been pulled from Algebra. But let's remember that it's not just the textbooks, it's the curriculum of the school system, that is currently in disrepair.  So it's not just two books, but two entire separate courses (one on verbs, the other on nouns) that are taught, and not concurrently. 
 In Community Colleges, students are given a course in nouns, and then told that if they want to study verbs, they'll have to go elsewhere.
But they can test out of adjectives completely.
BTW, in this scenario, grammar is an advanced course and rarely taken (much like Calculus).


And quite frankly, the language of the textbooks nowadays is about as exciting as a barren wasteland with no road. No wonder everybody hates Math nowadays. I would too.

These students are given no cohesive way of connecting the dots in Mathematics, in such way that it leads to logic, and critical thinking. A Math course should lead students along a certain mathematically logical journey that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  If we're lucky, the teacher will make some real world connections, and give some motivation about why that's interesting. In other words, the teacher, as your tour guide, is responsible for making your Math journey interesting. Or not.

I've heard a few people say that they're not fond of Math, or that they're bad at math, or that math is hard.  I asked, in return "Who told you that?" Usually, the answer is, a Math teacher said that. Some Math-ey person in authority somewhere in their past, told them that "Math is hard" or that "some people just aren't cut out for Math."

What nonsense. What hubris on the teacher's part. 
Math is easy. 
Your Math teacher just didn't know how to teach well, or make it interesting.
Yeah, I just said that.


Proof to follow.