When the seemingly pointless matters

I came across a story about algebra, published in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008. The story talked about a push to place more emphasis in middle school on the difficult math subject. The reporter Jill Tucker interviewed Keith Devlin, Stanford University researcher and mathematics professor, as well as the "Math Guy" on National Public Radio. He said that many people learn algebra as a set of rules, similar to learning a foreign language. He suggested the idea of a mathematician-in-residence, who could show middle and high school students the relevance of algebra to their lives, such as playing music on an MP3 player or iPod. The story won an award from the National Education Writers Association.

I did well in algebra in school, but it was always a tough subject. It didn't help that I had the class in the afternoon, after lunch when I really wanted a nap.

As a reporter, I am often intrigued when I understand the relevance of a topic I thought was boring in school to everyday life. I'd be interested to know about those classes or subjects that have become essential to your life or your job but made you groan in high school.

And here's the San Francisco Chronicle story if you are interested: http://bit.ly/8d4AdE.