Why is it that math geeks are considered squares? That is, why is the straight-A math student considered Mr. Un-popular in school? It's funny how twisted things are in life. The cool kids in school are the ones smoking pot and cigarettes, perhaps taking other illegal substances, having sex with other students, and getting into at least one fight per quarter. Meanwhile, the straight-A kids are considered geeks, even though they are the ones that will build the country, write the future laws, and find the cures for the most vicious diseases that affect us all today.
With the world in such a chaotic state today, with morals decaying faster than you can say "moral turpitude," and with parents writhing at the thought of coping with their soon-to-be teenage son or daughter, it is no wonder that people of this generation are asking why things are so different from only two decades ago. Well the answer is not too hard to find once we know where to look.
One thing we need to do is examine the priorities in our culture. If you read my article "20/20 Speaks out about Education in America" then you can understand why a small seemingly insignificant country like Belgium could be excelling in education while America is lagging behind. In Belgium, math geeks are extolled--not vilified as some depraved life form. Our youth has distorted values and they worship figures in our culture who really should be given a lesser place within the hierarchy of worship. Now really should gangster rap stars be lauded as saviors of society? Hardly.
Unfortunately, a steady diet of MTV and the internet teaches children from an early age on, to worship such individuals and to give them role model status. (Hey parents, have you noticed the changes in your children's language over the years? Does it contain a lot of cursing? Well, try listening to a gangster rap song and then you'll know why. And rappers, don't give me that stuff that you're just talking about your life and reality. Come now. Don't you see what you're doing to the kids?)
Now take some fame, a couple hundred million dollars, clothing lines and other businesses to boot, and you have a ghetto kid thinking because he made it big in rap that he is a yardstick to be measured by. (And hey this observation does not go out to rap music only; such applies to other genres of music that are poisoning our kids' minds.) Do I believe that freedom of speech should be curtailed. No. Absolutely not. But I think we need to realign how we think about such moral decay in our youth, for they are our future.
Let's teach our children from early on that the math geeks and such should be lauded, for on their shoulders our very future rests. Let us adjust what our perceptions are on "cool," and "popular" and let us teach our children that straight-A's are cool and that pulling poor grades, smoking pot and cigarettes, and taking drugs are uncool. This could be the difference between a bright future and a dismal one. Heck, I'm already disappointed with the world I live in. Let's not make it any worse. Speak up on this issue. Don't be the silent minority, be the loud majority. God bless.
See more at Math by Joe
Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Under the penname, JC Page, Joe authored Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC’s of arithmetic. Joe is also author of the charming self-help ebook, Making a Good Impression Every Time: The Secret to Instant Popularity; the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)—particularly in regard to its educational flavor— continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.
Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to http://www.mathbyjoe.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment