Isn't that the point of math? That there are rules?

There are rules about how numbers work, but they're looking for rules like "If you're given this type of problem, then follow these steps, and you'll get the answer." And that works for arithmetic, but when doing optimization problems (like the ones here: [link] ) there's no set of rules where you can read through every one of those problems, pick out the numbers, and plug them into some algorithm. You have to actually look at each problem, draw a picture, look at the picture you've drawn, figure out what the problem is asking for, and figure out how to find it.

. . . story problems . . .

That would be a great Halloween costume, a placard reading "A car leaves City 1 at 2 PM going 40 mph" etc.

He's promised me if they won't change his seat when he gets to the airport, he will refuse to fly and come right home. I just hope he will actually do so.

Eek. I hope it goes OK, either way.

I got a migraine Sunday night, and I think I managed to get rid of it today by going to the chiropractor. I really need to remember this next time I get a multi-day migraine.

But I am really sorry. It's so stressful and humiliating. And I just felt so fucking stupid. But we're not stupid. It's OK. We're still people who have love in our lives and that's the most important thing (my mantra for several years of house owning awfulness).

What Nora said so well. I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. May it be history soon.

Yay chiropractor! Love when things work.

Both of y'all, along with tens of thousands of other people, made reasonable decisions based on the information you had. The only thing you should beat yourselves up for is your failure to build a time machine.

When I was in high school, a teacher told us there's two types of math students--those who memorize everything and those who develop a real understanding of what's being taught. He said as math classes get more difficult in college, there's a point where the "memorize everything" technique just stops working and those students who use it can advance no further.

When I was in high school, a teacher told us there's two types of math students--those who memorize everything and those who develop a real understanding of what's being taught. He said as math classes get more difficult in college, there's a point where the "memorize everything" technique just stops working and those students who use it can advance no further.

Yeah. At the point where I'm teaching, "memorize everything" will still get them a B if they're really good at memorizing stuff.

Jason got an aisle seat and he is off to faraway lands. Whew!

I totally freaked out my students today by saying, "There isn't any rule or set of steps to follow here. You just have to look at each individual problem and figure out what's happening."

As far as I can tell, this is now also true of the math my daughter is being taught. Concepts are implied, but no formulas are given. Children are expected to intuit and/or reason out mathematical concepts and are not given formulas beforehand to plug into the problems and figure out the answer.