Maths?

I think school method of teaching - inspires a few likewise puts off learning for a similar number and others get by

Maths & Science seemed my go to subjects in secondary school in the 80s. But school didn't inspire me, although I had one teacher who taught Geometric & Engineering Drawing (old fashioned as it was then on drawing board - aka drafting table) .  I think that just latched into my visual thinking and so I left at 16  and got an apprentice job in an engineers office, and studied part-time whilst working and switched to a full-time Masters Degree.  

But that was me and my spiky profile which meant english, arts, languages I found difficult, or as school put it on all my reports for 5 years "lacks effort","lacks concentration/focus","easily distracted", or that my attitude of excelling at certain subjects early on was "narrow minded" - gosh would teachers (form tutor, head of year and headmaster) write this stuff now or think  what's going on ?  I don't know

We should try to show useful maths -  where you can use it in life, like budgets/finances, running a business or understanding business, there's a million more reasons I expect.  And show that learning is life-long

Sorry for the ramble.

I fully agree that learning is for life. 

I failed maths and most subjects at school because ‘I lacked effort, concentration, focus and so on’. School report were littered with comments such as ‘could do better’, ‘if she would apply herself …’ ‘lazy’, ‘capable but won’t apply herself’. Autism wasn’t recognised when I was at school and looking back I can see that my difficulties were due to being autistic and not understanding what was required of me. 

i returned to study later in life and passed GCSE maths plus higher level qualifications. Age is no barrier to education.

Golly those comments ar ethe story of my school reports, it was always could do better, I often wished we could write reports on the teachers!

Autism wasn't recognised when I was at school either, I don't know if my inability goes back to my first maths lesson where the teacher said she'd smack anyone who got it wrong, but she spent ages explaining why 2x2=4, she went on for long that although I thought I'd got it the first time, I thought I must be wrong or she wouldn't of been going on about for so long, so I was the only one who got it wrong and was the only one smacked? But then I never got any maths from that say forwards. 

The only thing I know algebra, is that it was named after an Arabian mathmetician. I never understood it, not even nearly and fractions??? Just as bad, I was so angry when I was told during my access course that a quarter add a quarter wasn't half, that in fractions its all backwards, why did nobody tell me this before?

I'm glad that people are now being taught maths that actually helps them with everyday life, in my day it was all railway timetables, my interest in that could of been writen in fractions.

Pegg, what happened to you seems just so typical of my experience of schools, it seems like the most important thing they think they have to do as an educational establishment is put you down and squash any confidence you may ever have had. I think it goes along with a prospectus that says it will encourage individuality, only to insist that you all look the same by wearing a very expensive uniform and not to let the school down. I think the other name for that sort of thing is square bashing.

School reports nowadays tend to be full of positive feedback and constructive criticism. I know some people would say children need to be resilient and some are against today’s style of report writing. Yet the evidence of lasting harm from our experience of school report criticism is overwhelming. The negative messaging has stuck in our brains. 

School reports nowadays tend to be full of positive feedback and constructive criticism. I know some people would say children need to be resilient and some are against today’s style of report writing. Yet the evidence of lasting harm from our experience of school report criticism is overwhelming. The negative messaging has stuck in our brains.