<p>Math is really poorly taught here in the US (most of the time! I can’t speak for everyone, but I had a lot of really bad math teachers). </p>
<p>I agree with the ideas that 1) schools need to create higher thresholds for passing the class. I essentially got straight B’s in math, but always passed, even though I probably didn’t have that great a grasp on the material; and 2) that tracks are important. I felt that my school lacked enough options below a certain point, and they’ve cut that number back even further. </p>
<p>Everything was fine for me in math until I hit 8th grade Algebra. I managed to pull through with a B and maybe even an A? I don’t remember, but they sent me on to Geometry. Terrible idea! I barely understood Algebra, but I did my homework and managed to pass the tests. That doesn’t mean that I deserved to take Geometry. Things got much harder from there, and by the time I was a junior, I had to take something beyond Algebra II, so I took a Stats class. I actually got an A in there, but then we moved onto some non-statistics material and I began to do badly again. I gave up on math after junior year. If my school had more options for math, I probably would have taken math in senior year. </p>
<p>Also, sometimes, the options need to be more varied. I, for instance, would have loved a business class or something in the “practical math” vein once I finished Trigonometry. Let’s face it: at a certain point, you know if you’re capable of the heavy-duty math or not, and I am definitely not. But I still have plenty to learn about applying math to my day-to-day life, and I’m sorry my high school didn’t have those kinds of options. Instead, it was all about pushing as many people as possible into Calculus. :/</p>