Ch. 1

I do agree that math is used in everyday life and that society needs all of it's members to be able to problem solve in everyday life. I do think that the basic needs of society is a starting point of knowing how advanced to educate citizens.  However, we live in a fast changing world that is rapidly advancing in technology. We do not know what jobs will be available in five, ten or twenty years from now. It is important for everyone to have as much knowledge and technological experience as possible in today's age. The needs of society seem to be changing and updating every year. It is interesting to look back in past to see the pattern of what was considered the standard of basics to be taught in school. In the 1970's the minimal competency movement stressed the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division which included whole numbers and fractions. Today, and even in the 1970's, advanced technology had been developed that does these calculations in a matter of seconds. I find it disappointing that only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were the basics of what was taught in schools. I am pleased that this has changed and society has not fallen back into the pattern of stressing only the basics, and instead we are expanding.