Re: [MATHEDCC] Re: AA without Math Requirement

John M. Flanigan (johnf@HAWAII.EDU)
Fri, 2 Oct 1998 13:59:51 -1000

I wonder if the same feeling of compassion would obtain for a student who
had "reading anxiety." Should we contemplate allowing such a student to
substitute for classes that require an ability to read? Of course, there
should be developmental paths for such a student, but when the public sees
someone with some kind of degree, there is a certain expectation attached
to that person--that they have at least minimal competencies in certain
things, like reading, math, history, etc. If we modify the definition of
the degree too greatly, the degree itself will lose value as a tool of
communication.

It seems to me that the "elitist" attitude is that which values a person
with a degree more highly than others with equally valuable attributes.

John M. Flanigan <johnf@hawaii.edu> The equation is the final arbiter.
Assistant Professor, Mathematics --Werner Heisenberg
Kapi'olani Community College The scoreboard is the final arbiter.
Honolulu, Hawaii --Bill Walton

On Fri, 2 Oct 1998, Cynthia Glickman wrote:

> Helen,
>
> This does not seem elitist at all. I live in Las Vegas, a town where many
> casino employees do not have college degree and earn MUCH more than your average
> teacher. I believe we all have talents and strengths and those are what we need
> to focus on in our career choices. If you look at many professional careers
> requiring a degree, in general, they also require critical thinking skills and
> logic. These skills may come from other subjects, but.. mainly are developed in
> mathematics.
>
> ????
> Cynthia
>
> Helen Burn wrote:
>
> > Abe:
> >
> > You mention that "there are always exceptions." The opinions of most
> > other responders (a decidedly biased sample, I suspect) is that there are
> > no exceptions. The situation I'm grappling with
> > is the one
> > student you run into every two or three years who is now flunking their
> > intermediate algebra for the third time, and they're enrolled in this
> > class after taking the previous class three times and finally passing with
> > a 0.7. Yet the student is receiving 3.0-4.0 in their other subject
> > matters. What to do? Should they be precluded from having an AA and
> > going on? The response of: "Go be a plumber" seems elitist to me.
> >
> > Helen Burn
> > Highline Community College
> > Seattle, WA
> >
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