In high school maths you often find yourself sitting looking out the window at the physical ed. classes. My maths teacher strongly discourages this, saying that sport will get you nowhere in life while maths can.
My question is, what if i want to be a proffesional sports player, do i still have to take maths as a subject?
While speaking and arguing this point out with my teachers, some interesting points came across:
How do you know that you will suceed in your chosen area of sport? (how biased - how do you know that you will suceed in maths??)
If you do suceed, sometime or another you are going to want to get out. (i dont believe this, if i am happy and successful, shouldnât i keep my carrer?)
There are far more careers involving maths than there are involving sport. (while this may be true, maths is generally not the only subject you need, for example, a doctor needs three sciences, maths and preferably and english)
Math isnât just a subject, itâs a way of thinking: Rationally, step-by-step, and with a goal in mind. Itâs problem-solving, and it encourages breaking down problems into easier pieces. It is, in short, a fundamental life skill. Very few people âsucceedâ at math, and even the famous ones donât get rich at it, but all successful people use math, even if not directly. And youâre right, only rarely is math the only skill you need. But it is the foundation many other skills build on.
And, finally, how long do you think a professional sports player lasts? Most are gone before the age of 35, plenty with serious sports-related health problems that require expensive care. Only a few make enough money during their sports careers to cover costs after their sports careers.
And how are you going to count and manage all that money you make as a professional athlete? Are you going to simply trust a manager, accountant or lawyer?
Sports will get you somewhere in life. No, itâs not likely that youâll ever make any money from playing sports. But youâll learn teamwork and perserverance, which will help you in the business world (as well as in your personal life). Youâll increase your physical fitness, which also (IMHO) increases mental fitness. And itâs a heck of a lot of fun.
Either your teacherâs on crack, :eek: , or was punished if he got grass stains on her clothes, or you just misunderstood him. (Or her, as the case may be.)
As far as mathematics, well, I couldnât say it better than Derlethâs first paragraph. Even if itâs not fun for you (which I canât understand, unless you havenât been taught well, or unless theyâre trying to rush you through courses youâre not ready for yet), it will help you to avoid being gypped. For example, you go to buy a new car someday; youâll need to understand that 0% financing isnât a good deal if theyâre charging you 20% more for the vehicle than theyâd charge someone paying cash. Or, you go to buy some cool boarder shorts, and see the sign, â50% Off Sale!â with the smaller phrase, âBuy one and get the second for 50% offâ. If you donât see that youâre only getting 25% off, here, then, pay better attention to the lessons, is my advice.
Another Primate: i agree with you, but isnt it unlikely that i will get to my ultimate goal in sport?? I know ill need maths later in life, and its probably my best subject, but if i already know what i want to do, and it doesnât involve maths directly, why should i take it??
Maths is a great subject, even if my teacher makes it understated and boring. My favourite part is the problem solving. What i dont understand, is as a whole general subject, maths is understated, but what would happen if it was divided up into sections so i could specialise in the areas i want, instead of being bored in the easy parts??
ps. i always pay attention, but my objective is probably not the right one
You can play a sport in college and possibly go on to the professional level, if youâre good enough. You do this while majoring in the field of your choice. Math broadens your choices by increasing your intellectual self-confidence.
Many of my friends in college chose their major based upon the minimum required mathematics courses. I found this to be terribly sad - but from what Iâve seen, math phobias are common. Ignoring math now will severely limit your perceived options later on. And yes, advanced math will get very specific. You may never think itâs easy, but you wonât fear it if you develop a familiarity with it now.
Even if you choose a trade over college, math will serve you well. There are very few electricians, for example, that donât have at least a working understanding of trigonometry.
I have to respond to this because it mirrors my experience in public school math so perfectly. Iâm glad to see that you like problem-solving. Thatâs a very good way to boost your skills in logic, reasoning, and your mental self-confidence. If you can do problem-solving, you can do anything.
Donât let the classes wear you down, and donât confuse school with education. School is needed to get pieces of paper, like diplomas and transcripts. Education can be done on your own time (itâs more rewarding that way). See if your school library has books about maths just a bit more advanced than youâre in right now, like calculus if youâre in advanced algebra, and see how much of it you can understand. Learning on your own not only makes the tests easier :), it builds confidence and allows you to do the most important thing of all: Take your education into your own hands. If you can do that, well, nothing can stop the determined mind.
I see I completely failed to respond to the question. Sorry.
If people could pick their own classes, and learn at their own pace, school be much improved all around. Teachers could spend more time with the avereage and sub-average kids, who need it, and the above-avereage kids, who love to learn anyway (in my experience as an above-average person :)), could really accomplish something with their education. But our assembly-line schools would have to be overhauled, and nothing in the world is more potent than inertia, especially in the education system.
There are a lot more jobs using math than there are slots on professional sports teams. Do the math yourse⌠sorry.
But seriously, all but the best of the best of the BEST even reach the low end of professional sports. I know - Iâm a coach. I see a lot of kids who think theyâre really good, but the reality is that you probably have a better chance of being struck by lightning than making a living in pro sports.
**
Pro sports is tough on the body. Iâm not sure how long an average career is in say, football. But itâs usually not long. Not everybody is Cal Ripken, and can keep playing into their 40âs.
See my response to Question 1 above. But my answer to your parentheses is, âWhy not?â
How will it hurt you to learn math? Granted, one canât learn everything, and the trick is to pick wisely. But as others have pointed out in this thread, it is a way of thinking that will help you in other ways. Ways you may not yet be aware of.
Keep trying for the sports career. You may beat the odds. But have a backup plan. Chances are youâll need it, and it will likely involve having an education. That means you need math.
You gotta take all subjects because very few if any people know what they will be doing at the time those courses are offered - youâll need a crystal ball for that. Even if you do know what you want now, donât most people change careers several times over their lives(I think?)? And on a somwehat sadder note, not everybody gets to do what they want - many have to do something else because they:
a) canât afford the money or time to continue,
b) canât wonât go to where the jobs are (Canât study the rainforest if you live permanently in Canada)
c) arenât good enough to beat the competition from everyone else who wants to do the same thing
d) end up getting too many responsibilities to be able to follow that path (spouses and kids are the usual example)
e) take an easier/higher paying job cause they canât tough out the waiting and hoop-jumping to do what they really want.
etcâŚ
If (when)you want/need to do something new, it will be a real pain to go back and do 5 years worth of math or english just to meet the prerequisits. Better to just do them all now, so you donât narrow your options down that much. And hey - youâre stuck having to go to school every day until the semester is over anyway right? May as well have something to show for it on a transcript at the end of the year!
Dear aquasailor_musicmaker,
Well, I obviously misunderstood. I thought you disliked math because you were poor at it. Of course itâs unlikely youâll get to your ultimate goal in sport. But while itâs unlikely that anyone will, several do, and I believe in pursuing your dreams. So I didnât want to be discouraging. Effort followed by failure can teach you a lot, too.
So, letâs get to the brass tacks: What do you hope to do in life?
Still and all, my answer remains the same. Everyone needs math.
If you love problem-solving, then you are already way ahead on the math track. If you are bored, then perhaps you are being forced into easy classes. One of the reasons I loved math was that this and science were two subjects that were split up into tracks in my day, so I could study with kids two, three years older, and always be challenged. You could even go to summer school and take a condensed class to skip a year.
During my boring classes (English and history), I used to embroider wild stuff on jeans. Some teachers complained, but, Iâd protest to the guidance counselor that I was getting the best grades in the class, and otherwise, I was too bored to pay attention. Or maybe you could do what I do in the management meetings at my corporation (to me, the financials are a snoozer, since I have no effect on them): I see how far I can do primes. I do exponentials in my head, writing answers down as they get touch and then checking the math. I try to figure out how many hours old I am. I convert my weight (eek!) into kilograms.
And, now, one last thing, that I apologize for if Iâm wrong: Iâm wondering if you really are a high school kid, or just someone trying to spoof us. Youâve really flipped positions from your first post.
I suggest you go to your counselor at school, and ask him if, with some tutoring, you could jump to a more challenging class. Nothing worse than being bored!
Sue, trying to be encouraging, but wishing youâd preview your posts, pretending you were someone else and seeing if what youâve written is clear.
Look; exercising your brain isnât much different from exercising your muscles. Saying you donât meed math because youâre not going to use it directly is exactly the same as saying âIâm not going to get any benefit out of lifting weights, because when I play football/basketball/whatever, it doesnât involve picking up weights.â That would be an insane thing to say, right? Even though football does not actually involve picking up barbells, it is obvious that the strength gained from lifting weights helps in football.
So it is with math. Math exercises the brain. A better brain will help you do anything. There is NOTHING you can do in life, no way you could possibly live a successful life, in which learning math would not be a tremendous benefit.
What is the difference between school and education??
Dont we go to school to get educated?
Im in school because i love to learn and experiment with new ideas and thoughts. Is this the right attitude?? Most of my friends are planning ot leave at the end of the year even though they are the smartest people in my year level.
ps. Your idea of chosing our classes and teachers sounds good derleth, but wouldnât all the best teachers have overloaded classes and the not as good ones have no one???
School is an institution that, in theory, creates an environment where people can learn. Education is an interactive process whereby people gain information and skills. It is individualized and meaningful for everyone. But the assembly-line structure and rigid nature of school, in my opinion, is simply not like that. Itâs better than nothing for most people, but itâs worse than we can do.
You have the right attitude. You will go far if you think learning is fun and playing with ideas is worthwhile. And donât be afraid to move on if youâre ready. A new set of challenges brings a new set of rewards.
Or would we get more good teachers as the bad ones left and positions opened up? Cutting the bureaucratic fat could free up money for salaries.
And people wouldnât choose their own classes, necessarily, just their own pace. People can choose classes in high school, for example, but they still get chained to the slowest kids.
Im not a fraud. I would really like to know what makes you think im a fraud. My situation is genuine. Im sorry if i seem like a spoof, im not, im 15 and trying to think through my option classes for next year, which is when they become very specialised. There is no hope of jumping a year as i am already a year above myself.
My goal in life is to succeed in whatever makes me happiness. I have realised that without success and happiness, i will be a person
i dont want to be. Thanx for all your advice, but i wish you would reconsider your opinions.
Sure you can. Just go to Vancouver Island or other parts of the West Coast; lots of temperate rainforest there.
I recommend Long Beach National Park.
<safety note>
Hang your food well away from the ground and your tent, never sleep in the same clothes you cook in, and above all watch out for the grizzlies.
</safety note>
</OT>
