Why are meth teachers like that?

The key in teaching math, perhaps counter intuitively, isn’t in making sure you get the right answers. That’s just memorization. The key is in seeing that you understand what you are trying to do. Math problems aren’t about math. They are about real things- and the answer isn’t just to answer some math problem- it’s the answer to a real question. You aren’t just trying to solve for X- in the real world X is the amount of power you can safely put through a component or the max take off weight of a helicopter at an altitude above sea level, or the number of customers expected to have a warranty issue on a product. The various types of math we can apply to get these answers all serve certain purposes and work certain ways, some work better than others and some don’t actually apply to the answer we want to get.

So you not only have to understand the problem and what you are actually needing to figure out to get a reliable and applicable answer- but how the math you are using works so that you can do that. A math teacher needs to know that you understand what you are actually doing and more importantly- WHY.

Do you know what rational, natural, whole, real, etc. numbers are- what they are for, how they interact, what operations can be performed and how they are grouped etc? Inverse functions? Composite functions? What about logarithms and when to apply them? If you aren’t finding your base then where did you figure out the index if you aren’t using logarithms? If you are asked not to use logarithms but do anyway- how do I know you understand how to solve a problem where that isn’t an option or is a poor option?

It’s all finicky and this is HIGHLY simplified and not entirely accurate in content because I didn’t want to make it longer than it is- it’s just conceptual. The basic idea is that any child can be told to take a screw driver and turn a screw without understanding what a screwdriver is for- the types of screws and drivers, or even WHY they need to remove the screw. A clever child can figure out how to turn a screw without using a screw driver at all-

- and in fact an adult working in The field might do the same thing if they need to. However- if you don’t understand anything about what you’re doing and you start improvising- you’re just as likely to screw things up. If you try and use a butter knife to turn a screw on some high voltage equipment you may end up dead, that’s why for that job you use an insulated driver and PPE. But... if you don’t know what an insulated screw driver is or looks like or how to use it without being a ground anyway- if you don’t even know why your working on a thing or what it is to know you should use an insulated tool and proper work flow for high voltage- it likely won’t end well.

I like how you’re getting downvoted by people who don’t like to hear reasonable answers with which they do not agree.

Sometimes it’s done just because it’s me- or because it’s long. Lol. It’s ok. Reinforces the resolve. Lots of people in the world who are hostile to other perspectives or opposed to reason or even thought. Do nothing- change nothing. But if even one person can get some enjoyment or maybe learn something new or just be given a new angle to consider- heck, even be inspired to consider however briefly for possibly the first time- it’s all worth it. Do not go gentle into that good night and all that.

I’m here with you bro.

Wow, do you ever shut the fuck up?

Which one of us?

I’d answer for myself and presumably for Scatmandingo by saying- sure. When we feel like it. But I mean.... the comments section of a meme site would be pretty empty if people just “shut the fuck up,” and if you didn’t come here to read anything you should probably try YouTube or maybe gify as those formats might be more to your liking.