tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post115267510547516926..comments2024-03-13T21:26:03.011-07:00Comments on Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher: Numeracy of College StudentsDarrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-1152751750962704262006-07-12T17:49:00.000-07:002006-07-12T17:49:00.000-07:00Maybe. I just don't know which part of his high s...Maybe. I just don't know which part of his high school curriculum should have covered this. I guess when I think about about all the personal debt and financial problems of many adults-people who at 40 haven't figured out how to accurately work their crdeit cards-it just doesn't surprise me that freshmen and sophomores in college are a little naive, ignorant, or confused over personal finance terms and functions they've had no first-hand experience with.<BR/><BR/>Lacking experience, yes. A lacking education-well in the broad definition of education, yes-but in terms of schooling, whose job was it to teach this and did they skip it? I don't think so (I don't think it's a part of the curriculum). As I said before-I think it's an experiential thing that we shouldn't just ASSUME everyone knows instinctively.<BR/><BR/>College kids being naive and bad with money? Shocking!! (ok-sarcasm off)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-1152749413973340052006-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:002006-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00Fair enough. But still his education would be som...Fair enough. But still his education would be somewhat lacking, no?Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-1152729638184281402006-07-12T11:40:00.000-07:002006-07-12T11:40:00.000-07:00I resisted posting a comment when I read this at r...I resisted posting a comment when I read this at rightwing prof's site, but since you linked to it too, I'll add my $.02.<BR/><BR/>I think there are 2 separate issues here. One is whether or not this student knew what a tax rate is. That is experiential. When I was a kid, CA (my home state) instituted a sales tax. I learned quickly-by necessity-what a tax rate was and how to calculate it. But, had it not been for the fact that I HAD to know because of the sales tax, I doubt I would have known anything about what a tax rate was when I was 17 (when I entered college).<BR/><BR/>The second issue is whether or not he knew how to do percentages. If he didn't know how to work a percentage-that's unforgivable. I know for a fact that my school had us doing percentages as part of the curriculum before junior high. <BR/><BR/> However, if he understood percentages (the curriculum part) but didn't understand tax rates (a vocabulary or experiential component), I can sympathize. He may have grown up in an area without a sales tax and never had a reason to know this. At his age it is unlikely he had experience with mortgages, car payments, etc. that we as adults find all too familiar. <BR/><BR/>Our society makes taxes sound really complicated. Everyone freaks out around April 15th every year. The news is filled with stories-though no explanations of- graduated tax rates, tax attorneys, tax shelters, tax cuts, tax loop-holes, etc. If you have no first hand experience, it all sounds daunting and not at all like a simple percentage problem.<BR/><BR/>So, I'm willing to cut this young man some slack. Without knowing more, I'm not willing to string him or his former school up because he was confused over tax terminology.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com