From: bhill@stars.gsfc.nasa.gov (Robert S. Hill)
Subject: Re: Is Math Hard?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Hughes STX Corp./NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:43:00 GMT


In article <ccDyTB3w164w@allen.com>, 
carolyn@allen.com (Carolyn Allen) writes...
[previous poster writes...]
>> 	(P. S. I'm not complaining... I like Michigan State.  I am,
>> however, rather jaded from the years of school for which I have nothing
>> useful to show.  Also, while I haven't done disastrously, my grades
>> here don't reflect my ability well because my high school did NOTHING
>> to teach me the study skills I would need here, so I am trying to
>> teach myself, as usual.)
> 
>....excuse me, but what class is supposed to teach you study skills? I 
>thought every kid knows how to learn, some better than others, but if a 
>child learns to talk, walk and potty in the right place, that child has 
>study skills.

[  Carolyn, you obviously mean well and want to help, but I'm going to
   flame your statements on this one, because they really touch a nerve
   with me.  Please put on your asbestos suit, and be assured that I mean
   nothing personal.  Also, sorry about the length.

   Flame on:  ]

Excuse me, but this assertion is false.  Study skills don't come
naturally at all.  A personal example I remember from my college days is
the ability to write a 20-30 page research paper from secondary sources.
That is a very complex skill requiring types of organization, analysis,
and synthesis more sophisticated than writing a commentary essay on a
primary source -- which was the only kind of writing I had done before
college.  Believe me, it hurt my performance tremendously.  Saying study
skills come from motivation is like saying musical skills come from
motivation.  If you haven't had the practice, and you're out on stage,
it's a nightmare, and no amount of motivation will help. There is,
basically, NO MORE TIME for finger exercises when you're in a
half-decent college, as I was lucky to be (and I do mean lucky--
gratitude in abundance here!).  

Sure, if you are in that unpleasant situation, the only thing to do is
put on your biggest smile and do your best.  Doesn't mean the situation
is a good one in the short run.

If your picture were accurate, we wouldn't need education at all. 
Companies could hire any old enthusiast off the street, turn him or her
loose and do just fine.  In fact, self-motivated enthusiasts do not
universally make the best workers, mostly because teamwork and antennae
for one's corporate culture are important and valuable parts of working
life.  I don't mean to make a sweeping generalization.  I have observed
examples, is all.

>> 	In the U. S., how much money you have to play with is one 
>> BIG factor in determining what you can do.
> 
>....In the U.S. (and elsewhere), how much determination you have is one 
>BIG factor in what you do with the money you have.
> 
>Necessity is the mother of invention...no one said that money inspires 
>creativity, self-discipline or intelligence. You're facing necessity, so 
>count your blessings and cut the jealousy. You have been given a 
>background that can motivate you to great heights if you appreciate it 
>for the kick in the behind it is.

Again, I disagree.  Money (plus class) is a major factor. Consider two
students, both of whom are intelligent, serious, goal-oriented, well-
prepared, and hard-working.  Let's call them Alf and Herman. Alf's
parents are suburban doctors  who make several hundred kilodollars per
year between them.  Herman's parents are storekeepers with high-school
diplomas in Podunk, _______ (fill in any rural state), and they can
afford to keep their house only because real-estate values are so low. 
The idea that this constitutes some sort of `advantage' for Herman is
ludicrous.  Alf can get extra R & R trips home for long weekends.  Alf
can pay for his  own counseling if necessary.  Alf can furnish a room in
reasonable comfort and not worry if his or her jeans are getting too
thin in the rear.  Alf has parents who specifically understand much of
his situation from personal experience and can therefore offer an
empathy that is constructive and pertinent.  Alf can go through a
demanding schedule of term papers and final exams without worrying how
he is going eat over the summer.  Alf has observed and learned the ropes
of social life at the social-class level he is destined to be a part of
and need never fret about his ability to get along.  And regardless of
inborn ability, Alf will probably have had a lot more _practice_ at
meeting intellectual challenges.

In short, Alf is happier than Herman and has greater reserves of
personal energy.

The most important fact I learned in college is that Alf is _just_ as
motivated, _just_ as enthusiastic, _just_ as disciplined, and _just_ as
determined as Herman is.  Herman has no advantage in motivation.  All
his motivation just gets him (at best) even with Alf in that one
department.  Alf's other advantages are real, concrete, actual
advantages that Herman cannot wish away.

You are quite right that Herman has no choice but to suck it up and get
on with his life.  There is no use brooding about the subject any more
than you can help.  

But you can't expect a person to pull the wool over his or her own eyes. 
Anger is natural and is a direct result of understanding what's going
on.  I venture to suggest that a person in such a situation who does not
feel anger lacks insight, or else is repressing.  Such anger has to be
dealt with honestly, not given an optimistic whitewash.  That will do
more harm than good.

[  Flame off...  ]


Robert S. Hill                  
bhill@stars.gsfc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics