

eBook ISBN: | 978-1-61444-803-7 |
Product Code: | SPEC/80.E |
List Price: | $30.00 |
MAA Member Price: | $22.50 |
AMS Member Price: | $22.50 |


eBook ISBN: | 978-1-61444-803-7 |
Product Code: | SPEC/80.E |
List Price: | $30.00 |
MAA Member Price: | $22.50 |
AMS Member Price: | $22.50 |
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Book DetailsSpectrumVolume: 80; 2014; 55 pp
Stephen S. Willoughby has taught mathematics for 59 years and he has seen everything. Some of it has annoyed him; some has inspired him. This little book is something of a valedictory and he shares some parting thoughts as he contemplates the end of his teaching career.
Willoughby has strong, cogent, and mostly negative opinions about textbooks, standardized testing, and teacher training. These opinions have been forged in the cauldron of the classroom of a deeply caring teacher. They might not please readers, but they ought to make them think. They should spark needed debate in our community. Ultimately, this is a human tale with rough parallels to Hardy's “A Mathematician's Apology”; replace “mathematicians” with “teachers” perhaps. Every teacher will sympathize with Willoughby's frustrations and empathize with the humanity and compassion that animated his life's work and that beat at the center of this book.
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Table of Contents
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Chapters
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Introduction
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1. Textbooks
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2. Tests
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3. Teachers
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4. Conclusion
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Reviews
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This is an incisive yet readable critique of the American education system. Willoughby writes from the perspective of six decades of experience. He knows that the best way to persuade someone is to tell them a story. The author illustrates his points with anecdotes from his own experience and those of his colleagues. ... Willoughby writes with a dry, ironic sensibility that remains warm and inviting. ... Doing education right is a complex problem with a complex solution. He presents ways that we teachers can be part of that solution.
Tom Sinclair, MAA Reviews
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Stephen S. Willoughby has taught mathematics for 59 years and he has seen everything. Some of it has annoyed him; some has inspired him. This little book is something of a valedictory and he shares some parting thoughts as he contemplates the end of his teaching career.
Willoughby has strong, cogent, and mostly negative opinions about textbooks, standardized testing, and teacher training. These opinions have been forged in the cauldron of the classroom of a deeply caring teacher. They might not please readers, but they ought to make them think. They should spark needed debate in our community. Ultimately, this is a human tale with rough parallels to Hardy's “A Mathematician's Apology”; replace “mathematicians” with “teachers” perhaps. Every teacher will sympathize with Willoughby's frustrations and empathize with the humanity and compassion that animated his life's work and that beat at the center of this book.
-
Chapters
-
Introduction
-
1. Textbooks
-
2. Tests
-
3. Teachers
-
4. Conclusion
-
This is an incisive yet readable critique of the American education system. Willoughby writes from the perspective of six decades of experience. He knows that the best way to persuade someone is to tell them a story. The author illustrates his points with anecdotes from his own experience and those of his colleagues. ... Willoughby writes with a dry, ironic sensibility that remains warm and inviting. ... Doing education right is a complex problem with a complex solution. He presents ways that we teachers can be part of that solution.
Tom Sinclair, MAA Reviews