My worthless education

Stumbled across a great little essay about the disservice done to all in the way math is currently taught: "If We Taught English the Way We Teach Math."

That I happened upon this piece of writing is highly coincidental, in that just recently I have been reflecting on the undergraduate curriculum I completed that sufficed for a B.S. in Mathematics. I've come to the dismal conclusion that in 3.5 years worth of training in higher math, the only things I managed to internalize were a few definitions and some general concepts.

Granted, the primary function of an undergraduate degree in any of the natural sciences is merely to instill in the student a solid understanding of the most basic building blocks of his area of study; it is to serve as a foundation for the infinitely more in-depth studies of the Masters and Doctorate programs. As such, a rigid, strict, and formulaic (no pun intended) approach to teaching is to be expected in the undergraduate program. Still, one can't help but take on a defeatist attitude in the realization that his $100,000 education is woefully incomplete in itself.

One of the problems may be that at a highly competitive school like Texas, professors have no choice but to place the majority of their focus on research. Teaching is of secondary importance - who knows how many would actually hold office hours if they weren't required to by their departments. Though few and far between, those who exert more than the minimum effort to teach something are an acceptable payoff. I used to scratch my head when fellow students would express their outrage at such-and-such professor's frequent philosophical tangents. What is wrong with these people?

I think I'm rambling.

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Hard to believe it's already been a year, but this week is Holy Week and today's another Maundy Thursday.

The Mandatum, of which is derived Maundy:

mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos ut et vos diligatis invicem

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

Now's the time for me to hole up and focus on the season; stillness and silence began tonight at dusk.

The Easter Triduum - it's the most holy time of the year!