" U!S!A!

U!S!A!

Woot!

Oh, wait.

Government monopolies can't be a good thing. We have proof that Americans need a choice when it comes to investing in ALL of our futures.

Nothing like a poor education or lack thereof to continue the cycle of poverty.

Yes, acutely, I blame the parents and the kids for making poor decisions, but more than likely, their own parents also had no idea how to grasp the benefits of education, and so the cycle goes.

And yet, when the State spends 50% of its budget on education, and we have an embarrassment such as this? I call it a failure of the system.

Mind you, I do NOT blame teachers. I blame the system they work in, where neither administrators, nor parents, nor children support their often heroic efforts.

It's time for change. In spite of the "sky is falling" rhetoric from those who want to maintain the status quo, I'm not convinced that privatization of education could POSSIBLY PRODUCE WORSE RESULTS THAN OUR FAILURE of a public school system. A child who drops out of school is a failure of the system--a 60% failure rate in some neighborhoods--the neighborhoods needing the most help--is an inexcusable failure and an embarrassment for our country.

Unfortunately, politicians don't care to understand nor do anything to fix our predicament--not even those who claim to be "education" candidates.

How much do we really care about children in our country--really? "

" We need school choice and accreditation with accountability. You fail to educate children, you lose funding--like in the rest of the world.

We need to allow more trade education in school--like in the rest of the world. I would like to see experimentation with private industry funding of education--like in universities all around our country today.

We need smaller, safer schools, and equitable funding, wherein schools in impoverished neighborhoods get the same funding as schools in wealthy neighborhoods--IF they prove their accountability.

We need radical change, and soon. The bureaucrats and unions need to sit down--they had their chance, and this is what we got.

Could we get any worse? We NOW have an inexcusably high dropout rate. We have at-risk kids who are not getting the help we taxpayers thought we were funding.

I swear there are parts of our country that are indeed third-world. "

" The parents already have a choice...nobody is preventing anyone from enrolling their child into a private school. The whole "vouchers" debate is akin to someone being unsatisfied with the local police force, hiring a private security firm, and then asking the government for a rebate. Life doesn't work that way.

Second, a 100% graduation rate would show that school is too easy and that it's "rigged" to show success. Do we just want every warm body to hold a diploma? Should kids have to...(gasp!)...work for it?

The dropout rate is also an indicator of far more things than "is this school good or bad". It is an indicator of cultural diversity; if you look at countries in Europe with lower dropout rates, you'll find that they are far more culturally homogeneous than the US. A shared culture means shared values and a shared educational goal...therefore, a lower dropout rate.

Other countries also offer better & more varied forms of vocational training as an alternative to core academics, so if Shakespeare ain't your bag you can work on cars, become a metal worker, or whatever. The problem in California (and Napa County specifically) is that the academic administration is convinced that EVERYONE must go to college. Here's a news flash: college isn't for everyone. With curricula solely based on literature, but nothing dedicated to cleaning out fuel injectors, those who don't fit the academic mold are forced to go elsewhere.

And, just to be cynical, what percentage of the 24.2 percent has a criminal record? Should kids with a predisposition for violence or robbery be forced into attending school with the "general population"? Call me elitist, but I'll say NO. "

" This man is foolish. The whole premise is ridiculous. His seems to believe that by stating the drop out rate at nearly 25% we somehow look better. ONE QUARTER OF OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT GRADUATING! That is an alarming statistic. There is not enough lipstick in Hollywood to dress up that pig.

School districts have been under reporting the dropout rate for years. Partly because it's a difficult statistic to measure(did they drop out or move), partly from self interest. My school districts official rate was 7% - it's six times that according to these statistics, a number that at least agrees with what I hear from my fellow teachers in the high schools.

You can't subtract 9th graders from 12th graders, families move. The reason we don't include middle schoolers is that it's a very small number.

These are troubling numbers. They require that everybody, me, you, the school administrators, the state, our kids, to take a hard look at what we're going to do about it. "

" Steph, my sentiments exactly. I would like to add a few points: We should be doing more to encourage students to stay in school, absolutely - but that comes at a price. After-school programs, parent education, and getting stiff on disciplining misbehaving students who make life miserable for everyone else in the system all come at a price. After World War Two, only about 50% of eligible students attended high school in this country. Today, it is far more than that, but are all those kids really ready and able to complete high school as we know it? Would they not be better served by alternatives like occupational programs or technical schools? I would question the validity of any school system that claims to graduate even 90% of the students that enter it, even in countries that have great education systems. As I said, we can always do more, but it's just not realistic to say that California is going to graduate 100% of students and that they're all going to be "ready for college." That's a setup for failure. What we can do is make sure that most of the students, and all the ones that we can reasonably save from the bad choices of youth or suspect parenting, get out of the system with the skills to be productive citizens and perhaps get themselves together enough later on to pursue more education on their own. The fact is that we do more with less than any place else in the world. Now, let's do more with more. But does anyone have the political will to commit to that? "

" We absolutely need to overhaul the education system, especially in California. The first thing is to get rid of the CTA. The second thing is to trash all administrators, because the system is broken and we need new ideas. Keeping the "great" administrators in power will only ensure that the current draconian system doesn't change. Obviously offering choice, especially in the inner cities is the only escape that underprivileged children have. The next thing to do is to offer privatized education to all students. Lets face it the private schools do a much better job educating the entire child, we can still offer public schools for students who choose to go, but underprivileged children should be able to take their education to a successful education provider.
Over all we should begin to celebrate excellence in the schools again. Our public schools are more concerned about teaching sensitivity to multi-sexualism and multi-culturalism than they are about teaching the basics. This has to stop if we want the next generations to lead the world once again. "

" Where are the parents? Why aren't we talking about hold parents accountable for letting their kid drop out. Look at the successful schools - they require parental involvement. Where parents are involved and committed to education, kids and the school perform better. Where parents are less involved drop out rates climb and schools underperform.

When we look at why schools are failing and start pointing fingers, we need to be aware that three fingers are pointing back at us as parents and the community. "

" I think that 100% is possible and not a sign of low standards. Call me a dreamer. It's a question of allocating enough resources, wisely.

Education is no more a gov't monopoly than the police or fire dept. are. I don't want to hire Blackwater to be the police.

Vouchers are a recipe for an inequitable education system. You get the education you pay for. That doesn't bode well for a democratic society.

The CTA is a lobby. In our gov't, these days, if you want to be heard, you lobby. If parents want to be heard they should form a lobby. That would mean getting involved, which would be a good thing.

My union negotiates my pay package and makes sure that the school follows the rules that both the union and the school agree to. That is all they do.

Cab-egirl: Which administrators would you like to get rid of? The hard working principals and asst. Principals? They serve at the pleasure of the Superintendent and the Board. The school district administration is hired by the Superintendent, who is hired by the Board of Education, which is elected by the public. Do you see where I'm going here?

Secondly, your characterization of "Our public schools are more concerned about teaching sensitivity to multi-sexualism and multi-culturalism than they are about teaching the basics", is a figment of the right's imagination. If you don't believe that, you can go to the Calif. Dept. of Education's and look up the framework for the grade and subject you're interested in. "

" I was thinking about something the other day. I think for ANYONE to adapt to a culture, they must be a part of how that culture operates. Our kids should learn a little about how the banking process works; what happens to their money when they write a check; where our garbage and recyclables go; how the vast transportations of goods are delivered to their destinations; how water from Lake Hennessey reaches its destination; where does sewer go once a toilet is flushed. There's this vast interconnected world out there which students are rarely exposed to because we are so focused on teaching math and other curriculum which is not related to the NOW. And regarding math, would you rather have a student focus on basic math, skip algebra and learn how to repair an engine? There are many people out there who do not have math brains. I suspect that the new algebra graduation requirements have something to do with it. Would you rather have these people drop out or put them on a path toward occupation?

Also, anyone who thinks that the high percentage of culturally diverse students in California's school system aren't playing a role in these statistics needs to volunteer in the school system. You would be quite surprised at how many of them have struggles composing a basic sentence. I know this because I have been in college with these grown up students. I'm also taking an occupational online class right now where I see their written responses. These people are trying to gain access into the medical field where their ability to grasp the English language could make a difference in the quality of patient treatment . Scary. "

" Vouchers! Vouchers! Vouchers!

Let the people have the freedom to decide what is best for them. Our children are too important to be left to government incompetence.

Monopolies are not cool...and government/school monopolies are even worse. "

" Are you ready for a 60% failure rate for a government-run healthcare monopoly?

If 60% of calls for police or fire help went unanswered, you BET we'd be screaming for private security. And, many wealthy folks and businesses DO have private security.

What about privately-run ambulance companies?

The education monopoly is FAILING the very people who are politically impotent, and that's why the monopoly is maintained. This education failure leaves whole entire communities vulnerable to lies and manipulation from hucksters and political candidates (often one and the same.)

I guess that's the real reason this is allowed to continue.

For those of you who believe this doesn't affect you, because YOUR children are getting a good education and are motivated to finish high school and college, think again. A 25% to 30% dropout rate sure as HECK affects our economic vitality, our crime statistics, our reputation as a world leader.

I'd remarked that Obama's embarrassment over our monolingualism is actually a failure of our monopolistic educational system.

*sigh*

We need public funding for private schools that are worth a dang. Me? I'd still send my kids to public schools, because we're lucky to have good schools here in Napa. But many are not served by our system. They deserve alternatives.

And, how's this: Your kid doesn't show up in school, and you lose your Section 8 and your SSI, and any other state-sponsored funding. Also, you do parenting classes on your day off of work or face contempt of court charges. We need a propaganda campaign to encourage kids to value education.

I think nobody cares about poor kids. "

" From “Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government”

“Objectives in Elementary Schools”

"The objects of... primary education [which] determine its character and limits [are]: To give to every citizen the information he needs for the transaction of his own business; to enable him to calculate for himself, and to express and preserve his ideas, his contracts and accounts in writing; to improve, by reading, his morals and faculties; to understand his duties to his neighbors and country, and to discharge with competence the functions confided to him by either; to know his rights; to exercise with order and justice those he retains, to choose with discretion the fiduciary of those he delegates; and to notice their conduct with diligence, with candor and judgment; and in general, to observe with intelligence and faithfulness all the social relations under which he shall be placed." --Thomas Jefferson: Report for University of Virginia, 1818. "

" There are many private schools in California. If you'd like to open one more private school, go ahead. Nobody will stop you. Government does not have a monopoly on education in California. Too often, privatizers want to socialize the costs of doing business while reaping huge profits for themselves. "

" Sorry, my mistake, not the CTA, the NEA (National Education Association), which is a highly political organization that donates millions of dollars to ultra-liberal candidates. How does that help our schools or our children?

We should start at the top and do away with the federal education department. What works well in one state, may not work well in another state. Decisions should be put closer to the school level, with teachers and parents having more to say in decisions that effect their schools. Most school districts and schools are very different with challenging socio-economic issues. If you allow people closer to the issues making decisions, chances are they will get it right and if they don’t, they won’t be trusted to make those decisions again.

Principals should be judged on their performance of their schools. If you can’t make a difference in a set period of time, you have no business in a leadership role. Tenure should be eliminated. Bad teachers should not be teaching regardless of how long they have been in the system. I hate the adage, “Those that can’t do, teach. Those that can’t teach, teach PE.” It will take a combination of teachers and parents to make drastic changes. Having a defeatist attitude and closing your mind to change isn’t going to help our education system. We need innovation and a can do attitude, and if you can’t get on board, it’s time to hang up the red pen and do something that doesn’t drag you down. "

" Teach,
Lets start with the admin people who stand around the admin office talking about last weeks Survivor while the students do all the work. I'd guess thats about a 20% savings right there. We can work uphill from there. "

" Secondly, some teachers in public schools are socially engineering our children. We have sent three children through public schools and chose to privately educate the last because of the things that are being taught in public schools. I don’t want my child to be taught the traditions of Islam in school unless theology is taught on all of the major religions. I don’t want my child to be given sensitivity training for sexual deviations. I don’t want my child to be handed a condom at the Senior prom. I want my child to be taught to read and write, add, subtract, multiply and divide. I want my child to be well versed in science and technology and how to speak a foreign language. In short, I want my children to be given an education.
Private schools do a much better job for less money. Why would we try and prevent children that are financially challenged from going to private schools? Why are teachers so afraid to give the public a choice of where to send their children? If vouchers were offered it would cause competition amongst schools and the bad ones would go out of business. Yes it would be painful at first, but in the long run the children would be far better off. "

" public funding for private schools...wouldnt that make them public schools....? "

" MJH--nice example of fearmongering. Ooh! Profits! How evil! How about the evils of a bloated top-heavy public school system in which at least a quarter of all kids fail to get a diploma? And, don't think there's no profit in public education. There are many corporations making lots and lots of money in our schools. Publishing companies are a good example. "

" antiPC- which administrators would those be? This will be 23 years of teaching for me. I've yet to see an administrator who wasn't at school before me and at school after me (and I stay late frequently). As far as I can see they work very hard. They also serve at the pleasure of the Superintendent and the school board.

cab e-girl: The NEA is a lobby group just like the NRA. You can't be selective about those. Get rid of them all if you want. The Dept. of Education has very little impact on State School systems, school systems are run by individual states. The feds contribute about 10% of local school budget. They could be ignored, but budgets are so tight that most can't do without the money.

I have had two kid finish here and Napa and two in the middle school. I've never heard of any sensitivity training for sexual deviance. I do know that the major religions of the world are a topic in world history. You could find out by going to the Cal. Dept of ED and looking at the world history framework.

Private schools DO NOT do better than public schools. They do about the same. There is a lot of variability in private schools. The more you pay, the better you get. Catholic Schools do well with less, but they re subsidized by the church and private donations.

They also don't have to take your kid if they don't want to. Good luck if you have a special needs kid. You won't be able to afford a private school for that. "

" First of all I would a proud card carrying NRA member. NEA………not so much. The NEA is the biggest obstacle to education reform. They don’t want vouchers, school choice, charter schools or merit based teachers salaries. They donate millions of dollars to politicians. Over the last 18 years 93% of their donations have gone to democrats. That alone should say something to the general public.
Teach, no disrespect intended, but we have had children educated both privately and publicly. There is NO comparison. As a parent, I would not put my child in the public school system without major changes. You keep blogging about why public schools can’t be successful. If that is the case turn it over to private industry. They will get it done and if they don’t, they will fail and get put out of the business.
Islam is taught in the 7th grade. The extent of the teaching is up to the teacher and the district. However some teachers teach children to pray to Mecca, some teach children to Praise Allah. Some schools use a three week curriculum called “ISLAM: A Simulation of Islamic History and Culture.” The materials include instructing students to have mock Jihad battles against Crusader Christians and other Infidels. Once winning the battles they Praise Allah. Children are to wear Muslim clothes, choose a Muslim name. Of course there is no mention of the violence that Muslims have done to non-Muslims throughout the centuries. These same schools have banned children from wearing crosses or using Christian references. Since our last child went to private school in 7th grade, I can’t say what the public schools in Napa teach. "

" Teach- I am sure you are aware of SB777, which was passed in October of last year. This bill bans anything in public schools that can be viewed negatively toward homosexuality, bisexuality and other alternative lifestyles. The terms “Mom and Dad” or “Husband and Wife” are two such terms that can be construed as a discriminatory bias towards homosexuals. The bill's definition includes cross-dressing and sex changes – as well as "sexual orientation." A banned list will be any text, reference or teaching aid that portrays marriage as only between a man and woman. Also included are materials that say people are born male or female (and not in between), sources that FAIL to include a variety of transsexual, bisexual and homosexual historical figures, and sex education materials that fail to offer the option of sex changes. All students, whether male or female, must be allowed to use the restroom and locker room corresponding to the sex with which they CHOOSE to identify. Homecoming kings and queens now can be either male or female. This also means textbooks and teaching materials have to be changed to accommodate this bill. What a colossal waste of resources!

And then there is AB394. Put into effect by our brilliant law-makers and signed by the governor. This targets parents and teachers through “anti-harassment” training. It creates standards that if a parent who says “marriage is only for a man and a woman” in the presence of a lesbian teacher that parent can now be convicted of "harassment," and a student who believes people are born either male or female could be reported as a "harasser" by a male teacher who is a cross dresser. When you are finished with AB394 check out AB1056 and our public schools. Anybody awake out there? "

" cabegirl: Apparently, you missed the point about the NRA and the NEA. Not everybody agrees in this country about guns (in fact a majority would like stricter gun controls). Replace the words "education reform" with "gun control" and everything you said about the NEA can be said about the NRA. However, not agreeing with their point of view does not abrogate the rights of Americans with common political goals to band together and attempt to persuade law makers to their point of view.

I drive to work occasionally with one of the 7th grade history teachers. NO, they don't teach religion in seventh grade. They DO teach about the religious traditions of the world, however, which is not the same thing.

Your example of "crusaders and jihadists" is a new one on me, but so what. Did you accuse the teacher of turning your kids into indians when they did the inevitable Thanksgiving skits? My fifth grader portrayed Lafayette during their unit on the Revolution. Was the teacher trying to make her French? Was he trying to teach her to be a boy (there is a shortage of female roles in that section of history)? Role playing is a powerful tool in learning another persons culture, but it is not indoctrination. "

" Cont- Yes, I am familiar with AB394. You're interpretation is wrong. The law says nothing about curriculum. The law states that you can't discriminate against a student for racial, gender, cultural, etc, reasons. It just included sexual preference in it. It also says that students of any of those groups have a right to a safe school environment and that schools have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment. Nearly everything you stated about that law is compete distortion and nonsense.

I have never said that our schools can't work. I have noted that they don't work. I have plenty of ideas, some good, maybe some not so good. But, no one really cares what us teacher's think. Mostly we are seen as obstacles to some one's idea of education reform. Most education reform is political, made by non-educators and not backed by research (at least that is my opinion). "

" AB 1056 is is a bill that proposes to choose 10 schools to pilot a "Tolerance" education program.

From section e) of the bill:
"(e) For purposes of this article, “tolerance” means attitudes
and behaviors that convey respect toward individuals and groups,
especially those individuals and groups that have been, and
continue to be, systematically and historically marginalized.
Tolerance does not mean a passive allowance or indulgence of
the beliefs or practices of another individual."

In other words, how to get along with people you don't agree with. "

" SB777: From reading the actual bill (trust me, a snoozefest), most of it seems to address starting charter schools and homeschooling. The parts you seem to object to appear in the sections pertaining to school environment and hate speech and hate crimes. To the usual sex, race, ethnic origin, etc; sexual orientation and gender identity has been added.

That means that beating up someone for being gay would be treated the same as beating them up for being black. Just like using a blatantly racist book in the curriculum would not be allowed, so would using blatantly anti-homosexual materials.

I know that there are questionable choices here. I recall some of the objections to "Tom Sawyer" because of it's use f the "N-word" and portrayal of racism. I guess we have to rely on good judgment and respecting community standards. I have faith that people can work this out.

However, how "mommy and daddy" can be construed as hate speech is beyond me. I think you guys need to go decaf. "

" Sadly, this item will just disappear, as do most opinions on education. You would think that this would be a more important issue than impeaching the president (not gonna happen) or whether the title of some public event is in Spanish.

ONE FOURTH OF OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT GRADUATING! DOES ANY BODY CARE? "

" I don't agree with you comparing Gun Rights and a lobbying group that has a profound effect on the education of our students. The NEA is having a huge effect on what is ending up in the classroom; the bills I mentioned above are bills that have an influence over what our children think. Schools should be more concerned about teaching our children "to think", not "what they think."

My objection to teaching the Muslim religion in schools (see Bishop California to the see the extent of what is being taught in SOME California schools) is that it IS that it is being taught like a religion. I am not saying all teachers/districts teach it that way, but SOME are. Obviously I have no objection to history being taught, and in fact I believe the dumbing down of our children started when we began teaching Social Studies instead of History.

Sadly you are correct this thread will disappear and 25% of our children are still not graduating. "

" cab e-girl: you are confusing what you agree with, with what these organizations do. They are advocacy groups. They are non-government organizations. This is how democracy works, a million voices are more powerful than one voice. The other side of the gun debate would describe the NRA the same way you describe the NEA. Not agreeing with the NEA or the NRA is going to get rid of them. You need a group that is equally "loud".

There may be "some" teachers teaching religion. They are not supposed to. In the USA, for better or for ill, schools are secular. In my experience these things are usually a good idea gone wrong or a parent or child misinterpreting what the teacher is doing. Sometimes it's "rouge elements". "

" You are correct, we do need an organization that is louder than the NEA. I disagree with with your statement on what democracy is all about. The NEA lobbies politicians to promote bills that our legislature passes. The taxpayers aren't even aware (because the media does not report on it), nor do they have a choice as to what is being done to our classrooms. Democracy is a government for the people and by the people, not fringe groups like the NEA with politicians in their hip pockets. The NRA is an advocacy group that protects part of the constitution. The only thing that the two groups have in common is that they are lobbying groups, one that promotes protecting our constitution and one that seems determined to tear it apart. Please don't insult the NRA by comparing to the NEA. "

" Sorry Cab e-girl, but you're going to have live with the comparison... "

" "ONE FOURTH OF OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT GRADUATING! DOES ANY BODY CARE? "
It would seem that enough do not care, or are too self absorbed to realize that when they have children, it is a long time commitment to those children. Too many families do not promote success in their kids. Too many are from broken homes, with overwhelmed single parents, and too little support. Too many have kids that should have never even thought of doing so. One poster said that if 100% of the students graduated, then it would mean school was too easy...ARE YOU KIDDING? Education has already been so dumbed down that we should all be embarrased that we call it education. It has little to do with the difficulty of the subject matter, and much more to do with the turn our society has taken over the last 30 years. My husband teaches college level, and has many students that cannot even write a proper sentence, or spell, never mind knowing how to compose a coherent thesis. Our educational system has so many problems, due to diversity of student population, top heavy administration, dumb state laws concerning text books used and how long they can be used, poor family support, mandates to teach morals instead of bascis....I could go on and on. But I think most of the problems could be fixed if we parents did the jobs we should be doing....Will that begin to happen? I really doubt it. Welcome to the future. "

" Three fourths of our students are graduating! As a parent I have to work twice as hard as my parents to manuever through a system that has become inherently broken due to decades of social engineering that has lowered the bar instead of raising the bar.

Sandra - you are dead on: "Our educational system has so many problems, due to diversity of student population, top heavy administration, dumb state laws concerning text books used and how long they can be used, poor family support, mandates to teach morals instead of bascis...."

Our children, our society, suffers under the the weight of carrying the minority while ultimately sinking the majority. "

" Has anyone surveyed the 24% who drop out? If you did, you'd find that while they were in school they didn't spend the recommended amount of time doing homework and preparing for quizzes, thus setting themselves up for failure. Instead, their time is spent chatting with friends (including cell phones and texting), watching TV, and hanging out. Few of them get 8 hours sleep per night, or a nutritious breakfast, thus resulting in inattention in class. Where does the blame lie? It's a combination of lack of parental involvement and lack of self-discipline on the part of the students. Much of this is fostered by a society where delayed gratification is a lost art, and where one is encouraged to "Do it if it feels good." "

" Actually, JR, they have surveyed dropouts. I'm not sure who is responsible for these stats, but here they are:
When 500 dropouts, ages 16-25, were interviewed, they gave many reasons for leaving school:

* 47% said classes were not interesting
* 43% missed too many days to catch up
* 45% entered high school poorly prepared by their earlier schooling
* 69% said they were not motivated to work hard
* 35% said they were failing
* 32% said they left to get a job
* 25% left to become parents
* 22% left to take care of a relative

Two-thirds said they would have tried harder if more was expected from them.

I don't know quite what to make out of some of these stats. For instance, in my experience, most students who fail my math class don't do any home work, don't take notes, feel math is boring. They don't put in the effort, they really seem not to care.

Math is what it is. If you're determined not to interested in it, there is little I can do. No amount of setting high standards is going to change things.

Do we make inherently difficult classes optional? "

" I have to agree with Les and Paddy on this subject.

Children who grow up in a good stable home, with expectations from their two parents, will succeed anywhere. Children whose parents are achievers will learn and achieve.

Children born to and raised in unstable homes with insufficient discipline and no expectations are most likely to fail. Schools are unlikely to overcome the deficit of bad parenting and should not be expected to be surrogate parents.

Notice the demographics in areas where there is the greatest drop out rate. It was not because of bad teachers or poor audio visual programs.

And still our schools lower standards for political correctness in curricula and to allow a higher percentage to pass. I do not believe that gifted students are challenged enough.

I got a better high school and college education in the Deep South many years ago that children do today. "

" So, the largest response (69%) said they were not motivated to work hard. That jibes with my observations. I don't know how the school system intends to address that. As the old saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."
Incidentally, math was my favorite class in school. It seemed so much more logical than history, geography or social sciences. "