Apparently, algebra is a gift to us from the Babylonians. Now, that was a long, long time ago. Pretty good math stuff. I even passed the courses when I was a young pup. I still remember how to do some of the stuff.
However, it is amazing that after all this time students are still looking for X. You know: given such and such, find X. X=?
We need to remember what it was like when we old folks were 14 and how we were taught algebra. This must be difficult to do, however, because many adults go on and on about how much more difficult their schooling was. Please. I was there.
One of the joys of grand-parenting is that I get to help my 14 year-old grandson with algebra. Lots of fun -- really. Now, to you in reader-land who think American public school children are not working, may I suggest that you sit down with your children (or grandchildren) and regularly help them with their homework -- especially math (algebra). Let's see how many of you are driven to your knees in tears.
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Algebra is a joy. Geometry -- for those of us who never properly learned proofs, anyway -- is sheer terror.
But, your point is well taken: kids today are learning much more, at much earlier ages, than their parents or grandparents.
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