How many types of math classes are necessary in school?

I know the saying don't argue with an idiot because then they can't tell you apart, but this is a new one on me.

The last couple of days I've been having an ongoing 'discussion' with some guy on a Youtube video about homeschoolers, and this guy LOVES to 'put words in my mouth', going on about how *I* say EVERY parent should homeschool, I say right up front it's not for everybody, and THEN, saying that homeschooling ONLY works for rich and upper crust, ONLY if you make $50,000 a year or more AND have 35 hours of 'spare time' a week...not true, we lived poor for MANY years, and we have never been an upper anything, EVERYBODY hates us and always have, but our parents still made it work. When we were in school, it was $1,000 per grade per kid, today some families are able to do it a lot cheaper than that, and a lot of the students sounding off on these videos say they get through the full day's curriculum in 4 hours. But still this guy isn't pleased or convinced.

And now, he's spent about the last 12 hours off and on going on about how EVERY child NEEDS to have calculus and trigonometry and several other math classes available to them or YOU as their parent are 'deprAving' them (and he calls me an idiot?) of reaching their fullest potential. Because apparently NOBODY ever KNOWS what they want to do with their life BEFORE they get half a dozen degrees and diplomas and goes through 8 mathematics classes. Apparently you don't KNOW if you want to be a doctor or not UNTIL you've gone through dissection in science classes and had calculus, etc.

And ALSO, clearly *I* never pursued any of these fields, NOT because I had no interest in them OR because I thought it would be BORING to be a chemist or a doctor, but CLEARLY because I sucked at math. In attitude yes, I HATED math, however I got 100s on every Algebra and geometry exam in high school. Oh BUT that's clearly because it was dumbed down since it was homeschooling, it wasn't 'real' school, real mathematics so it doesn't count. I had regular general math from first grade till 8th, and then I had Algebra and geometry from 9th to 12th grades, I really was NOT aware that you need about 4 other math classes on top of this BEFORE you graduate high school in order for your life to be fulfilling and to reach your fullest potential and get a job that means something like astrophysicist or biologist. It really seems to escape this guy that people want to be things OTHER than scientists and doctors, oh but if they want to be a dancer or a cook or a fireman or a librarian or a writer, it only makes sense that they do that AFTER majoring in every mathematical and scientific class a school has to offer otherwise they've just been set up to fail.

So, long way around this over, I want to ask everybody here, how many different types of math classes do you honestly think kids need per grade in school and high school, to really be necessary for their 'real world' training? I always say if you are specifically going to pursue a field where these certain courses are mandatory, that's fine, that's them, but don't say EVERYBODY needs to go through the same rigmarole because NOT everybody wants to be the same thing.

I never had trig or calculus but then I didn't want to pursue a career in science. I will say this though. Unlike Peggy Sue, I have had need for algebra in my adult life. Geometry too. Did this monument to modern learning you were having this chat with ever reveal what they did for a living?

Alan Smithee wrote:I never had trig or calculus but then I didn't want to pursue a career in science. I will say this though. Unlike Peggy Sue, I have had need for algebra in my adult life. Geometry too. Did this monument to modern learning you were having this chat with ever reveal what they did for a living?

Surprisingly no, I inquired which he is, doctor or lawyer, no response, just deflect, deflect, deflect.

Algebra and geometry, in addition to basic and advanced math would be the most useful. Pre-calc, Calc, and Trig should be made electives.

IMO, required math should stop at Algebra II. I took Calculus in college, and even though I always had a sensible grip on math, that one wasn't fun.