(1) 

From George Reese:

"How do people use mathematics in their jobs and everyday lives? Are their mathematical intuitions and skills increased or decreased by school knowledge? This last is not a foolish question. Nunes has shown how relatively unschooled young people can figure things out informally but become horribly confused when asked to use the standard algorithms taught in schools. Similarly, I have seen many intelligent students draw the following invalid conclusion after elementary instruction in logic:

1) All fish can swim.
2) I can swim.
3) I am a fish.

Before instruction in logic, these students would not have announced to the world that they were fish! There is much to learn about both the harms and the benefits of our teaching." (p. 99)

From  Noddings, N. (1994). Does everybody count? Reflections on reforms in school mathematics. Journal of Mathematical Behavior , 13(1), 89-104.

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(2)  From Karl M. Bunday
"The proper thing for a parent to say is, 'I did badly at mathematics, but I had a very bad teacher. I wish I had had a good one.'"
From W. W. Sawyer, Vision in Elementary Mathematics (1964), p. 5.

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-- Jerry P. Becker
Curriculum & Instruction
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL  62901-4610
Phone:  (618) 453-4241  [O]
            (618) 457-8903  [H]
Fax:      (618) 453-4244
E-mail:   jbecker@siu.edu