Tag Archives: Education

Learn Math, Indian Style

Globalization is an amazing thing.  Especially with the internet, the new age is one in which other cultures are just a click and a pageview away.

Just saw this story: Start-Up Teaches Math to Americans, Indian-Style.  Bob Compton, producer of Two Million Minutes, has co-founded a site called Indian Math Online, which uses an Indian approach to the teaching of mathematics to kids.  He co-founded the site with Suresh Murthy, who grew up in India.  Mr. Murthy has a personal investment in the company, since he has daughters who study math.  So far, it looks like most of Indian Math Online’s clients have been Indian and Chinese immigrants:

Posted in Education, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Victory for Smart People

Great opinion piece about Obama and intellectualism from Kristof in yesterday’s NY Times.

Kristof, Friedman, Brooks, and the rest of the NY Times group have been talking about American anti-intellectualism ever since I can remember.  It’s an American Catch-22–we have complex problems that require complex solutions, but we as a culture tend to prefer leaders who can relate rather than solve, and so we often elect people who may not be intellectually up to the job.  Kristof points to Kennedy as our last openly intellectual president.  I don’t know enough about the others to compare, but I’ve read Kennedy’s speeches, and it was amazing how he would talk about Greek history and American policy in the same breath.  Kennedy was definitely not ashamed of his intelligence.

Posted in Education, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

Get out and vote!

This is a little late, but here is a great opinion piece by Bob Herbert in today’s Times.  (Picture from here.)

Everybody, remember to get out and vote!  As Bob Herbert mentions, this is the most important election since WWII, and it’s undoubtedly the most important election in the lives of most of my readers.  Get out there and vote, and make sure your voices are heard.

Here’s a part of the article that addresses the anti-intellectual problems that I’m always complaining about:

Posted in Education, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment