Maths

I keep reading about how important maths is; how the world is crying out for mathematicians. Every secondary school is desperate for maths teachers. A retiring maths teacher friend told me that from the three people the school tried to interview to replace her, one cancelled at the last minuite, another didn't turn up and the third wasn't legally allowed to be in the country, never mind teach.

So, this country, desperate for mathematicians is doing everything it can to encourage them, right?

I'm not sure.

My son loves maths. Given the choice he would only do maths. Even as a small boy I was only able to persuade him to let me read a bedtime story if he could work out the proportion of pages I had read. He is a very happy boy now, because two of his four A levels are maths, the other two have quite a bit of maths in and we have started looking at Universities, where he hopes to be even happier because he will be allowed to do maths all day, every day.

But to get into a University to study this subject has become increasingly difficult. At University visits the Long Suffering Husband invariably gets talking to someone who will suck their teeth and say, "Ooh, good luck to him. Crazy grades for maths." I have wondered what you need for Medicine these days because maths requires three As (although A*s would be better). Even the University that is currently ranked 63rd for Maths wants 320 points, which I think is ABB (with the A in maths). Those might be the grades all subjects need for entry these days but I suspect that as people know that mathematicians are highly paid the competition for the places is fierce, which pushes the entry grades up. 

I felt quite sorry for a lecturer we met on a recent visit. He had just finished giving a talk and someone asked one of the students a question. "Is it very much harder at degree level than it was at A level?"

Sensible question and I expect the lecturer was hoping the student would talk about independent study and tutors being approachable. The student replied, "Well, yes. At A level you can get an A* by learning all the questions and the answers but there are no mark schemes published for exams at Uni."

"Yes, unfortunately," jumped in the lecturer, "that is what you have to do for A level. You need 90% to get an A* at A level, which I could never have done because I make mistakes."

He went on to say that really he wanted to teach people who could make mistakes and learn from them but the University entry grades meant that he had to take people who learnt the answers. 

How sad. All those potential mathematicians, who would make excellent teachers because they've made mistakes missed. 

There is also an extra qualification, STEM (sixth term examination in maths) for Maths that all the Universities have said they want.

 It is only compulsory at a few but they all want it. They are also very well aware that private school children are coached through it. My son was planning to do it anyway because that's his idea of fun;  his school are at least aware of it and he has teachers he can ask for help but he will be competing for his place at University with people who will have been taught exactly how to get the very best mark.

I worry about making maths an elitist subject in this way. It makes sense that brain surgery is only for the top few but surely maths is for everyone.