I think what we really meant to say is that memory often plays tricks on us. We teachers talk about preparing students for college, thinking that we were probably better prepared, with regard to mathematics, than today's students. If most of us were honest with ourselves, that first year of calculus was probably a killer. But we liked math and perservered. Today, more students are attending college and are required to take more mathematics when they get there. That is why reform in math education is so necessary.

Having said all of that, I do think more discussions need to take place between secondary and higher ed math teachers. I don't necessarily mean the programs in colleges that are preparing the next generation of k-12 teachers, many of those programs are in the forefront of the ed reform movement. However, many math professors in colleges of arts and sciences appear to be hanging on to outdated paradigms. We need to be talking about teaching for understanding and not merely to be good number crunchers. There is also a wide discrepancy among colleges and their expectations for incoming students. I spoke with two college freshman who came back to visit during their Christmas break. Both were in technical programs, but attending different colleges. One was required to purchase a graphing calculator for his calculus class, the other student was told he could not use a graphing calculator. It is impossible to prepare all students for all possible college experiences.

All of this is anecdotal on my part, and I apologize if I have rambled.

Eileen