[Edu-sig] A fact on the ground

[Kirby Urner]

>Let me confirm that there is a difference between aptness for math and
>for programming!  While I have a math degree, it became clear to me
>that I wasn't a math-head about halfway my second year in college.
>Around the same time it was also abundantly clear that I loved
>programming! :-)
>
>--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)
>

I think any fork in the road between being a "math head" or a
"programmer" could/should come later in life.  In K-12 at least,
we don't want to overspecialize.  Synergy, integration, making
connections, is what's good for young and growing neural nets.

You'll have all the time you need to specialize and narrow your 
focus later in life.  But lets start with more of a commitment
to well roundedness.  

Let's call it "numeracy" if labels are the problem.  Calling
it "math" or "computer science" gives people the wrong idea
that we're trying to mirror specialists in these respective
disciplines.

There need be no hard lines between math and computer science 
in the early grades (unless your goal is to play turf wars, 
in which case maybe we should transfer our kids to a school
with a more enlightened faculty).

Kirby