Random out-takes and an editorial

While putting the little boy down for his nap he said "Sing a song". I said, "What song". He said "Cowboy done wrong". So I sang the Streets of Laredo for him.

I had a breakthrough in Statistics and Probability tonight. I finally understood what we are doing in this class. I was able to follow the lecture. Things we talked about weeks ago finally made sense to me. I am so relieved. I was beginning to wonder if I had any hope of passing the class. Now, I can say, given a normal distribution, that the probablility of my passing this class is .883 (a little math humor, there.)

But seriously, I am very relieved. Nevertheless, I went by Barnes and Noble after class and bought "Even You Can Learn Statistics". It is a little bit like the "for Dummies" books. Here's a question? Why do text books have to be so horrible? The text book($85) is so bizzarely abstruse that I strongly desire hurling it into everlasting hell. Last quarter, the ($90) math textbook was equally awful. I'd spend hours reading it and not understanding it. But the little book I bought at Barnes and Noble for $15 explained everthing I needed to know to pass the class. And it explained it step by step, and in English. What is up with the use of jargon in textbooks? Something must be done about these people who write math textbooks. What is their major malfunction?

The same is true of Economics. I loved economics until I took a class in it and had to read that amazingly bad book. I think that 75% of the people who only take one Economics class would take a second economics class if the textbooks for the first class were these three books: Economics in One Lesson, The Road to Serfdom, and Economic Fallacies. (Yes, I know the Wealth of Nations is the fundamental text, but it is not accessable to most beginning students.)

And this is also true of history textbooks. The story of the American Revolution is one of the most exciting stories ever told, but history textbooks make a sleeping cat seem more interesting the movement toward political liberty. I do not understand that at all. Okay, if there are any highschool history teachers reading this blog I have a suggestion for you: Throw away the textbooks and use these four books:

1. Patriots by A.J. Langguth It is footnoted history but reads like a thriller. You're students will be trembling with excitement and never ever forget the name Crispus Attucks. Also, your students will fall in love with George Washington even though he ran away from almost every battle.

2. Novus Ordo Seclorum by Forrest McDonald He begins with an explanation and history of the development of the rights of english farmers, and from their takes us through all of the ideas (No one knows John Locke like Forrest McDonald knows John Locke) and experiences of the Revolution that lead to the ratification of the Constitution. When you are through teaching this book your students will be begging their parents to buy them all three volumes of Sir William Blackstone's Commentary on the Laws of England.

3. The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood Do you want your students to know how a bunch of polite English farmers, tradesmen, and merchants overthrew their emperial ruler, and managed to avoid a Reign of Terror or a slide into depotism? Then this is the book. (Former Secretary of the Navy James Web has authored a book about the Scots-Irish that should be read in conjuction with this book. FYI: These are my people, and no, you can't have my guns.)

4. The Declaration of Independence with Short Biographies of Its Signers by Benson John Lossing This one might be better suited for elementary school, but given the lack of knowlege I have encountered among highschoolers I think this book might be in order. Want to know how many of the signers actually died in the revolution? How many actully lost their fortunes in the revolution? This book answers those questions and more.


And finally, when the story contains a line like "Both suspects took cover behind the store's meat counter as the owners opened fire." you KNOW there's more than a little Scots-Irish blood in these strapped-up store owners.