I agree and disagree. As a math teacher the problem isn't necessarily that if you don't use it you lose it. I mean, yes, the geometry, trig, a lot of the algebra stuff, etc you definitely should lose as time goes on because you probably won't use it. However stuff like PEMDAS and the simple nature of the original problem, people should never use. One thing we try to hammer home is that you should never ever ever find yourself never doing math. Whether it's balancing your checkbook, keeping track of how much your spending grocery/pleasure shopping, or anything else. Nearly everything you do is some sort of math problem that you use to keep your basic math skills sharp.
The other half of that is trying to get students to understand that high school has nothing to do with the actual content. The content is there to make the real reason they're there interesting. Obviously the interesting part is entirely dependent on the teacher, which is sad. Both because there are so many poor teachers out there, but also because there are so many great ones that get a bad rap because generally when the word "teachers" is used, its coming in a negative context. Back to the point. Elementary and high school are a complete head fake. It's all about building neural connections and forcing developing minds to think in certain ways to prepare them for any situation they may potentially run into. Math is supposed to get kids thinking in organized, logical ways and to use reason to solve problems. Science does much of the same things, but also throws in a sense of wonder and curiosity, hence all the experiments. Social studies and English should be the most relevant subjects of all to students and they're usually two of the "dumbest."
I won't bore you with ranting from my soapbox. I will say this about math being abysmal. Whether or not school in general depends on teachers, community, and location in the country/in your state/in your county. All these factors weigh in much more heavily than the actual subject. A quick for instance. My district, in upstate NY located in Ulster county. This place hates education and teachers. It's reflected in the fact that no budget ever passes, it's reflected in who they elect to the school board, and who the school board hires for a superintendent. If you go 10 mins south to Kingston, much different. If you go one county over, it can be much different. Red Hook, only 30 mins away, is a completely different educational environment.
In NY, it also has to do with the tests. We test the kids to death, they can't do any of the math without the calculators because it's more important for them to know calculator tricks than the actual math so that they can do well on the test and can graduate and go to a good college. Now it will get even worse. The performance of the student's on the state exams directly affects a teacher's performance review. The whole system is a mess nationwide. Race to the top? What a joke. Just a rebadged NCLB.
It's also a reflection of the students. On average, the student body coming into schools these days is lazier, more apathetic, more street smart (or so they think), and even dumber because they think they're smarter. Constantly telling kids that they know so much more than I knew when I was your age has turned them into know it all's when they don't know a darn thing.
