Calculus is actually a lot of fun, and it isn't that difficult to grasp conceptually. For everybody who struggled in Calc and might now be gasping, peace be upon you. I KNOW calculus problem sets can very difficult and frustrating. But that's usually because the algebra (and sometimes the trigonometry) in the problem sets is hard, not the actual calculus.

And that brings us back to the point. Lots more kids could study lots more algebra in high school. And guess what? Algebra can be a lot of fun too if you're not trying to tackle it all at once!

Algebra is super cool as a set of techniques for solving practical problems. Mathematians invented algebra because it made solving problems simpler for them. Then they invented calculus because of its amazing problem-solving abilities.

With calculus, you can take a problem that would require 3 or 4 pages of lined notepaper to solve, and find the solution with only four or five lines. (Of course, it has to be the right kind of problem, but still.)

I often encounter people who call for teaching less math by claiming math isn't practical, that we shouldn't expect most kids to study something they will never use.

I often wonder how these folks are so sure that kids couldn't make practical use of something that they themselves don't understand enough to make use of.

Good math skills are very practical. The fact that I learned early on to think mathematically has helped me all my life, sometimes directly by being able to use the math, but sometimes just because it taught me problem-solving skills.

In my opinion, a good, broad education must include higher mathematics. Because they're practical, they're valuable as thinking tools, and they're fun.