I happen to be good at math. I get math concept easily and really excel in the subject. I know that not everyone is a “math person”. My brother for instance is not. He struggles at concepts that come naturally to me. I also believe not everyone can teach math. I have had some really awful math teachers in my day. I felt sorry for the students in those classes that weren’t “math people”. If I found the class boring and confusing I can only imagine how lost and turned off they were. I agree with Mr. Barry when he sarcastically quotes our first president, Benjamin Franklin in saying “There is nothing more valuable in life than an education”. My parents have instilled that sentiment in me from the time I started kindergarten. I know a good education will give me opportunities I otherwise may not have. I also agree with him when he says “knowledge is our nation’s most precious resource”. Without knowledge we won’t know how to make the most of our other resources, industries, policies, and life in general. Education however has to keep up with technology. If there are better ways to teach math, to stimulate students and keep them interested, we should use them. Mr. Barry makes reference to education in the 1950’s and the Cold War. He seems to imply that competition with Russia made students more motivated or successful than they are today. SAT scores were higher back then. However I do not think that’s an accurate comparison to the math abilities of high school students today. In the 1950’s and 60’s college was attended mostly by upper and middleclass white students. They were the only ones taking the SAT. Today students of all abilities and ethnicities take the test. That is why the average test score is lower. Mr. Barry states “place the blame for our children's lousy test scores where it clearly belongs: on our children”. I do not agree that all the blame goes to