Hacker sounds like kind of an idiot. I really liked the point made that being able to analyze "The Old Man and the Sea" doesn't come up very often in day to day life, but is still a good thing to be exposed to. Additionally, I appreciate the valid opinion that most teachers, particularly elementary, and to a lesser extent, middle school teachers have little to no math education. My mother actually changed majors and became a teacher because she did not have the prior education to pass calculus, and did not think she would ever be able to pass it. She's a very good teacher, and very smart, but it's for the best that she teaches HS English, and isn't required to teach math.
