Fine. First make sure kids can do: +,-,×,÷, decimals, fractions, and %.
Then worry about algebra. If kids struggle with algebra, but can do the others listed, that’s good.
My opinion is to not force algebra on kids that don’t ‘get it’, because they will likely never use it. The kids that ‘get it’ will more likely enter careers that use it.
When I was introduced to algebra in 8th grade I thought, “what??!!... we are using the alphabet to do math??” I struggled with it, (my parents didn’t have a clue, even though my dad, besides being a farmer was a commercial pilot), my teachers just passed me anyway, apparently know this farm kid wasn’t going to need it.
You are completely correct. For the vast majority of the population it is much more important to understand percentages than it is to know that X plus X equals 2X. The public can be so fooled by politicians and fraudsters when they do not understand that 10% of a quantity is different from 0.1 percent of that quantity. .
Well said