In the US, students are required to take algebra. If they don't pass it the first time, they usually take it 3 more times. Even in the so-called advanced classes are full of dullards who squeak by due to lax standards. I remember once being in Algebra 2 with a high school senior when I was a sophomore. It was amusing that he still tried to lord over me. What a putz.
-being a disciplinarian is unpleasant and tiresome
In many times and places, most students don't like school, don't benefit from being there, and in some cases, shouldn't be there. Yet there they are, and it falls to the teachers to keep them in line somehow. Now that corporal punishment has fallen out of fashion, the standard tactic is to tire them out with busywork.
-it's fun to teach students who want to learn
And it's even more fun when they actually learn. There's also the satisfaction of helping students get scholarships, etc. That was my motivation to keep teaching besides money. High school math does not stimulate my intellect much.
-there will always be jobs for those good at math
And they pay well. Students with any interest on ability in it should be encouraged to develop.
-whatever you choose to do in life (college, trade school, military), at some point you will have to take a standardized math test
And the better you do on it, the more options you will have.
-it's silly to get good at math just to teach math or pass a test
It's a case of a self-licking ice cream cone. I don't regret my time in school, and I like teaching. It's just that high school math education should be about preparing students to be scientists, engineers, mathematicians, etc.
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