Math illiteracy

In high school, the question often comes up, “when are we ever going to use this?” We can argue whether any of the classes we take in school are important to our imminent professional lives, but agree or disagree it is a fact that lawyers and doctors don’t prove two triangles similar on a daily basis. In twenty years I doubt I will remember much about quadrilaterals, or the causes of the Hundred Years War. Everything I pick up in school is important to me now, but it is hard to believe that much would ever apply to my professional career. That is not to say that what we learn in class is not important. When we have math class, not only are we learning geometry, but we are learning life skills. We learn problem-solving, hard work and perseverance. These skills do stick with us for the rest of our lives, and they are something that doctors and lawyers use daily. U.S. citizens aren't mathematically savvy because for the average citizens math hardly applies in their lives. They may have to do simple arithmetic on a daily basis, but besides that, math isn't part of their daily routine. I, (among others I’m sure), wish this not to be the case. This math illiteracy makes for what appears to be a country full of ignoramuses, and is a cause of many stereotypes about our country. While we can hope that lessons from the high school classrooms stick with us throughout our lives, we can revel in the fact that important skills like hard work do stick with us. So while the average U.S. citizen may not be able to prove the Pythagorean Theorem, skills that applied to this proof (like problem-solving) will have stuck with them and become visceral. 

Response and my attitude towards math

a.   a.     This blog entry demonstrates how disinterest turned to passion. When you first moved in, you had no interest whatsoever in the flowers. Your neighbor, her age reflecting her wisdom, sparked your interest in flowers. In this way a teacher, wiser than a student, could spark an interest in math -or any other class- in a student.   When you first attended to your garden, you were trying to have the flowers take up less space- you had no interest in having them bloom. But when your neighbor gave you the correct tools, you used them, and your garden flourished. In this way a student may not have an interest in math, but when given the proper help, their interest sparks. Soon enough their interest will not stop growing. The peaches represent the help students can give to each other. Your friends are your equals, just the way any one student is equal with their peers. When your friends first delivered peaches, you thought it was generous, but you had no interest in them. You soon however learned to love peaches. Similarly, a student may be surrounded by peers who appreciate a subject, and gradually they will come to appreciate it too.

b.      b, When I was younger, I was never too interested in math. Instead of doing basic algebra, I preferred to have my face buried in a book or my hands writing away. My interest in math really sparked in eighth grade. There was no real reason for it- it just happened. It might have had to do with the fact that I had a wonderful teacher, or the fact that I was learning a challenging subject.  I started looking forward to math homework. On those nights with big loads of work, I rewarded myself by doing math last. I can proudly say that I find math to be one of my favorite subjects. I love the challenge. While I appreciate the abstractness of history or English, I realize that routine can be comforting. A math problem will always have a solution, and the challenge of finding the solution is something I love. This summer I read a book about success and how it happens (Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell). One part talked about why some countries are so good at math. Some countries preach hard work, discipline, and never giving up. I love math because I love being challenged, and I don’t like giving up. If I can’t find a solution, I won’t give up. Instead, I am inspired to work harder until I do find it.