Part 2 - The Unspoken "Elitism" of Mathematics ...

What is it about Math?

It often seems to be the subject that everyone loves to hate. And that attitude is generally acceptable to most people. The conversation goes something like this ...

Person #1 ... "I hate Math."

Person #2 .... "Oh yeah, me, too!"

Person #3 ... "Not me, I love Math!"

Persons #1 & #2 in unison ..."Ewwwwww ... what are you?? Some kind of GEEK or something?"

And everybody moves a little further away from Person #3.

Yet if you were to take Person #1 aside and ask him if he would like to be able to do Math and understand Math ... he would admit that, YES, he would LOVE to be able to do Math well. Same thing with Person #2. Same thing with almost everybody.

So where is the disconnect? Everybody would like to be good at Math, but not many people are. Think back .... when exactly did Math become a problem for you? Was it in 1st grade? 4th grade? Middle School? Was it Algebra or Geometry?

Almost every adult had to take Algebra and some form of Geometry while in High School. Very few took more than that. Why?

If you are one of those people who would like to be good at Math, but only took what was required of you in High School, I would like to hear from you. When did Math begin to be a struggle for you? Was it the Math or was it the teacher or was it because of issues in your life at the time? Maybe it was a combination of these things?

I have my own theories on this ... but I would like to know how things worked in YOUR case. Please feel free to comment on this post or you may email me at MathMatters@verizon.net.



(to be continued ...)

The Unspoken "Elitism" of Mathematics ...

Are you good at Math? How good at Math are you? How does the following question make you feel?


50. Which of these equations describes a relationship in which every real number x corresponds to a non negative real number?

A. y = 2x

B. y = 2x ^2 (2 times x squared)

C. y = 2x^ 3 (2 times x to the third power)

D. y = -2x

Does it make you want to sketch graphs and figure it out? Or does it make you want to run screaming into the closet?

It's okay .... come on out of the closet .... I'm not going to make you do this problem and I am not going to judge you in any way if you have no idea what it even says. I promise. (However ... if you do want to know the answer, please Click Here.)

My guess is that out of 100 people polled, at least 80 would bow-out or back away from this question. Roughly 20 would try it .... and of those 20 maybe 11 will get it right? Maybe?

But what I know for sure .... those who get it right would be PROUD. Proud of their ability to do Math. Proud to know more than about 89% of the general population. And many of the Proud would be Math Teachers.

Knowing how to do Math is a wonderful thing. In a way, it is kind of like knowing how to do magic. People who can do magic are very happy to perform it, but almost always unwilling to share their secrets. And sometimes the performance of a Math problem looks like Magic to many ... only not near as entertaining as, say, sawing a Math teacher in half and then putting him/her back together again.

How many of you have ever tried to do a Math problem, been unsuccessful, and then heard someone say, "I can't believe you don't know how to do this! You should have learned this in Sixth Grade!" Okay, Okay put your hands down. Now ... how many of you have had a Math teacher say that to you? And how many of these Math teachers looked smug/disgusted when they said it?

Okay ... Okay ... put your hands down. And please stop imagining your Math teacher being sawed in half.

Yes ... there is a feeling of pride in being able to do something that "most people" cannot do ... being able to do something that actually scares most people. And sometimes there is a feeling of wanting to keep your secrets close, so that you are one of the few who can do it and do it well.

Mathematicians are often this way. Maybe not intentionally, but many Mathematicians seem unwilling to share their special talent with the general public. You either know it, or you don't ... and if you don't, too bad for you. Or maybe many mathematicians are the type who can do it well, but are unable to teach it in a way the general public can understand?

Everybody knows somebody who can do Math really well, but who cannot teach it worth anything. Often it is your architect Dad, or your engineer Uncle, or your honors achieving Sister. They can do it ... and do it well ... but they simply cannot explain it to you.

Enter Math teachers. It is their JOB to explain Mathematics to you in a way that you can understand. It is their job to teach this generation of high schoolers Algebra One and Geometry and Algebra Two and Pre-Calculus and Calculus and so on! And teach it they do. And teach it and teach it and teach it.

Yet colleges are still complaining that students don't know any Math. And 40,000 students didn't graduate from Texas High Schools in 2007, mainly due to the TAKS Math Test.

What is it about Math?

To be continued ...