Health & Fitness
So You Think You're Not A Math Person?
When we talk about being a "math person," we imply that performance in the area of math is something you either have or you don't; an idea which is entirely reasonable–and almost entirely wrong.
Contribution by Stephen Gretz
I’m not known as an overly positive person, so the confession of a pet peeve shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, but consider yourself warned. Here goes:
I hate it when people say, “I’m just not a math person.”
Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Seriously–what is that? I mean, we’re talking about MATHEMATICS; these are LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE. Can I say tomorrow, “Uh, yeah–I’m just not a gravity person” as an acceptable explanation for falling down a lot?
Now, if this is a some kind of verbal shorthand for “I avoid pocket protectors and rocket science, thank you,” then sure, I understand. In fact, I’m with you. I’m even very sympathetic to struggling with math in school, because I did more than my fair share of that as well.
Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
But when we talk about being a “math person,” we imply that performance in the area of mathematics is primarily a matter of some innate, inborn ability that you either have or you don’t, an idea which is entirely reasonable–and almost entirely wrong. Instead, skill with mathematics is built through rigorous, repetitive mastery of basics, a thorough familiarity that’s acquired almost like a foreign language.
There are even some voices (like that of author Malcolm Gladwell) whispering that math “ability” is nothing more than the aggregate result of work ethic. In Outliers, Gladwell cites a study that listed every country in the world in order of performance on math exams, and then listed those same countries in order of the value they place on hard work. The lists, it turns out, are exactly the same.
The problem for American students in 2012 is that they’ve inherited an educational attitude that says rote memorization and repetition aren’t valuable. (Gee, thanks, John Dewey!) Our enemy isn’t calculus–it’s culture.
What’s the takeaway? You may have a cultural bias (and potentially an educational system) to battle, but you are not doomed to indifference with integers. The door to math prowess is heavy, for sure, and you might break a sweat pushing through–but it’s open to everyone.
