Math Anxiety!

[BidenRocks]

It is a thing I knew in the early 70s. I never got math and failed Algebra twice in HS before I dropped out and once in a CC. For that I was a failure, doomed to do some menial job. I joined the Marines and ended up doing Avionics/Electronics and retired from the field a few years ago. I needed applied learning, not general made up stuff.
THE POINT?

Helpful encouragement in math books is NOT a bad thing.
My brain isn't wired for math. I do know how to use resources though. Got calculator?
All support is appreciated and DeSantis can piss off!

[Biophilic]

1. Yeah, math anxiety. It 's a real thing. My 7th grade math teacher told

my parents that I would probably not graduate from HS. I have a BA, MA, and BS. Fuck those people. Some of us really aren't programed for math. But we have other skills that are just as important. I still struggle with basic math, but I laugh at it now because it know my other skills are important. Math is way over rated.

[Lucky Luciano]

2. Math is not overrated!

I’m biased sure…but I actually went all the way to the doctorate for math and it has served me exceedingly well.

It is bad for my 9 year old son though. He knows my expectations are through the roof past the moon. I had fantasies of getting him past differential equations in high school because he had me in his back pocket…I have since backed off (“You only care about math!”) to avoid turning him against that…and now he is getting interested because he sees now how math has helped me so much.

There are indeed many other valid and fulfilling occupations though for sure!

[SheilaAnn]

3. I didn't use Algerbra at all today....n/t

[Biophilic]

6. I'm so glad that you see that math is just 1 pathway to success. There are many others. nt

[Maraya1969]

4. I felt that way about math and went into a remedial class for my first

year of high school since we were allowed to choose.


The teacher was very nice and explained some things to me and all of a sudden things opened up. Then I went to regular math classes and I ended up not having to take my first 2 college math classes because of my SAT scores o math were so good.

So I swear, so much of it is attitude.

[mopinko]

5. my son the mathematician had a great twitter rant about this a while back.

worked his way through college tutoring. started w little kids as a volunteer, up to ta as a grad student, teaching all levels of undergrad math.

paraphrasing-
math anxiety- children arent afraid of numbers, they're afraid of you.
they're afraid of giving you the wrong answer.
they know it is damaging, because YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE IT.

went on from there, but i think you get the drift. there does seem to be something about math that makes a wrong answer jump.

[Biophilic]

7. Yeah jump and jump again. I'm 75 and still jump when I have to answer math questions

such as in a game. Damn math. Some how we approach it wrong. It becomes something huge. Some of us simply don't have brains that understand it easily. But most of us have other really wonderful and useful skills and knowledge. Math is really only a small part of being a successful human.

[mopinko]

8. a friend of mine was a researcher into what babies know.

that research is the basis for primary grade common core math.
i also have a niece who heads a math dept at a suburban hs, and she loves it.

so, there's hope.