Do all kids battle with Mathematics or just the ones I know?
I recall being at high school and switching from Maths to Business Economics(B.E.) Back then Maths Literature wasn’t a subject. I secretly changed my subject to B.E without my parents knowing. I knew I would never manage Maths and didn’t see the logic in doing a subject that I wouldn’t need for my career path.
I suppose this is what I teach my kids as well. Their father, who is not from the world of Arts, has a very different view on this whole Maths thing. He believes that by having Maths as a subject you are keeping your options open. I personally don’t know what options if you continuously failing the subject and it makes you miserable every time you look at the cover of your book.
If Maths is not a subject that you will need in to your tertiary years, then I don’t see the logic in doing it at high school.
So this is my take on the big picture. We are pressured at schools to do Maths regardless of what you plan on doing in the future. Parents are taught to believe that if their kids don’t do Maths they are not the brightest sparks. When schools have subject choice evenings, sadly the focus is only on Maths and Science and I would like to challenge schools who do this.
The world is made up of all sorts. Not only doctors and lawyers, although in our country these professions are considered elitist.
I wonder how boring our lives would be if we didn’t have the radio DJ who lifted our spirits in the morning before we got to work by playing the music that we enjoyed. What about the historians who write about all the stupid things we do in this life so no one repeats it 500 years from now. Or the priest or shopkeeper. We all have a function but Maths does not define who we are as people.
Kids are led to believe that if they don’t do Maths they are lesser beings or that their chances of a successful future is very slim.
I just wish we could stop brainwashing our kids with this rubbish.
Think about this….How many of you reading this are doing what you always set out to do? How many of you are living your dream? Did you do Maths? Did it determine how happy or successful you are?
Maths may not be everyone’s forte but it doesn’t make you less of a person by not doing it. There is a whole world to explore…..don’t let Maths dictate whether you get to see that world or not.
Please share your thoughts….
The World of Zivs 
Such an engaging blog that I’ve come across. I can definitely relate whole heartedly on this blog because I’ve been through a similar situation. I’ve done pure maths for all 12 years of my schooling career. I did not cope to be honest.. but I pushed through it all, because I’m someone who does not give up easily. If I’m given a difficult task , I’ll push through it and even if I can’t get through it, I will still try. At the end of the day, it did make me feel drained out, I’m not a logical thinker which made it even harder for me to absorb everything and then going back home to re-teach it to myself…
I hope that in this and the next generation that no child should have a sense of feeling like “the odd one out” if they do decide to not do pure maths or maths at all.
We just need to mould certain people’s minds into knowing that .. not everyone has the power to understand something the way others understand in the same way. Everyone is different.
I love your blogs 🙂
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Hi Ammaarah. It’s always nice hearing about peoples’ personal experiences. Don’t be afraid of being the odd one out though. History has shown us that some of the worlds “odd ones” were in fact great minds and were way ahead of their time so why not enjoy just being YOU. 🙂 Thanks for the lovely feedback.
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Interesting, very interesting. Indeed you do not become a second class citizen if you do not do maths, but at the same time opportunities that require maths as a conduit would automatically be out of reach. Not a problem if you are convinced that maths is not that much of a prerequisite in your life. Key is not the subject as an independent entity, but the use thereof. In other words, to teach or learn how to think / apply your knowledge mathematically. It then works like a language which is a medium used to making sense to the hearers, although it may not be that important if there is no purpose in its usage. You were correct in that I will agree to disagree on this one pet project of mine. Peace!!!
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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment Doc. Your points have been noted. Z☺
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