“Oh, I’m bad at math, haha“.
I can’t count the number of times that I’ve heard this, and I’m sure you can’t either. I hear this all the time. I say I’m bad at math, but that’s because I had my [explative] handed to me on a plate in equations (which, as my calculus II professor put it, are “a whole new world of pain”). But when I hear a lot of people say that they’re bad at math, what they mean, is they can’t figure out 50% of 150. But that’s okay, cause they’re bad at math, haha.
What I’d like to particularly note is that people usually laugh after saying they’re bad at math. In fact, it’s “cool” to suck at math. “Oh, that math crap is hard and is for nerds and losers. I hate it, haha” I hear too often. I can appreciate a certain aversion to academics (yes, there have been times when I have cursed class, any class). However, math, especially at the algebra level, is a basic enough skill that everyone should have at least a basic understanding and ability. Furthermore, it should not be “cool” to hate it.
My discrete math professor said something that I’ll never forget:
“Why is it that people think it’s cool or funny to suck at math? That’s like saying ‘Oh, I can’t read, I suck at reading, haha.’ People are ashamed to say they can’t read.”
The catalyst to this post was something that I saw over on Wil Wheaton’s blog today in which he indicated that he’s not as good at math as he used to be. Look at point 5 in his post, which expands upon
“I mean, I’m a pretty smart guy, and there are times when I have to write down a math problem that I used to be able to do in my head, and some of the spelling and grammar errors I make are just embarrassing – and I’m a writer! So my idea is for an 8 week class that meets once or twice a week for a couple hours, that would be a mental tune up for guys like me.”
This sounds like a fantastic idea, one which I’d probably attend. I love the idea that he wants to be better at math! In fact, I think that there might be something more here. There are all sorts of interest groups, organizations, and events that exist on a national level: hackerspaces, FabLab, MakerFair, ACM, IEEE, etc… Why can’t there be some sort of organization or group that offers adult oriented refresher course? I’d be more than happy to brainstorm with anyone who’d like to with me.
