English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
In these first few weeks of school, I wonder how many parents have heard complaints from their children about math, and how many have responded with something about how bad they used to be at math. Adults can have very strong and negative feelings about math.
We remember our first experiences, and if we struggled with math, we may still see it as something awful. We know it has importance, but we are still not fans! Teachers call it “math anxiety,” and recognize that when parents have a negative opinion about math it directly influences their child’s opinion.
The moment we say something about “being bad at math, too,” to our children, it is like a green light for them to just give up and quit trying. The truth is, human brains are capable of learning anything, even math!