Does math matter? | Letter

Published 3:20 pm Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Many young kids ask if math really matters when it’s not going their way in school. But does it?

While most people don’t need to know specific equation forms, they should know other concepts. Even people who research human behavior need math to interpret data. For some jobs, math does not play a huge role, but daily life requires certain math skills.

Calculating tips, creating a budget and doing taxes all involve skills acquired during those years spent struggling through math. Math concepts are not always important, but math education is vital for daily life and jobs and should be adjusted to help make a better impact on students.

Math education should be more personalized for the different uses and ways students understand math. Many kids do not gain as much from a math class because it is not taught in a way they understand.

Classes could be created to focus on visual learning, hands-on learning, discussion, or practical application for those who aren’t heading towards a math-related career. Some people may say that it would cost too much to create these extra classes, but I believe the benefits would outweigh the cost. By adjusting the classes to the students, we can help students gain a fuller understanding from what they are being taught.

So maybe, sometimes, kids are on the right track when they say some math concepts do not matter. Some concepts might not be useful later in life and kids probably will have forgotten all about it by the time their kids need math help.

But all of the concepts in school help build toward the concepts that they will use later in life. By adjusting classes to the students, we can help math seem more meaningful, and make more sense to students.

Stephanie Rasor, Kirkland