The Gift of Math:

Why your children will thank you one day

if you make them stick it out.

by Laura Dawn Lewis

Until my junior year in high school, my whining about math fell in line with my peers, "But it's too hard!" "I'm no good at math" and "What am I going to use this stuff for anyway, Dad?"

Needless to say, as a child and teen, my math aversion made me normal. Which is why the appreciation I have for it today is so amazing. Seriously, I love math now. If I can come to love math, anyone can. Given this, I decided to write this article for parents and teachers everywhere struggling to get your child or student to do his/her homework in the subject. Maybe my story about the gifts a strong mathematics education gives can inspire your children or student(s) to give math a chance. They'll thank you for it one day.

OVERCOMING PREJUDICE VIA THE SCHOOL BOARD

When I was in grade school during the 1970's, the method for teaching math was known as "New Math". To this day, I still have no idea what that means. What I do remember is sitting next to my Dad at about 8 years old while he did his Calculus homework from college and being amazed at this strange language and numbers he grappled with, and how they spoke to him in a language I didn't understand. The process fascinated me. I knew that to be able to do math, a subject so many remain terrified of, allowed one to be considered smart.

New math involved tracks of recommended study, and though Women's Lib by 1978 effectively opened doors for girls But Dad I hate Math

shut just two decades prior, school systems still needed to catch up. By 9th grade I had finished the math track girls and boys like me were placed on. Though I always knew I'd go to college, it seemed the school district determined via my aptitude tests, I would not. To this day it amazes me because my GPA ranged from 3.7 to 4.0 and I rarely took fluff courses. School was for remedial learning in my family; not learning skills we could learn at home, through books or private instruction. What channeled me were my language skills and sex. The school district determined most girls in the late 1970's didn't need the scientific math of geometry, trigonometry and Pre-calculus essential for scientific careers and advanced placement courses. We were encouraged to take typing, home economics and language courses, which I did take, but found rather boring. My classmates on the same track ended their mathematics training at Algebra One and could spend the rest of their high school years taking easy classes without math.

My father, an engineer by now, would have none of that. His daughter was not going to graduate from high school without trigonometry and geometry. He took on the school district and won, forcing them to allow me to take the scientific math and college prep courses. And to make matters worse for me, though calculators were available at the time and had come down in price, I was not allowed to use one until I hit Algebra 2, and then only on tests. At the time, I resented him for that. Algebra Two was my first college course after high school!

The first time I developed an appreciation for my toughest subject came during my Junior year as a Rotary International Exchange Student in Brazil from 1982-1983. I didn't speak a word of Portuguese, and worse, nobody spoke English and my exchange lasted a year. I started school after 4 weeks in the country and like all the other students in my class, I too was expected to pass with no consideration given to my lack of Portuguese understanding. Worse...nobody spoke English at all. So much for the urban legend that "You can go anywhere. Everyone speaks English."

Yeah right. There were 100,000 people in Marilia and over the course of a year, I found two people who spoke English fluently!

In Brazilian high school, we had 13 courses per semester and the professors changed classes as the students stayed put. My curriculum included Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra, Optical Physics, Mechanical Physics, Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry and General Physics. These courses became my friends. We also had Portuguese, Brazilian History, Geography, Biology and English. I was kicked out of English for correcting the teacher one too many times, but the language based courses were very difficult for me. Though I spoke Portuguese fluently within 6 months, my reading comprehension left something to be desired, kind of like reading a legal contract. I knew the words; the meaning remained veiled. Math provided common ground.

MATH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE

During the late 1970's and early 1980's America experienced a huge influx of Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian Brazil Taught me that Math was a language I could speak

Brazil Taught me that Math was a language I could speak

refugees. As students, we saw these kids as brains. They took to math and science with a veracity none of us could understand. And they kept throwing the curve out of whack, which was annoying! In Brazil, (my Tennis Club ID is to the right. I'm 16 in the picture), I suddenly understood why.

Math and Science are languages. Their symbols, procedure and sentence structure are universal. Maybe I couldn't speak Portuguese yet, but I could speak Math; and I could speak Science and both gave me the ability to focus on something I could understand and do. I was no longer helpless. In these classes I could participate and because of this I worked even harder. Instead of sitting quietly, alone and feeling left out, I could jump up to the board and solve a problem. and while doing so I learned to understand Portuguese quickly.

My next appreciation for this tough subject came in college. Fortune smiled on me as my Sophomore year I took Pre-calculus, Calculus 101 and Calculus 201, all from the same teacher, Mr. Killingstadt. Each morning of my Sophomore year I got up at 3:30AM and I'd arrive about 4:15AM at our local 24 hour coffee shop where I ate breakfast, drank a lot of coffee and did my homework until 7:45AM. By 8AM, I was at work until 5PM and my classes ran from 5:30PM to 10PM at night.

Looking back I don't know how I did it. A morning person I am not. Yet Mr. Killingstadt encouraged me and I was determined to get it. I wasn't a great student in math and I received mostly B's, but those B's meant more to me than the A's I got in History, Speech or English where I rarely studied or even showed up for class. I earned those B's and eventually I tutored through Calculus my Junior and Senior years to earn money. My crowning achievement involved proving the quadratic equation on 10 pages of notebook paper both front and back! Doing so left me feeling like a genius for the rest of the day.

WHAT MATH REALLY TEACHES

Why so much math for a business major? My Dad had another rule besides no calculators. While I was in college I had to take a math or science course every quarter until I graduated with my bachelors in science and minor in Marketing. In retrospect this is amazing that I followed his requirements. He didn't pay for college; I worked my way through without financial aid. I've always had a hard time saying no to Dad so I followed his requirements, even though it was on my dime. Why? Math gives gifts few other subjects bestow and it is these gifts that have allowed me to succeed.

MATH TEACHES CREATIVITY, that a problem can be solved in more than one way and still arrive at the same conclusion. Once this is understood, critical thinking becomes habit. No longer is there just one side to a story. Math teaches there are many paths leading to the same conclusion. It forces us to look for alternatives. Understanding its logic opens new avenues of education.

Math gives CONFIDENCE. With so many in our population not even able to make change without a register giving the total, those with the skills advance more quickly and are intimidated by fewer circumstances.

COURAGE is another byproduct of a strong mathematics education. When we conquer our fears and overcome them, new opportunities open up. Absent a fear of math, I tackled computers and self-taught myself everything from programming to design. Couples Company would not exist if I had not overcome my fear of math. Everything you see on this site, I built, constructed or designed in the beginning and still do. Even what you don't see, our billing systems, marketing, accounting, polls, forms and club management systems are all based upon mathematics from accounting to statistical analysis and database management.

Without mathematics and the ability to understand the PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES, data is just data. To understand it, one must know what to ask and then how to create the formulas that deliver the answers. Without advanced Algebra and basic algorithms, data is useless and businesses miss opportunities. The real world, after all is a never ending story problem with real dollars attached: "Chuck drives five miles east at 60 miles an hour, how much gas will he use if his corvette gets 8 miles per gallon and how much will the trip cost on a per mile basis?" If Chuck is delivering your product, you better know the cost or it will eat your profit!

Today, I see its value, whether as window into another culture or an ace up my sleeve during contract negotiations. In politics, negotiation or debate, the ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide or convert percentages in your head is invaluable for exposing inconsistencies in arguments, junk science or signaling the necessity to think critically and question past what is presented.

Though my Dad's refusal to allow calculators gave me ammunition for teen angst, Dad did know best. This is one instance where his wisdom paid handsomely. By knowing how to do the math on paper or in my head faster than most people can with calculators, I've saved myself over $1000 in over charges at checkouts and can quickly negotiate terms on contracts, saving myself another $50,000 in concessions just in the past 5 years. Suffice it to say, learning math pays. It pays very well.

My thanks and appreciation to my teachers and professors at Crown Valley Elementary in Laguna Niguel, CA; Collins Jr. High in Cupertino, CA and Five Oaks Jr. High in Beaverton, Or. Cristo Rei High School in Marilia, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Aloha High School in Aloha Oregon; Everett Community College in Everett Washington and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. Thanks for the education!
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Impact Math Improves Student Performance

NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2003: -- McGraw-Hill Education has issued a new report called "Results with Impact Mathematics: Algebra and More," that features eight schools which have achieved student success with the program. The schools in the report represent diverse demographics, proving that all children can learn when given effective materials.

Impact Mathematics: Algebra and More is a comprehensive curriculum for Grades 6-8. It provides full coverage of a rigorous Algebra 1 curriculum by the end of Grade 8. Rather than focusing on facts and procedures, the program assists in skill development through conceptual understanding, problem solving and reasoning.

The schools profiled in the report share a number of measurable characteristics, including improved performance on standardized tests, faster advancement to above grade-level mathematics, and an increase in number of students who place higher in state and regional mathematics competitions. Also, the school administrators said the primary reason for selecting Impact Mathematics was its alignment with state and national assessment standards.

The featured success stories include:

* Bend-La Pine Public School District, Bend, OR

* Butler Junior High School, Butler, PA

* Glenn Westlake Middle School, Lombard, IL

* Ithaca Middle School, Ithaca, MI

* New York Mills Junior/Senior High School, New York Mills, MN

* St. Joseph School, Waconia, MN

* Sarah W. Gibbons Middle School, Westborough, MA

* Spotswood Memorial Middle School, Spotswood, NJ

Each profile outlines the school's individual experience using Impact Mathematics: Algebra and More. Overall, each school stresses its satisfaction with the increase in student participation and excitement in the classroom. Readers are encouraged to contact the schools' leaders for additional information. TOP

"Impact Mathematics had the connections to standards, offered opportunities for active learning, provided real-world experiences, and changed the teacher's role to facilitator," said Lynn Sullivan, mathematics department chair, Sarah W. Gibbons Middle School.

"We are delighted to see such a tremendous improvement throughout our nation's classrooms due to Impact Mathematics." said G. Thomas Houlihan, Council of Chief State School Officers executive director and national advocate for children. "The program provides a strong foundation for academic success by developing student's reasoning skills through its emphasis on real-world problems."

"The schools profiled in this report successfully implemented effective solutions that had a direct impact on student learning," said Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Gene Carter. "We commend their leadership in helping students improve their critical thinking and mathematical skills to achieve results."

The entire report can be downloaded at mheducation.com.

The Book Every Parent Should Read

Homework Hell: What to do About It
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Laura Dawn Lewis is the publisher and founder of Couples Company and the author of 2012 Event, Editorial & Promotional Calendar, The Storybook Advent Calendar: 24 Stories for Christmas and the Laid Off Now What Series.