Unit 7

Text A

"Why do I have to learn math? I'll never use this again in my whole life." This kind of complaining can often be heard among students. Is it true that nobody needs math? Well, the author is going to tell you the story...

Math, Who Needs It?

Carlie Vanwilligen

"That'll be $6.52," the cashier said. I handed her a $10 bill. She looked at it, then looked at me. As I waited, she started writing on a pad of paper. After what seemed like several minutes, she handed me the change. "$4.52 is your change," she smiled.

I stared at the change, then at her. "That's not right," I said. She looked at me, confused. "I gave you a $10, the change would be $3.48." I handed the money back to her.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "Our computer is down, and I have to do this by hand. I'm not very good at math." She counted out my change, and I left.

As I think back on this exchange, I feel sad, sad because it wasn't the first time it had happened, sad because I know it won't be the last. I taught high school math for years, and every year, the conversation was the same: "Why do I have to learn this? This isn't important. I'll never use this again in my whole life."

Unfortunately, students don't see the eventual impact of studying a subject. And when that subject is math, they see the value even less. I no longer teach full-time, but I look back on those conversations and think about how my reactions changed each year. The first year I taught, the question caught me off guard. "Because" was my standard answer. The second year, my response was similar, "If you want to graduate, you learn this stuff." It took me until my third year of teaching to realize that, if I genuinely wanted students to learn, they needed motivation. So, instead of my standard "because" and "if you want to pass" answers, I asked them what they'd like to do when they graduate—or when they "grow up". For each career path, I had "math" that they needed to know in order to be successful. For the construction workers, architects, and engineers, there was the geometry involved in getting a building to stand solidly. For the prospective teacher, it was the statistics involved in seeing if your tests were fair to the students. For the prospective "I want to be a stay-at-home mom", there was the calculating involved in maintaining a household. For the financial wizard wanna-be, there was the understanding of economics that comes with being a successful investor or accountant. For the stubborn, who insisted they didn't want to be anything, and didn't need math, a simple role-play involving them being "ripped-off" when they couldn't make change drove my point home.

Who needs math? We all do! We use it every day. Not only that, but the problem solving we learned during the days of "if one train leaves Springfield at 6:00pm travelling east at 75mph", can now help us with a myriad of "adult" crises. Do I have enough gas to get to work and back without filling the tank? Which bills do I pay and when in order to have enough money in the bank? How much grass seed do I need to cover that 10'×10' bare patch in the front yard?

For those still teaching, it is using these examples, and developing activities for students that bring the reality of math into their worlds. For parents, the same holds true. When your child complains that he or she "doesn't get" math, give your child an example. Take your child to the grocery store. Give your child $10. Tell your child to provide a dinner for the family, complete with the four basic food groups and dessert, for that $10. Show your child the importance of thinking mathematically. It will do your child some good—who knows, you might learn something too!
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