I'm not a Math Person but..

I'm not a math person.

That doesn't mean that I can't be good at math, it just means that I don't enjoy math the same way I enjoy written languages, or music, or art.

To simply accept, however, that there is some kind of uncontrollable reason that prevents someone from being good at math (or anything, for that matter) is an idea that has been ingrained into our society. Math seems to be the biggest victim.  In order to break this cycle, we as educators need to know two things:

1.  Everyone can do math and everyone can be good at it.

2.  Not everyone likes math, it is our job as educators to motivate students and change their mind about math.  

We've been programmed to believe that if we aren't good at math, it's because we aren't supposed to be good at math. We were born with some kind of different wiring.

As educators we need to realize that this is not the case.  That all students can do math and all students can do well in math.  Some students just might need a little extra help or differentiated instruction.  If we want to become stronger, we head to the gym. We lift weights. We do repetitions of the same movement over, and over, and over. We add more weight, and continue the same repetitions over again.  Our brain works in the same way, which is what makes it so important for teachers to give their students time to practice and repeat their math problems.

Ensuring our students have been given enough time to practice and master a certain skill is imperative for student success in math.  This may mean that teachers need to prepare separate lessons for students who are working at different paces.

Another area that may pose to be problematic for teachers is breaking that ubiquitous conception that math sucks and we don't need it unless we want to be an accountant or mathematician.  For students that don't like math, motivating them can be challenging.  Teachers need to make math apply to all students lives and provide students real life contexts in their work.  We need to encourage students to view math in the same way they would a passion of theirs.  When students ask, "when am I ever going to use this?"  We need to have students reflect a bit and have them wonder in what real-world scenario would we ever be laying flat on our back, with a perfectly balanced weight over our chest that we're required to push up on? Never, unless we are at the gym we use a bench press to increase our strength.  When we first begin to do bench presses it may seem difficult, but as we continue to repeat the same movement with higher weights it gets easier and easier.  

The human brain is a muscle that can be exercised in the same way. Are we ever going to be put in a situation where we will need to figure out what 15% of a number is? Not unless you ever plan to dine out and leave your server a gratuity. Oh, wait, the answer was yes. Leaving the cell phone calculator in your pocket, and using that big muscle that sits atop your body will exercise it the same way that a trip the the gym will work your 6-pack. 

So, as educators we need to remind ourselves of these two points so we can help our students succeed in the math classroom.