Comment due Sunday, November 3
“I’m bad at math.”
Everyone on earth, probably
Contents
Background
“I’m bad at math.” This is something I’ve heard from a handful of students (in different classes) over the last few years. It’s devastating to me to hear anyone say this about themselves… let alone my own students, but it’s very common to feel this way, especially around exam time.
Here’s a big secret: I’ve said this about myself. I have a Ph.D. in math. I write math research papers and get invited to give fancy math research presentations. I’ve taught hundreds (maybe thousands?) of students math in my career. And I have said this about myself tons of times over the years.
Here’s another (not-so-big) secret: I’m bad at pushups. I don’t have a Ph.D. in pushups! I can barely do one pushup! I’m, like, definitely, objectively really really bad at pushups! But it doesn’t make me feel bad when I can’t do a pushup. I really don’t care. So what’s different about math?
There is something unique about math: it can make all of us feel bad about ourselves sometimes. The wife of my good friend (who got his Ph.D. in math the same week I got mine) says this: “You mathematicians…if you do understand something, you think it’s because it’s obvious and easy…if you don’t understand something, you think it’s because it’s impossible and you’re too dumb. When do you ever get to feel good about yourselves?” Doing math can be very humbling. (If you’ve never been challenged doing math, let me know and I’ll find a challenge for you.)
There are lots of intersecting reasons that so many people think they’re bad at math, even when they’re not…especially when they’re not. For example, do this right now: do a Google image search for “mathematician.” Scroll until you see someone who looks like you. Can you find anyone? I don’t think any of you really look like this bro:
Assignment
Choose one of the following prompts. Then write a response of at least 5 sentences and drop it in the comments below.
- Read an article on “math anxiety” (for example this one). Math anxiety is a real thing and there have been tons of articles written on it! Summarize the article. What parts of it resonated the most with you? What is a situation during which you remember experiencing math anxiety in your life? Were you able to overcome it? How? Have your feelings about math changed as you’ve gotten older?
- Go back to the results of your Google image search for “mathematician.” Find a picture of a mathematician who looks like you. What is their name? Research this person’s biography and summarize it for us. What did you find most interesting about their life? What is a question you would ask this person about their life if you could?
- Okay, let’s get personal! Have you ever thought, “I’m bad at math,” yourself? Have you ever said it out loud? How often does this thought come into your head? In what circumstances? What do you do when it happens? Have any of your friends or classmates ever said this about themselves to you? What would you tell your friend if they said “I’m bad at math” to you? What do you think makes people think they’re bad at math? What do you do to challenge these thoughts? How can we support people when they feel like this? (Bonus: respond to someone else’s comment on this prompt; be nice.)
If your response is too long for a comment or if you want to include pictures (especially for prompt #2), feel free to submit your own new post. Use the category Bad at math and copy the link into the comments below.
You will earn participation credit for your comment.
Back to pushups
Recently I decided to be consistent about trying to do a pushup. I started with planks and pushup variations and eventually was able to do a number of traditional pushups! (After I accomplished this goal, I instantly got bored and stopped trying to do any pushups at all… so chances are that once again, I wouldn’t be able to do even one haha!)
So here is one more question for you: why do you think am I talking so much to you about pushups in a math class???
1:- math anxiety
In this article “how to help a child with math anxiety “(The New York Times,Wollan 2022) the author demonstrates that Math anxiety is a widespread emotional and physical response marked by feelings of fear and tension, along with an elevated heart rate and sweating. Studies indicate that assigning more math homework may lead to heightened math anxiety and negatively impact math performance.
In my opinion , I think Math anxiety can be overwhelming, leaving students paralyzed during exams even after thorough preparation. For example, as a college sophomore, I often feel anxious and queasy at the thought of an approaching algebra test. Although I grasp the concepts when studying, the stress and fear of failing can create a mental barrier during the actual exam, hindering my ability to remember formulas and solve problems that I usually understand.
Javon
3:
Yes, there were some instances where I thought “i’m bad at math” and there were times I’ve said out loud. Since, in math when given a question there is only one answer/solution and any other answers would be defined as incorrect, due to how math is about being precise/accurate.The scenario of “im bad at math” is a rare occurrence to me, where it mainly ever occurs when I don’t understand a question or when its being taught to me by a teacher. When this happens I will try my best to figure it out on my own without relying on teachers or classmates. There were even times where even my classmates claimed they were “bad at math”, but whenever they were struggling on a topic I would try my best to explain it to them the best I could. People may believe the phrase “i’m bad at math” due to the fact that there struggling on a certain topic in math which is a universal thing where everyone has/had experienced it. To counteract the thought of being “bad at math” we should try to build up one another, where if they struggle on a topic or even a lesson we should be able to lend a helping hand.
It’s great that you try to explain things to your classmates when they’re having trouble that shows you’re willing to help others feel more confident, too. I agree that supporting each other and building each other up can make a big difference.
3
I have never thought “I am bad at math” but I have thought “ This topic of math is hard”. I have never said it out loud but I have said this thought out loud. That thought can come up in my head every once in a while when the topic is too complex. For example when I tried doing calculus problems that made no sense. Yes. I have had multiple friends and classmates say this to me In the past . When someone would tell me “ I’m bad at math”, I would ask them what exactly they don’t understand and would try to get to the root of the problem. Most of the time they don’t understand anything so I start explaining from the beginning and work my way up to the question they don’t understand. I think people think they are bad because they already go into math and have a negative mindset, which causes them to believe less in themselves. Also most people don’t like to be challenged so they go right into the mindset that it is too challenging for their understanding. To challenge these thoughts I try to get people to think differently like “ math can be complicated but not impossible”.
I think that this is something I should really try cause saying its hard is more objective and less harmful to the unconscious mind. Alternatively I think that people who have done what you are struggling with can help you know it’s possible to pass it.
3:
There has been more than one occasions where I’ve said to myself “I’m bad at math”, even sometimes out loud. Still, I whisper it, It always strikes me as a surprise sometimes when I think that I want to get better and understand what I’m doing, but this thought usually pops up in my head when I’m working on a problem and get stuck trying to solve it or when I try to work on a problem on WebWork and the result is “incorrect”… I just give up, its easy to feel like ill never understand it. When that happens, I try to step back and break the problem down and ask for help or attend tutoring (which I haven’t done yet might be cooked for the final exam). I have heard friends say they’re “bad at math” too and I completely understand the thought of having a math class can feel intimidating, especially when the answers don’t come out the right way. I tell my friends to attend a tutoring session or maybe look up YouTube tutorials on a specific topic of math to help with resolving the issue. To challenge these thoughts of mine I first take a minute to get back into working on a problem by looking up YouTube tutorials on the topic, but I guess I’m a slow learner. Instead of thinking it’s not worth it or thinking of it as a failure, keep trying you’ll get to the right solution!
Prompt 3:
Honestly I have said the sentiment I’m bad at math as of recent then any time before. But for me its hit me a lot harder than I expected cause I actually was math kid, I loved to do math problems but when I got to college it felt like the math problems I used to love had been twisted against me. I try not to actively say it as much(I honestly am failing horribly at this but I try anyways) cause I know that repetition is the best way to convince your brain of something, so repeating negative things does not help you it hurt you at its own speed most usually in a very slow and poisonous way. I think when it comes to my friends I kinda just agree when they say their bad at math cause its something I feel too or if its a class I felt was crazy levels of difficult I get a bit over dramatic and call their feats impressive and/or sorcery depending on how bad I’m doing in the class. I think I say it too much for my own mental health but I think at times it is the best way I can kinda make excuses for my failures,
I would like to say the reason you referenced pushups when it comes to class because you think it could be way we could make sure were awake and pay attention since exercise would make us definitely observant of our surroundings but that is both entirely messy and highly unproductive. I think more accurately the reason that you talk about exercise and math is because our brain is a muscle and we can “exercise” it to help it be better and handle things better. When it comes to learning at times we can’t just do the regular traditional push ups we have to work up to with different strategies and methods.