Math is stupid. I hate it.
“Math is stupid. I hate it. I’m never going to need this stuff.”
I’m guilty of having uttered each of these sentences in my life. Math was always a struggle for me, much to the dismay of my father. He was a virtual human calculator who dealt with complicated math equations in his daily life as a banker/financial advisor. Like most fathers, he looked forward to his children following in his mathematical footsteps. It wasn’t to be.
Now, in my day-to-day life words are of my most-used tools. Regardless of the profession that I chose, I still come upon math every day.
- In cooking: ¼ cup is smaller than 1/3 of a cup
- In Shopping: How much is 35% off of $29.99?
- In baking: Cook a 10 lb turkey at 45 minutes per pound…
- In Decorating: How much carpet do I need to cover the floor of my living room?
As it turns out, I did need this stuff. The teachers were right.
I wish that I had paid better attention in math class. Despite being a relatively good student, the further that I got in school, the less that math made sense to me.
Thankfully, my proficiency in other subjects was apparent (hello, writer’s craft), so I could get by without having top marks in math.
But that doesn’t mean that I ever gave up trying to get better math marks. I knew my multiplication tables inside and out, thanks to flash cards and a variety of unique learning techniques I may have been able to recite my times tables, but I never really understood them.
It’s been years since my father and I butted heads about math homework but unfortunately, not much has changed. Math is still a struggle for parents and kids because many kids still don’t get math.
It’s not because the curriculum is too hard, or the teachers are ineffective. Some kids struggle with math simply because the basic concepts of math are not relevant or meaningful to the student.
And when students don’t have a fundamental understanding of the concepts, they rely on memorization to get by.
Some kids get math naturally, and others don’t. Those that don’t have to work harder to develop a better understanding of math basics. If your child is not a natural math learner, then the struggle is trying to help your child find the link to the real world that will make math meaningful and relevant. It’s a process that can take years, but its one that is well worth it, because math doesn’t end when school does. Math has practical applications in everyday life. When the light bulb finally goes on for your child and math begins to makes sense, the struggles begin to slip away…
What do you do to make math meaningful for your child? We’d love to hear from you.
Ahh…I could just imagine how perfect my life would be if there wasn’t math involved. I wouldn’t be so behind on my credits. I would be graduating on time. I wouldn’t have to be ridiculed by my teacher every day because of math. I hate math. I WISH that there was something to help me get it. My teacher is lousy at explaining it. If I could just get it, life would be a bit better for me. Or if math could disappear off of the face of earth….hmm..
I HATE MATH! I HATE MATH! I ****** HATE EVERY ******* THING THAT HAS TO DO WITH MATH! JUST LOOKING AT IT GIVES ME SERIOUS HEADACHES! **** YOU MATH **** YOU!!!
i use to hate math but now that im good at it…i love it
pen is mightier than the sword
I USE TO HATE MATH BUT I LOVE MATH NOW. I LOVE SCHOOL! HOME IS THE BEST <3
ok. math is awesome. it is a logical side of life. that doesn’t mean it is fun, but is is here whether we like it or not. people who hate math have no lives… and thats a fact….. mathematicly
If you weren’t born with the Math gift, then you are screwed. Forget about undertanding Math. I just hate Math! It’s ruining my life and my desires >_> I think your language’s grammar is more important than this. There’s people who are very good at math, but aren’t capable of even writing a little phrase without making errors. That’s pathetic.
i will answer all your questions using logic. 1.well if you learend BASIC math youd know this. 2. ask cashier to scan product. 3.In baking: Cook a 10 lb turkey at 45 minutes per pound…(stupid what the crab says this?) ( have person who said this use a dam calculator.) 4.get professional to input carpet. most math questions in test are stupid and will never happen. math teachers should start giving real life examples.
i know math is not my subject to its ruining my life but … if i try harder it sometimez works but the worst thing is that we have a techer which cant explain it !
I’m sitting my AP Statistics exam this Tuesday. I’m so unprepared, and the more I cram, the more I loathe the subject. Don’t try to tell me I’ll need it in real life, because yeah maybe I’ll need fractions and arithmetic to get me through my daily chores but certainly not a lesson on how to randomize experiments. STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID.
because of math i cant get into university. [edited for language]
I swear, It’s the only subject that I struggle with! I hate math and all the brainiacs that won’t shut up! (No offense…) but really, I am able to grasp the concept that you desperatly need math but it’s too darn difficult.
I’m severly depressed and one of the reasons is because I cannot finish graduate school or get my teachers certification because of math. I just don’t get it and I’m terribly afraid of it!!!! What can I do???
I am from a third world country, and I have all the reason to hate math but I don’t. This is actually what my thesis is about. – I got beat up at home when I wouldn’t get my homework problems right – I got bullied by teachers – I didn’t have books with meaningful examples -I was a bit lazy at times -I even had a teacher who could solve the test question she set for our exams…. However, I hold a healthy respect for the subject. I think to answer the question asked… Maths can be horrible if you fail, have a bad teacher, get teased about being good at it, get pressure from parents to pass, or are generally lazy. I think the best thing for parents is to know what is happening in your child’s life. If its their learning style, appeal to it, get books with lots of jokes and pictures, even if they are not on the curriculum. Take your kids to friends with jobs in industries that use math…PLIZ don’t wait for the school to do it cause in my experience thats a sure reciepe for an E…. And for all those who are failing hang in there, life could be worse…really, You could be in a third world country
Well i dont rly hate math , but i really hate geometry how this thing goona help me? i kno but still some parts of geometry are kinda lame and usefull i think
Btw i wished school wasnt realy hard >:3
well i dont rly hate math BUT **** GEOMETRY AT WATHE **** IT GONA HELP US IN LIFE? **** IT ****! **** **** ****! i hate geometry only some parts of it i love
Hi my name is meritt.I also have problems with math.Iget some bad grades in math cry too!Got my reportcard i had a B- for math atleast thats good kinda! I HATE MATH!
I HATE MATH!!!!!!!
Well i go to Oakdale school& i hate math but my best thing in math is multiplication & kinda divison.
It is as if this story was made up to make us feel better about math. Besides, all of his examples of where in life he uses math can be managed with measuring cups, calculator on your cell, etc… This is not even a real testimony I am sure.
i dislike math a lot but i wont say i hate i the problem is that i just get a little frustrated i will get it but i think it is only this unit we are doing
Math is stupid, im never going to use it in my life.
oh yeah, math is the most boaring subject i ever took.
I’m sorry, but this article was ridiculous. Of course we need basic math for everyday life like buying food at the store, measuring simple things, etc. But that’s BASIC MATH. Things everyone already knows how to do. When will I ever need to find centroids of a triangle or know how to graphically solve a system using a standard form quardratic? It’s ridiculous. I hate math. My exam is tomorrow, I tried studying and I ended up pulling my hair out and ripping my notes to pieces. It’s no use. Math is a waste of paper.
The last post is quite right to say that there are so many things we learned in math that we do not need in real life. That is why in British Columbia, the math is divided into 3 sraids and they serve different purposes. But with that said then if a student hates math from kindergarten then can we say this student shall just give up math? If not everyone can be a musician and like music then why would everyone liks music? But math is the basic science and foundation for all other subjects, so give up on math practically means to give up on the studt from grade 8 to grade 12. So without getting into the argument of how useful is math, ask yourself, do you want to quit education from grade 8 and on? The only thing I can say is to put more efforts into math then you will start to enjoy it.
The examples you provided… that’s REAL math. Not something you’d learn from the ridiculous advanced math courses we force our kids to take in school. Even I could teach that to a five-year-old: In cooking: ¼ cup is smaller than 1/3 of a cup (THAT’S WHAT MEASURING CUPS ARE FOR) In Shopping: How much is 35% off of $29.99? (THAT’S WHAT PRICE TAGS ARE FOR AND STORE PERSONNEL) In baking: Cook a 10 lb turkey at 45 minutes per pound… (COOKING IS BEST DONE WITH ONE’S INSTINCTS, COMMON SENSE, AND SENSE OF TASTE) In Decorating: How much carpet do I need to cover the floor of my living room? (THIS IS WHERE ARCHITECTS/ENGINEERS COME IN) Regardless of which “angle” you choose to look at it, algebra and many other branches of mathematics have been and always will be, worthless to the average human being: nothing more than props for math geeks to flaunt their intelligence. This was an honest, albeit futile, attempt to get us to appreciate something (math) we’ve hated since birth until kingdom come. It’s too late for us. Thanks anyway!
Math is hard and boring like seriously when you hear the word it just makes you want to crawl up into a hole and die or go play Play station
You forgot to mention one thing: probability theory. Anyone gambles? You need math right there, unless you are contend with losing all your money. Of course, the Casino worked out their math to make sure they always earn money. But at least if you are good with it, you can use it in poker and win money from your poor friends who don’t know their math. Of course, calculus is also very useful for maximizing the damage of your video game characters. And people should not complain about algebra until they see the statement: “Let G be an group.”
when i was in high school i realy hate math too.. but when i was in college, it changed, i realized that math was not realy difficult, you just need to LISTEN to the teacher and UNDERSTAND how he/she came up with that answer. MATH is not realy difficult. you hate math because your mind implicated that you realy hate math and your senses was affected that is why, you don’t have any interest in math already!
Listen to me, maths is important UP TO basic division and multiplication. Trigonometry, pythagoras theorem, vectors etc, they’re all just silly, useless little play tools.
Anthony, I completely agree with you, my grade 11 math teacher said we would never use the pythagoras theorem and functions ever in our lives
I beg to disagree with you!!! Math is fun and I love it. Look around you and you’ll see how important mathematics is. It’s just a matter of understanding. It sharpens your brain guys… Try to love it and you’ll surely appreciate its importance in your life. It’s all around you folks…
I freakin hate math too! I really worked hard on it, but it seems that I will never EVER get it. It’s true that a good teacher would make a difference, cuz I know that I had stupid math teachers my entire schooling life that would confuse and make me skip class on purpose! I’m having a hard time with it. Imagine, you alone the dumbo among a whole bunch of Pure Math geniuses.
Ya math is pretty much the dumbest thing ever and it shouldn’t be so mandatory for so many things. It should be taught much much much slower and drawn out while keep repeating the basics. I just hate it pretty much more than anything. A small hyperbole- very small!
i hate math its so stupid..and the techers are so strick in math math is so hard i dont care about math if i got 0 score and if im last honor because math is stupid and hard…
Math is innate to everything in the world. As we grow as a species it becomes more and more important to understand the concepts of mathematics. Mathematics also help our brains develop. By learning different problem solving methods, our brains develop new pathways of learning. We are then able to comprehend more things in different ways.
Unfortunately, when we are taught mathematics, emphasis is placed on the formula and not the application. If we are taught how to apply the mathematical concepts, we may be less resistant to learning them.
I simply googled “I hate math” and here i am… I’m glad so people share my pain. It’s not that i hate it, i just don’t get and therefore i feel so defeated by the subject. Currently, I’m taking an accelerated grade 12 university level advanced functions course and by the end of the day i really just want to pound my head against the wall. The funny thing is when math is introduced through Chemistry, I get it or even through Biology… I get it! The reason is because it is given some context and something that i can connect to a visual. Anyhow… I suppose the best thing to do in this situation is to try and try harder. A teacher once told me that if you don’t understand something you will have to try 4 times harder then those that do… there’s some math for you!
@Lily
You might want to question your math teacher’s words. If you are familiar enough with the subject, you might find it useful sometimes. For example, suppose you’re buying a screen and you’re deciding between a 20 inch and 22 inch model, which you know is in proportions 16:9 or 16:10. One can use similar triangles and then the Pythagorean Theorem to find the dimensions of the screens, which lets you find the area, and then you can compare to see which screen is a better value. This has happened to me.
The other topics might show up in life, too. I don’t think one can ever know. Usefulness is extremely hard to judge except in retrospect.
Math is based on the concept that zero actually means something, it cannot mean anything other than what it is which is nothing, zero is what it is as nothingness, in and of itself it is and will always remain nothing
@Max
hahaha! love you man, so damn right!
Lawlz
Your’e not living the right way if you think you’ll need 13 years of mathematics to help tell you how long to cook a Turkey…
noob.
you know if you made 1 problem right do not think u can make more right it happedned with me and i was soo happy and studied 5 days for math test and then i bought soo easly an F+
andddd do not blame ur teacher blame your self …. i will never bring A or even C even if i study for a yearrrrrrrrr just do u know sometimes u should give up math is stronger than u
GIVE UP MATH IS STRONGER THAN U!!/?…
i like maths because im really good at it but homework is killing me
I hate math. It ruined my life. i got a C in math, then my parents yelled at me. i get bullied by my teacher for not doing well in math. Math can go die in a hole.
I HATE MATHEMATICS. I GOT 5 OUT OF 100 IN MATH- I ALWAYS FAIL IN MATH
Math is one of the most interesting subjects I believe I will ever learn. Without math, there would be no such thing as computers, vaccines, or relatively any electronics. We owe our daily expenditures to the ones who put the time in to understand this complex language and form it into a gift.
It takes me 7-10 hours to do my math work a day!!! I’m sorry, but I HATE IT!!!
I noticed you chose the most ridiculous examples of all time. That’s more applying common sense than math, so not much of an example. Tell me, how is trig and functions going to help me in any sort of practical way, especially as I’m going to forget it in about a month?