The Atlantic posted an article yesterday morning about math and the perceived notion that one is simply either good or bad at math. For years, I can remember even back in high school, I have made the argument that people give up on math because they think it is hard, rather than actually attempting to learn it. “I’m just not good at math”, they would say. I don’t have any scientific data to back the argument up, it just doesn’t seem reasonable that your genetics decide if you can do math or not. Sure genetics may play a little role, but I’ve never believed that your genetics make it impossible for you to learn something.
The Myth of ‘I’m Bad at Math’
“I’m just not a math person.”
We hear it all the time. And we’ve had enough. Because we believe that the idea of “math people” is the most self-destructive idea in America today. The truth is, you probably are a math person, and by thinking otherwise, you are possibly hamstringing your own career. Worse, you may be helping to perpetuate a pernicious myth that is harming underprivileged children—the myth of inborn genetic math ability.