Some students believe they are not just cut out to be Mathematical geniuses. They believe that they do not have what it takes to be able to solve those equations; because it is not in their genes. They proudly tell you “I’m just not a maths person” just as they also tell you “I do not even need Maths for my future career. It gets tiring to hear this all the time, and perhaps even a little confusing; because you begin to wonder whether the ability to solve basic and complex mathematical problems are indeed gifted by nature. Well here is the truth- maybe to some extent genes play great roles in determining children’s general intelligence. But then again simple things such as parents getting their children interested in Maths and prepping them to be good at the subject (just before they go to school) can go a long into making them Mathematical geniuses after all.
To get a greater understanding of the point I am trying to convey, please read the quoted text below-
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.
Different kids with different levels of preparation come into a math class. Some of these kids have parents who have drilled them on math from a young age, while others never had that kind of parental input.
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On the first few tests, the well-prepared kids get perfect scores, while the unprepared kids get only what they could figure out by winging it—maybe 80 or 85%, a solid B.
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The unprepared kids, not realizing that the top scorers were well-prepared, assume that genetic ability was what determined the performance differences. Deciding that they “just aren’t math people,” they don’t try hard in future classes, and fall further behind.
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The well-prepared kids, not realizing that the B students were simply unprepared, assume that they are “math people,” and work hard in the future, cementing their advantage.
*This article is partly adapted.
