This topic is near and dear to my heart.  When I was student teaching, I had a student that planned to be an actor.  “So why do I need to learn math?” was his question almost every day and he would create every excuse to try to get out of homework.  Many kids wonder, “Am I ever going to use math again?” Even more concerning is parents telling their kids that they will never need to use specific math facts again so “don’t worry about it.”

What I told my students then is what I’ll tell you right now:  Math knowledge is critical for a person’s success in school, career, and life by helping them reach their full potential.

Academics:

If your child is planning on attending college, success on SAT and ACT tests can determine which college your child gets accepted to and scholarship awards. Once in college, even though your child may not be a math major, business, engineering and nursing degrees require math classes. I’ve spoken to many parents who gave up their dream career because calculus or other math courses were required.

Professional Careers:

Math is important in so many careers including trade careers, business, medical, education, journalism, and more.

  • Sports is an entire arena that provides many statistician careers analyzing team and player success.
  • Restaurants rely on math from table chart organization, food preparation timing, pricing and basic finances of the restaurant’s success.
  • Nurses are constantly monitoring vital measurements and deliver medicine dosing that are critical lifesaving calculations.
  • Even as actors need math as there are many lines to learn and the timing in which they are delivered can make or break a scene.

We forget that math is more than just memorizing facts.  There are real world applications in every career where people utilize math concepts that makes the business success… and in return the person financially rewarded.

Life:

Everywhere you turn, we use math for shopping, cooking, budgeting, traveling, gardening, party planning, driving and more.  There are so many teachable moments in our daily lives to show your children how you are using math. This is my passion and I will be writing blogs, eBooks and creating videos on how to help you share teachable moments with your children as part of the new Fun Wise® Math Mindfulness® program.

Your children are the problem solvers of the future and math is a framework that teaches them critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  Beyond facts and formulas, math is important to teach your child how to find solutions for various problems both at school and at home. How important is math to your children’s future? It is your child’s future.  We all use math every day to be successful in life.  Your children are the next generation so help them be prepared and set them on a trajectory for a brighter future.