In the words of Albert Einstein “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school”.
Teachers come across some so called ‘rebels’ in school who ask questions like ‘Why do we need to learn Math?’ or ‘what good would this do when we grow up?’. While most teachers would talk about getting good jobs or making life simpler, there are a few who would strive to find the right answer to these questions. I am not saying that education does not help in getting the best jobs and status in society.
However, this argument would not satisfy a school student. The true answer would be math, unlike most other subjects, prepares children to tackle day-to-day problems. It would not be incorrect to say that without math there would be no meaning of business transactions.
How would we take a bank loan if we cannot calculate the rate of interest it carries? How would a businessman calculate whether he has earned profit, or is in loss? Math is about making a child ‘find’ the solution to a complex problem. This habit, when properly developed, makes a child a better problem solver in real life. Math is a ‘simulation’ for our real lives. Children can be taught math in a fun way using objects of real life, animals, and toys for instance.
Just like our muscles need exercise to grow, the human brain requires daily workout to function smartly. John Louis von Neumann rightly said- If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.
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