For 23 years, I\u2019ve taught high school math. And for 23 years, I\u2019ve been told by people that they either are a \u201cmath person\u201d or they are not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I get it: Math isn\u2019t easy. Movies and TV shows make it look effortless for a select few. But math is hard work. If you don\u2019t do the work, and if you don\u2019t have a teacher who can help you build the math skills you need, you may struggle with math. Then you might internalize these challenges into the idea that you\u2019re not a \u201cmath person.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Research shows, however, that the idea of \u201cmath people\u201d is a myth. In his book \u201cHow We Learn,<\/a>\u201d the neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene refutes the notion that some brains are uniquely \u201cwired\u201d for math. He writes that all people have \u201cthe same initial brain structure, the same core knowledge, and the same learning algorithms\u201d for reading, science and math. All people can learn to do math.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: A lot goes on in classrooms from kindergarten to high school. Keep up with our free weekly newsletter on K-12 education<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where people differ is their mindset. Some people have what Stanford professor Carol Dweck refers to as a \u201cfixed mindset,\u201d or a belief that intelligence or talent is set in stone. When they fail, they see it as proof they lack ability, so they often avoid challenges or give up easily. Other people have a \u201cgrowth mindset,\u201d or a belief that intelligence and ability can develop through effort, feedback and learning. People with this mindset view mistakes as part of the process. Challenges are chances to improve. The growth mindset is how most people approach a video game. You don\u2019t know what you are getting into, you try your best and if you fail, you know more and try again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I teach geometry in Arkansas, and of all the tests the state administers, students perform most poorly<\/a> on the geometry exam. My colleagues and I at Rogers High School<\/a> \u2014 plus a bevy of research \u2014 are proving that this poor performance is not because some students cannot learn math.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n My four colleagues on the geometry team and I were able to support our students in exceeding their expected growth goals. We attained these results by believing that our students can do geometry and by getting them to believe the same.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Stanford math professor Jo Boaler proved what\u2019s possible with an innovative study that showed how an online course could change student ideas about learning mathematics<\/a> and their own potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n More than 1,000 students from four schools took the course \u2014 and it shifted their ideas about whether intelligence is changeable. Boaler told Frontiers<\/a>, a science news outlet, that targeting students\u2019 beliefs about math \u201cled to students feeling more positive about math, more engaged during math class, and scoring significantly higher in mathematics assessments.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: PROOF POINTS: A little parent math talk with kids might really add up, a new body of education research suggests<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n While I work as hard as I can for all 178 days of the school year, helping students believe in their capability to do math, especially geometry, also requires support outside of the classroom.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents, we need your help. This idea of some people having a \u201cmath brain\u201d comes up often at parent-teacher conferences. Adults will say that they are \u201cnot good at math,\u201d or are not a \u201cmath person,\u201d which can have a negative effect on how their kids see their own capabilities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents, you can have a positive effect if you adjust how you talk about math, including your own struggles. Acknowledge challenges in school and what could have helped you view the challenges as opportunities. It is important for kids to hear their parents talk about working through problems instead of giving up. I was fortunate to have parents who owned a small business, because I got to witness them struggle through problems and find solutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Encourage your kids to develop a growth mindset. Talk about and teach the behaviors that can support your kids\u2019 learning and growth. These include investing time in the work and engaging with teachers during class or tutoring to learn how to better understand mathematical concepts. Problem-solving is a learned skill, so point out how math shows up in daily life and that your kids often solve problems without even recognizing it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It is imperative that we show dramatic math improvement across the country. Trouble is on the horizon: The American workforce expects an unmet need for over a million employees<\/a> to fill STEM-related jobs by 2030. Yet student performance is lower today than it was before the pandemic<\/a>. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation\u2019s Report Card, reported that the achievement gap in 8th grade math last year was the largest in the history of the exam<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But again, we don\u2019t have a math problem in Arkansas or in the United States. We have a culture problem in that math is viewed negatively and stereotypes abound. The good news is that we can fix it by addressing mindsets.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As I say to my students every day, thank you for your time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mark Bauer teaches math at Rogers High School in northwest Arkansas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Contact the opinion editor at opinion@hechingerreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This story about teaching math<\/a> was produced by The Hechinger Report<\/a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger\u2019s weekly newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/math-learning-arkansas-united-states-culture\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/hechingerreport.org”>The Hechinger Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hechingerreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/cropped-favicon.jpg?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n <img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&post=115048&ga4=G-03KPHXDF3H” style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/math-learning-arkansas-united-states-culture\/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } <\/script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/hechingerreport.org\/p.js”><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Mark Bauer, The Hechinger Report March 2, 2026 For 23 years, I\u2019ve taught high school math. 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