Diana Gu Passion

Math is often seen as a difficult subject to consume and fully understand. Many of us have experienced times where we become frustrated with mathematics and make it seem impossible. The wish to understand math were especially impossible to African-Americans in segregated America where not every child was given quality education. Katherine Johnson, an African-American NASA mathematician, experienced the inability to attend advanced math courses due to her race. It came with great effort to be where she is today in society. Her works were hidden and barely spoken about. However, her legacy stands with history.

Mathematical understanding influences all areas of life from social to private and civil. Therefore maths education is widely believed to be the single most important aspect to establishing opportunities for young people; unfortunately, many struggle with mathematics and become indifferent as they continue to encounter obstacles with regard to engagement (Anthony & Walshaw, 2009). Knowing a

Math had always been the easy, simple subject for me until calculus suddenly turned math into a terribly fascinating new world for me to explore. My paradigm regarding the seemingly rigid discipline shifted from indifference to a desire to learn how the puzzle pieces of the world clicked and fitted together. I hoped to spread that sentiment by establishing Mu Alpha Theta at my school, a chartering process that I expected to last at most two months.

My passion for mathematics was fixed at the age of ten, on the morning that my mathematics teacher told I would be sitting the Junior Maths Challenge, 'as practice for when you are older'. As I nervously started to answer the questions, a whole world began to open before me. I revelled in the problem solving, answering questions of a nature I had not seen before. My teachers were delighted when I emerged from the exam hungry for more. Since then I have consistently demonstrated my aptitude, achieving gold awards through to senior level, and scoring highly in the European Kangaroo.

Disturbingly, “nearly one-fifth of high school students and over 50 percent of middle school students are enrolled in math classes whose teachers neither majored or minored in math” (Drew, 2011, p.9). In 2000, 31 percent of high

Being one of the first black women to receive a PhD in mathematics, she opened up the field to women, especially women of color, who were systematically drawn away from math because of the color of their skin or because of sexist exclusionary notions. Although her contributions to mathematics are seen more in a group effort, one cannot take away from the fact of her role as an inspiration to girls interested in the field of mathematics. With her widespread dedication to education and large investments of time for space programs, this woman was pivotal in challenging sexist and racist stereotypes that had held women like her back for years. She opened up positions for women of color in fields where they were never

Throughout the four years at Marist College, people continuously asked, “What can you do with a mathematics degree besides teach?” or “Do you just do mathematics equations all day?” However, the answers is always the same. Mathematics is so much more than just equations. The Marist Mathematics Department teaches each student the required material, while teaching how to think differently and how to approach problems from different and multiple angles. This way of thinking can be applied to every aspect of life, as well as the core. In case that is not enough, mathematics hides in the background of almost everything, especially history, nature, and social science; it is just our job to uncover it.

Geometry and Algebra are so crucial to the development of the world it is taught to every public high school in the United States, around 14.8 million teenagers each year (National Center for Education Statistics). Mathematics is the engine powering our world; our stocks, economy, technology, and science are all based off from math. Math is our universal and definite language “I was especially delighted with the mathematics, on account of the certitude and evidence of their reasonings.” (Rene Descartes, 1637).

Remember being taught something new in a mathematics class and thinking to yourself, “when am I ever going to use this in life?” Sure, not every mathematical theory taught in class will be used in your career, but from my experience, many of the skills learned in mathematics are frequently utilized each day. While mathematics may not be everyone’s favorite subject, I found it to be not only the subject I use the most outside of school, but the one that I enjoy the most, which is why mathematics is my favorite subject.

The Mathematics department at City of Medicine put the “M” in Math, Mastery, and Motivation. The required course doesn't just teach math but uses real life examples. Every year CMA has a big math fair. This is an event where our community and families are invited to come out and play math games and learn some new things about math. Here at City of Medicine Academy we don’t just teach our students math but how it will affect them in their futures. Real life examples are being taught with our math lessons here.

In today’s society mathematics is a vital part of day-to-day life. No matter what a person is doing at home or at the workplace, he/she is constantly using different mathematics skills to simply function. Then what does this mean for mathematics education? When someone needs to utilize a skill every day then he/she needs a strong background in the skill. Therefore, today’s students need more than a just a working knowledge of mathematics or enough knowledge to pass a test. Today’s students need to understand how mathematics works and how to utilize mathematics skills in the best way possible.

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).

Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.

Mathematics is a type of reasoning. Thinking mathematically includes thinking in a rational way, developing and checking conjectures, understanding things, and forming and validating judgments, reasoning, and conclusions. We show mathematical habits when we acknowledge and explain patterns, build physical and theoretical models of sensations, develop sign systems to assist us stand for, control, and review concepts, and create treatments to address issues (Battista, 1999).

Mathematics is the one of the most important subjects in our daily life and in most human activities the knowledge of mathematics is important. In the rapidly changing world and in the era of technology, mathematics plays an essential role. To understand the mechanized world and match with the newly developing information technology knowledge in mathematics is vital. Mathematics is the mother of all sciences. Without the knowledge of mathematics, nothing is possible in the world. The world cannot progress without mathematics. Mathematics fulfills most of the human needs related to diverse aspects of everyday life. Mathematics has been accepted as significant element of formal education from ancient period to the present day. Mathematics has a very important role in the classroom not only because of the relevance of the syllabus material, but because of the reasoning processes the student can develop.