Math causes anxiety in kids, which can last far into adulthood. This is worsened by the pressure of knowing that math is the gatekeeper to science and technology that drive much of our society.
Ironically, this well-known feature of mathematics is its greatest weakness.
When our kids ask why they need to know algebra, we promise them that it will be useful. Do we listen to jazz because it is useful? Humans like the practical, but we also know that there is much more to life. As Aristotle said, knowledge begins with wonder, but what wonder is there in algebra or calculus? As it turns out, not much. Yet they form the cornerstone of today's math education. No wonder math creates boredom.
Happily, unlocking the pleasure of math is simple: Do what mathematicians do and seek out unexplored, unknown, undiscovered math.
Regrettably, the mathematical journey is imagined as a terrifying mountain: The wide base is arithmetic, accessible to everyone. Climbing higher brings us to algebra, geometry, and eventually calculus and beyond. We believe that new math ideas have been nearly exhausted.
In reality, math is alive and still advancing, and most of it remains a vast and uncharted countryside. Fresh ideas are constantly being discovered, opening up new and fascinating puzzles. These puzzles allow us to play at the very edge of the mathematical unknown, and many of them are accessible for our students.
Here's one: Can every even number be written as a sum of two prime numbers? Even numbers such as 8 and 30 can be written as 3+5 and 7+23. But can this be done for every even number? No one knows.
As our kids try to solve this kind of problems, a deeply encouraging truth will appear in their otherwise anxious hearts: It's OK to struggle with math since everyone struggles with math.
These unsolved puzzles are the great equalizers, helping us realize that we are on the same level as the greatest of mathematicians, all of us staring over the unknown abyss, looking for a way down into the mystery. .