My husband is a brilliant man. Very knowledgeable. About many things. I don’t say that to brag, rather to highlight his ability to answer our kids’ questions in many areas, including obscure historical facts and tidbits. But when it comes to math? He’s not their go to person. I am.
And I have to admit…it feels pretty darn good.
Sometimes I feel pretty inadequate when I don’t know the answers to questions about Greek mythology (was never a passion of mine) or ancient Rome (ditto).
But math? I love math. I tutored Calculus in college. I probably should have majored in Applied Mathematics. It’s exciting to me. Magical. Actually, I’ve been known to lecture the kids about the magic of math and to do so with a sparkle in my eyes and a smile on my face.
And you know what? My kids love math. I don’t mean to be smug; I mean, I’m not giving myself all the credit for that fact. But I bet it doesn’t hurt that I can get pretty excited about the Pythagorean Theorem . Or that I’ve told them about the navy t-shirt (I even remember the color) I used to have when I was around ten with a sketch on it that looked something like this:
Yeah, I’ve always loved math. In fact, when I was around my daughter’s age, special time with my dad consisted of his teaching me about the Base 10 system and slide rules . Woohoo!
So…why not celebrate it? I don’t shove it in their faces or insist that they learn about the slide rule before ever using a calculator (which is what my dad did with me). But they’re well aware of my passion for math. And they don’t hesitate to come to me with any questions that arise as they tackle daily homework.
And? It makes me feel good when they do.
I can’t wait until they start Calculus. Woot!
Math and I don’t get along. My wife has two degrees, Math and Physics. She’s the goto girl for math and science. I am more the humanities guy.
PG’s last blog post..Wii Baseball
I’m sending my kids to you the next time I get stuck on math homework. Math is definitely not my strong suit. I never did grasp the whole letters are numbers thing. 2+2=4: no problem. 2+n=x: uh…what? See what I mean.
pete’s last blog post..Your GPS Camera Phone: Insane Cuteness
My daughter just outgrew me this year. I hung on to first semester of Algebra I, but I lost it second semester. Now all I can say is, “Ask your teacher tomorrow.”
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When I was in high school and trying to decide what to study in college I had two options (my strong suits) math and english. Back in the day, I had to think ‘what could a woman with with a math degree?’ I chose journalism. If only…. *sigh*
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Oooh, I won’t be able to help with calculus, but I am definitely the math go-to gal.
It’s not math that I love; rather, I think I just love NUMBERS.
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My husband’s a math teacher and I am proof that a person does not need math to survive. But thank goodness he can help with homework!
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I love that you make math fun for your kids and get involved in that way with their studies. Math can be fun, and I wish I would remember more from my studies (I ended with Differential Equations as my last math class in college). I hope I can be like you and remember things as my kids grow and ask questions. If not, then I’ll look forward to learning it again with them.
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My husband is a math genius, so you and he would get along beautifully. Your hubby and I will just sit in the corner and sing about Barack Obama quietly while you and my hubby discuss differential equations.
Deb (Missives From Suburbia)’s last blog post..Childproof and Meproof
I’m with you. I love math, my daughter loves math. In fact, last year in 7th grade she got bumped up to “Advanced”, which blows my husband’s mind. He still carries his ones when he adds tips to the total at a restaurant! But history…he knows EVERYTHING. Hopefully, our daughter will get the best of both of us.
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(the blog post referrenced in my previous comment was from March! I have written some stuff since then)
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I have singularly wiped out generations-worth of diligent stereotype building when people watch me struggle with calculating a tip.
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