On 21-Jun-2013, at 10:10 PM, Deepa Mohan <[email protected]> wrote:
> I wrote this some time ago....someone else referred to it on FB recently > (yes...a woman.) What makes us detest certain subjects at school, and why > is Maths (or Math) frequently at the top of the list? It can't always be > bad teachers.... > > http://deponti.livejournal.com/902082.html > > > I find that a lot of people on this list articulate far, far better than I > do. It would help me understand my lifelong aversion to mathematics...and > the odder fact that though I never scored more than 40 percent in Hindi, it > was so well taught throughout school and college that I love it as a > language, though I disliked it as a "subject" of academic achievement. > > > Cheers, Deepa. True confession: I love Maths. Always have. In fact it's the only subject I stayed true to through the twists and turns of my academic choices. I even changed colleges to be able to keep Maths when I dropped Physics, Chemistry and the like for Economics. This is not to say I'm great at it. My abilities at Maths are on par with my piano playing skills - at best those of a hobbyist. But, like the piano playing, 'doing maths', or just reading about it, provides a particular kind of joy that I feel only when I do something for itself rather than as a means to some end. Being a math geek alienated me from many female classmates and colleagues. Literally alienated since they reacted as they might to an extra-terrestrial species. Boyfriends (that didn't last) have said they found it intimidating. I had adequate Maths teachers, not great ones, so my explorations were mostly self-navigated. That said, the quality of teaching one receives does seem to matter. I know people who have discovered the joy of Maths, and/or overcome their fear of it, thanks to a good teacher. Based on my experience, I think teachers who can evoke in their students a love of discovery are far more valuable than those who make a particular subject interesting. What do I love about Maths? The elegance and economy of its expression. The pleasure of puzzle solving. Its abstractness. There are subjects I've struggled with. Hindi was a particular bugbear, particularly since other languages seemed to yield their secrets more easily. Most of my Hindi learning came through Bollywood and through learning other languages which helped me make sense of Hindi. Thanks for the question, Deepa. It brought back that joyful feeling at a time I was in an annoyed, irritable mood.
