Math: It's a Four Letter Word and It's My Job

So, what do you do for a living?  It's an innocent enough question.

I am a math interventionist.

Introduce yourself as a math interventionist at a party and watch as eyes glaze over.  People will either assume you are really smart, incredibly boring, or some combination of both.  No one will have any idea what your job actually entails, and few will be polite enough to feign interest. Ask someone what their favorite subject in school was, and you will get a variety of responses.  Ask which course they enjoyed the least, and the answer is likely math. What did math do to offend so many individuals?

A large part of the problem is mindset.  We have grown up thinking that math is a four letter word.  Math is difficult.  I hear people say, "I am just not good at math," or  "I am not a math person."  This type of thinking is called fixed mindset.  It is attractive because it relieves the individual of any responsibility for the material.
I have heard elementary students say, "Math is just not my thing."  Students in elementary school have already given up on math!  The worst part is that their parents agree with them.  I have heard, "Well, I was never good at math either," in parent conferences.  Imagine how things would change is instead of thinking, "I'm not good at math" we thought "I'm not good at math, yet."  The difference being one statement implies that being good or not good at math is something that doesn't change (it's fixed) while the other statement implies that with effort the speaker will, eventually, improve (grow).  Dr. Carol Dweck explores the idea of a fixed versus growth mindset in her book, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success."  Here is a clip from an interview with author Carol Dweck.

So, what do I do?  I teach kids to like math.  I help kids see that math can be their thing.  I encourage students to put effort into their learning.  I praise them when they grow.  I work to make math accessible, relevant and fun.

Your intelligence is not fixed.  There is always room to grow.  All it takes is that you enjoy the process of learning and continue to put in effort especially when you struggle.

Keep working.  Until next time.