Unlocking Mathematical Potential: The Path for All

Is mathematics for everyone? Some say yes, some say no, and some say it is only for the genius or the “very clever people.” Nevertheless, what does it mean to be clever? People say doctors are clever, but a doctor cannot do the job of a mechanic, yet a mechanic is perceived as “not as smart as a doctor,” and a mechanic cannot do the job of a doctor, but that does not mean one is cleverer than the other. Different people are drawn to different things; some people respond to different stimuli better than others, but that does not mean one is more intelligent or better than the other. It may only mean some have to work harder than others. So, is mathematics for everyone? Let us read on for the explanation.

Illustration by Liani Malherbe

Let us look at two athletes; one is a swimmer, and the other is a bodybuilder. A swimmer and a bodybuilder are built very differently; they seem to have a different genetic code; one is a more petite build than the other, and one is more aerodynamic than the other, but that does not mean they are eliminated from participating in each other’s sports. A swimmer can still lift a weight, and a bodybuilder can still swim. However, a swimmer will always beat a bodybuilder in the water because of the swimmer’s experience, build, and talent. Nevertheless, a dedicated and committed bodybuilder can eventually be like or even beat the swimmer in the water if we compare this to children in school who have their first exposure to arithmetic mathematics. Some children have a better build for mathematics due to their genetic code, but some children will have a better build for sports or any other activity the school can offer. Some children have a better natural ability to respond to the stimuli of mathematics, and they grasp mathematical concepts faster and at a higher level. Some people are more “built” for mathematics, but talent can only take you so far.

Just like anything in life, if a person wants to be better at it, then the person has to practice it over and over again. During practice, mistakes are eliminated, and form is perfected; ultimately, the person will improve in that area. For example, swimmers must practice diving to perfect their form and eliminate what is holding them back. With mathematics, the same principle applies. To perfect the method of addition, we have to practice examples where addition is required; this eliminates the chances for error, perfects our methods, and builds our foundation of addition. The previous statement furthers the opinion that mathematics is not limited to any group of people; it can be learned and practiced by anyone regardless of age, gender, race, or background. Like any sport, there are specific equipment and resources that can further our development, and the same goes for mathematics. There are hundreds, thousands of resources on the internet that enable us to practice questions plus, in school, we have teachers in school and professors in university who are willing to help us, but we have to be the ones who ask. If we maximize our resources, we develop proficiency and gain a deeper appreciation of mathematics.

If we look at daily activities, from managing finances (arithmetic calculations) to making food with a recipe (measuring the ingredients), we can relate it to mathematics. Mathematics is a fundamental tool for understanding and making sense of the world. With university courses like Physics (arithmetic operations), Economics (calculations), Engineering (arithmetic operations), and even English (counting the number of words in an essay), there is an element of mathematics. Some courses require a higher degree of understanding of mathematics, but everything relates to mathematics one way or the other.

There is sufficient reasoning as to why mathematics is for everyone, but why do some people struggle with it, and why does it feel that “mathematics is not for me?” One thing to remember is that people respond to stimuli differently, primarily due to their genetic code. However, other factors, such as mentality towards stimuli, can determine how well a person responds to them. Some people have a “natural gift” for mathematics, enabling them to pick and understand topics quicker and to a higher understanding than others. If these people mix their mathematics talent with a hard-working work ethic, they far surpass the average person doing mathematics. However, this does not mean that a person who works hard but does not have talent cannot succeed in mathematics. We can debate that someone who works hard will always beat someone who has talent. Unless a person works hard, their talent is well-spent, the top athletes in the world, the top physicists, and the top business people work hard to succeed in the area that they are in. Regardless of their talent in their work, these men and women worked hard to push their limits and break through what they thought was not possible.

People find mathematics is not for them because of many factors. Some people did not get the necessary support both in a verbal sense and a physical sense. Sometimes if the person struggles with mathematical concepts, then the person can start to feel demotivated to continue onward with trying to understand the concept. However, a big part of this is the person’s childhood. Did their parents push them to achieve high grades in school? The child will then start to build a mindset of “I do not want to do well, I cannot accept having average grades.” There are a lot of different factors, but ultimately, the top factor is that it is ultimately a choice. It is a choice to work hard to grasp concepts eventually, and it is a choice if a person wants to be average or not, it is a choice to have a positive or negative mindset. When performing anything in life, a person must ask themself, “how far am I willing to go?” Furthermore, “how much am I willing to sacrifice?”.

In conclusion, we all have unique mathematical abilities, but we limit our abilities. Hard work and dedication will push a person further than what they initially limited themselves to. People need to renew their minds and attitudes toward things they are struggling with. Sometimes we may not understand mathematical concepts, but that does not mean we cannot do the math. When we struggle with something in mathematics, that is an area we can grow. We have to start being more confident in our abilities but not be arrogant to the point that we are not willing to accept our mistakes but rather have confidence in our abilities and stay humble when we make mistakes to position ourselves to grow. The greatest achievers had confidence in their ability, the greatest athletes, the greatest business people, the greatest scientist, and the greatest mathematician, never thinking they were better than anyone else but staying humble with their mistakes.

CJ Wessels

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