Take it from this Everett math teacher: It’s OK to hate math

EVERETT — “I hate math.”

I hear those three words all the time at the elementary school where I teach.

So many students say they hate it that I started asking why.

Their answers are almost always the same: Math is hard. Math is boring.

Fair enough.

When I was a kid, I hated math. You probably did, too. Growing up, math class was about memorizing times tables and formulas. If you didn’t have a great memory, you were toast.

The first time I truly thought “I hate math” was in third grade. My teacher called me to her desk and scolded me for forgetting my multiples of seven. I skulked back to my seat and pouted my way through math for the rest of the year.

By middle school, I was getting in trouble for doodling cartoons on my math homework. I wanted to be a comic book artist, not a mathematician.

When I finally grew up, I became an elementary school teacher and learned to love math. I even wrote and illustrated a book about math for kids called “I Hate Math.” The 72-page comic book uses humor to explain elementary math concepts and sells for $10 on Amazon.

Math anxiety affects millions of students and adults. It’s not just a dislike; it’s a genuine emotional response. The more anxious students feel, the worse they tend to perform. One of my biggest fears as a teacher is creating this kind of anxiety.

Here’s what I tell them: It’s okay to not like math.

As teachers, we’ve maybe gone too far with the way we talk about math, telling kids that it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread. Math can be fun at times, just like sliced bread can be fun when used for a grilled cheese sandwich. But math can also be frustrating and annoying, like when you drop your grilled cheese sandwich on the floor.

Parents often ask how to help their kids with math. They fight over homework every night. They buy workbooks, download apps and, still, the struggle continues.

Here’s my advice:

1. Count it out

With younger kids, especially, counting is key. If a child can count, math becomes much easier. But not mindless counting — meaningful counting.

Have them count things: Legos, Cheerios, toes, anything. The goal is for them to understand that “one” means one thing, “two” means one thing plus another, and “three” means those two things plus one more. Then count by twos, then by tens, then fives, then whatevers.

When you’re watching basketball on TV, ask your kid how far apart the scores are. An easy way to practice subtraction.

2. Make it real

Kids learn math best when they can see it. Encourage them to draw pictures, use blocks, sketch number lines — whatever helps turn the abstract into something concrete.

They especially love a narrative, just like adults. Instead of asking for the answer to 9 + 7, tell them a long-winded story about finding nine mice in the attic and seven more in the basement.

“You’ll never guess how many mice I caught.” If you say it like that, they’ll be dying to tell you.

3. Memorize with purpose

At some point, kids need to memorize math facts. You can’t count on your fingers forever.

But memorization alone isn’t mastery. Understanding matters just as much.

I once had a student who didn’t want to join a lesson about multiplying by nine.

“I already know all my 9s,” he said.

And he did, up to a point. He rattled them off confidently: “1 times 9 is 9, 2 times 9 is 18,” all the way to “9 times 11 is 99.”

I asked, “OK, what’s 9 times 12?”

He froze. “I haven’t memorized that one yet!”

That’s where logic steps in. If 9 × 11 = 99, then 9 × 12 is just one more nine — 108.

A little reasoning goes a long way.

The bottom line

It’s OK for kids and adults to be frustrated by math. But when we slow down, connect it to real life and mix logic with a bit of play, even the biggest math-haters can learn to appreciate it.

Maybe even love it.

Ian Brown is a teacher at Challenger Elementary School and the author of “I Hate Math.” He lives with his wife and three kids in Everett and draws comics in his free time. Contact him at Ian.Pacers@gmail.com