What do you say when a kid asks, Why do I have to learn math?

I have been asked this question by elementary schoolers and high schoolers, and I've never successfully answered it.

I've tried platitudes like so you can get good grades, so you can get into a good college, even though at the time I didn't believe them.

I've tried appealing to curiosity in an understandable way, and saying, because it is beautiful and interesting, it'll make you a better problem solver, even though that's incredibly vague. And I've tried giving the answer that I believe is true, that it's not about learning the math at all. It's about learning the structure of the world, so that your brain can know these templates and apply them to things you do care about, like writing or filmmaking or comedy or music.

That's the reason I learn math, so that I can be smarter at all the things I want to improve at. The issue, however, when I do give this full answer, is that in the kid's mind, there's always a disconnect. That idea, that you can internalize the structures and templates that you learn from math, is incredibly abstract, and frankly, unbelievable, to a kid who hasn't been exposed to so many examples of learning a pattern in one place and finding it somewhere else.

So what do you guys say when a kid asks this question? What is your success rate of converting an unmotivated child to practice their multiplication facts or to study for Algebra 2 into someone who is deeply curious about their learning?

Submitted August 07, 2025 at 04:23AM by Independent-Soft2330 https://ift.tt/cfXB68L