Straight from the students: on track for college and careers

Math can be more complicated. With math, mistakes are not just unavoidable; they are essential. When students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and, yes, fail, they build resilience and develop a robust problem-solving mindset. Mistakes are a key part of math! In Quanta magazine recently, the topologist Danny Calgary discusses learning and growing from mistakes and disappointment in math.

Here’s one of the questions I have been thinking about lately: Should we more intentionally and explicitly introduce more algebraic thinking to elementary students earlier than many might assume? The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) suggests we should: By fostering a mindset that recognizes patterns, understands equality, and conceptualizes the idea of variables in concrete and accessible ways, teachers and students can build conceptual understandings of math and increase engagement early in their academic careers.

When I watch Olympic events, I dream a little. Could I have been a contender for Olympic gold in my favorite sport—swimming? I was great on my eighth grade YMCA team! Do you dream too? Good news: Math may help some of us reach that goal! A recent Quanta article suggests that Olympic success isn’t just about hours of training, it is about math too