{"id":664,"date":"2023-12-11T07:03:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T07:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/?p=664"},"modified":"2023-12-09T21:44:32","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T21:44:32","slug":"why-you-shouldnt-tell-your-kids-you-were-sht-at-maths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/why-you-shouldnt-tell-your-kids-you-were-sht-at-maths\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Shouldn’t Tell Your Kids You Were Sh*t At Maths"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As parents, you naturally want to share your experiences with your children, hoping to prepare and guide them through life’s challenges. However, when it comes to academics, particularly mathematics, there’s a certain confession that might do more harm than good: admitting to our children that we were bad at maths or that we hated it. This revelation, although honest, can inadvertently set our kids up for struggle and fear, especially in subjects like algebra, which already carry a daunting reputation. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The Power of Perception:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a child hears a parent \u2013 their primary role model \u2013 confess to being bad at maths, it subtly plants a seed of doubt in their own minds. Kids often think, \u201cIf my parents couldn’t do it, how can I?\u201d Parents, in the eyes of their children, are capable of almost everything; they navigate and simplify the complexities of life. So, hearing that even they \u2018couldn\u2019t do maths\u2019 is disheartening. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The Algebra Anxiety:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take algebra, for instance. Most students have heard the word \u2018algebra\u2019 before seeing it in school. And most of the time, they\u2019re already scared of it. They\u2019ve heard from older students, older siblings, or parents that it\u2019s \u2018too hard\u2019. Take my year 7s: The time had come for us to take the leap into algebra. I wrote the word \u2018algebra\u2019 on the whiteboard as the title for the lesson, and a symphony of groans and voices sprung up: \u2018I hate algebra\u2019, \u2018I can\u2019t do that \u2013 it\u2019s too hard!\u2019. These comments coming from students who had never seen algebra for themselves before. This fear can be so ingrained that students feel defeated even before they start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 1 lesson, those groans turn to \u2018Oh, that\u2019s it?\u2019, \u2018This is easy\u2019 and \u2018Why did I think l this was hard?!\u2019. Now granted: algebra, and maths in general, can get challenging, but with the right support, and an explanation that works for their particular brain, anyone is capable of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sidenote: I have decided in the future to not tell classes that it is algebra when we start it, they\u2019ll figure it out eventually! <\/p>\n\n\n

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Changing the Narrative:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what can you do as parents? First, we need to change the narrative. Instead of focusing on our struggles, we should emphasize the beauty and logic of maths. Even if you found it difficult, it’s crucial to encourage a growth mindset \u2013 the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Try adding the word \u2018yet\u2019 to sentences: \u2018I can\u2019t do it\u2026 yet\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Encouragement Over Experience:         <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouragement plays a pivotal role. Rather than saying, \u201cI was bad at maths,\u201d try, \u201cMaths can be challenging, but I believe in you \u2013 you got this!\u201d This shift in dialogue changes the focus from inherited inability to personal growth and effort. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Conclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, while honesty is essential in parenting, how we frame our experiences can significantly impact our children’s attitudes towards learning. By fostering a positive, growth-oriented mindset towards maths, we can help our children approach the subject with curiosity and confidence, rather than fear and resignation. Let’s help them see that with the right attitude and support, they can be successful in maths and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As parents, you naturally want to share your experiences with your children, hoping to prepare and guide them through life’s challenges. However, when it comes …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,137,1023,149],"tags":[39,2299,572,2298,189,453,455,2300,2292,2295,1732,2297,2316,2315,2319,2294,2318,2317,2293,2296,100,2301,143],"class_list":["post-664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maths","category-stem","category-study-help","category-teaching","tag-algebra","tag-educational-equity","tag-educational-technology","tag-engaging-math-lessons","tag-innovative-teaching-methods","tag-knowledge-exploration","tag-love-for-learning","tag-math-confidence-building","tag-math-proficiency-decline","tag-math-tutoring-services","tag-mathematics-education","tag-mathematics-skill-development","tag-mathsanxiety","tag-matyhsanxiety","tag-momlife","tag-pandemic-learning-loss","tag-parenting","tag-parents","tag-personalized-tutoring","tag-real-world-mathematics","tag-stem-education","tag-student-mathematics-achievement","tag-tutorbloom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pexels-george-becker-374918-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":678,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions\/678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tutorbloom.com\/bloomblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}