Encourage Your Daughter To Study Math—Raising A Kid In This Culture Can Be A Kind Of Abuse

I read a story in the New York Times a few days ago that made me ill.

The story was about the failure to recognize and develop the mathematical talents of young people in our country. Girls especially face this problem. The article said that students who do well in math are often immigrants or the children of immigrants, or kids who are seen as nerds.

What the article could just of well of said is—The more you are fully socialized into this sick culture, the more you are pulled away from academic success.

This is the kind of culture that propels the ignorant Sarah Palin to the top of the political ladder.

Hockey moms. Soccer moms. Football moms.

Sure.

Beyond the fact that maybe dads should do more of the driving, where are the debate club moms and the math club moms?

It really borders as a kind of abuse to allow a child to become part of our culture without taking a strong role in understanding what strengths and interests a child has in school and in life.

Here is a quote in the article from a professor at the University of Wisconsin who has a son who is successful in math studies—“Kids in high school, where social interactions are really important, think, ‘If I’m not Asian or a nerd, I’d better not be on the math team.’ Kids are self-selecting. For social reasons they’re not even trying.” 

Where are the parents here? How many kids have talents that are never utilized or never even realized because parents don’t make an effort to see what the kid is able to do in life?

What is wrong with people? Take some time with your damn kids beyond sports and just hanging out.