When you use the word "mathy",

[Meriwether]

what do you mean? How would you define it?

[SilverMoon]

I have two kids I could use that adjective on. One finds math easy and truly enjoys it. She just seems to speak math's language. The other one... I'll swear during his first few years that I was just teaching him vocabulary for math he already figured out on his own. He just knows it, and has no problems telling me how it works.

[nansk]

When I have used it, I meant a child or person who loves Maths, who gets Maths almost effortlessly.

[Julie of KY]

My "mathy" kid just sees the math. It is intuitive. He describes himself as thinking in pictures and numbers, and he has trouble translating his ideas into words often.

 

[Dmmetler]

Agreed with the above. She just sees it, just knows it almost intuitively, and hard stuff is easier than easy stuff.

[TracyP]

I'm not a big fan of the word. I used to describe my odd as "not mathy" and ods as "mathy". In reality, my dd is very good at math; she just needs it presented differently than my ds. By labeling them this way, I almost wrote off my dd as simply "not mathy". I could have missed her abilities and just let her scrape by with a bare minimum. I do understand that it is sometimes useful, though. Like the others, I used it to describe a child that intuitively gets math concepts.

[SkateLeft]

I really can't stand that word, to be honest. I often see "non-mathy" used to describe a kid who just isn't good at math, as opposed to a child that is "mathy."

 

I get very sad when I see people describe their young children as "not mathy." I get particularly sad when I see it applied to little girls.

 

Yes, kids have their strengths and weaknesses, but K-8 is FAR too early to decide whether a child is mathy or not. If I had to label my oldest in K-8, I would *not* have described her as mathy. It took her ages to learn her multiplication facts, and I even had her evaluated for a math learning disability. Then she hit upper level math and it ALL clicked. She just blossomed, and she LOVES math.

 

One of the most important things to do for our kids is to keep as many doors open for them as possible. Conveying to them (and others) that they aren't "mathy" could push them away from pursuing STEM careers down the road. You really don't know what they may end up being good at.

[Crimson Wife]

I have one child who is bright and accelerated in math, but she is not intuitive about it the way her younger brother is. He sees patterns very easily and figures out stuff in math without me even teaching him. DD needs me to explicitly teach her the math; DS just "gets" the answer in a Gestalt fashion. When I ask him how he figured it out, he cannot explain his reasoning.

 

DD is good enough at math that she'll be able to pursue almost any career she wants. But she's not going to be a math major unless something dramatically changes in the next few years. DS I could see possibly going that route.

[wapiti]

I don't mind "mathy" as meaning someone intuitive or otherwise relatively talented at math. I have used the term as a sort of short-hand. I do not necessarily mean that the student has a love for math.

 

Maybe this is contradictory, but I *do* strongly bristle at the use of "non-mathy" for the reasons that PPs stated, that elementary and middle school levels are much too young to consider a student not talented at math. At that point, they haven't even been exposed to real math yet, as arithmetic is only the tiniest sliver of math.

[MinivanMom]

I would agree with others that I define "mathy" as someone who loves math and understands it intuitively; however, I hardly ever hear the word used in the positive sense. I hear, "Oh, she's just not mathy so . . ." Then comes some reason why it isn't necessary for their daughter to master math, because the parents have already decided that she isn't capable of doing so. I think we are doing the majority of children (particularly our daughters) a disservice when we define math ability as something innate. "Mathy" isn't something you are. Maybe you possess a great deal of natural math ability, but math is something you learn . . . something you study . . . something you master as you struggle with each new, complex problem. Math is something beautiful.

[zoobie]

I "hear" it much more often in a positive sense, but I can't recall anyone actually saying it out loud. :) I've referred to my oldest as mathy. She's good at math, enjoys it, it comes easy to her, but she's not a math genius.

[regentrude]

Somebody who has a special gift for, and interest in, math. I consider both my kids as "mathy".

 

I have a big problem with dislike labeling somebody as "non-mathy". Often, kids who dislike arithmetic get labeled non-mathy, but arithmetic is not really mathematics, that comes afterwards, LOL. It is entirely possible that this child will come to love math when it gets to the interesting stuff (there is nothing interesting about computation). Also, such labels easily become self-fulfilling prohesies if they are used to justify a lower level curriculum and to treat the student as "not good at it".

 

(Along the same lines, I also dislike characterizing somebody as "not really an English/humanities person". I am a physicist, that's as far from an "English person" as it gets, but I would never see this as a justification for poor spelling, grammar, writing or literature knowledge.)

[Bree]

a child who will walk around spouting off math facts just for fun...

[Lanny]

My DD says Math seems "normal". It is natural for her. She got a 97 on the Final Examination for the Semester and her Final Grade for the Semester was 93. She doesn't struggle with it, as someone who is "not mathy".might need to do. It is the easiest subject for her.

[Walking-Iris]

I don't use the word mathy. But if I had to define it, I would say my Kinder is mathy. He likes math! He gets it almost effortlessly. I guess a mathy kid is the one who really likes it.

 

Now my oldest doesn't like math, and it's like pulling teeth to get him to do it really. And he has struggled with certain math concepts in the past. BUT there are some math topics that he just gets almost effortlessly.

 

So I don't really like labels too much, because it's a mixed bag sometimes.

 

My oldest can be really brilliant with it at certain times, but he pretty much hates it all the same. I have wondered at times if he liked it, he would be mathy. But it doesn't matter how it's presented or what I use, he doesn't really like it.

 

Now my Kinder will attempt to do math in his free time. Reading? No, that I have to push and encourage him to do.

 

I think a child can be good at a subject and do it well, and dislike doing it.

[happypamama]

I define it as a child who just thinks and speaks in numbers, for whom the language of math, the little tricks and puzzles and relationships just make sense intuitively. I would describe my one son as being mathy, and I would describe myself the same way. My husband and daughter are both good at math, but I don't think it's as intuitive to them.

 

Otoh, my husband and daughter have brains that think more in words and that sort of creativity. (That doesn't mean they're good spellers; I think that is more of a math-type logic.) I would consider myself to be a good English student, but I don't feel that I have the intuitive gift of wielding language like my husband does. (And yet, foreign languages come easily to DD and me both, so who knows? LOL.)

 

I don't think the terms "mathy" or "non-mathy" are necessarily bad to use. To me, they're just statements about how the person thinks; they have nothing to do with that person's ability to do well in math. A "non-mathy" student may thrive using different methods/curricula than a "mathy" person, but the same is true of students who are more comfortable with language, or writing, or art, or whatever. I would never write off a student who is non-mathy as never being able to do well in math; I would simply choose different materials to meet that student's needs. (My "non-mathy" student is still advanced for grade level in math.)

[dereksurfs]

I really can't stand that word, to be honest. I often see "non-mathy" used to describe a kid who just isn't good at math, as opposed to a child that is "mathy."

 

I get very sad when I see people describe their young children as "not mathy." I get particularly sad when I see it applied to little girls.

 

Yes, kids have their strengths and weaknesses, but K-8 is FAR too early to decide whether a child is mathy or not. If I had to label my oldest in K-8, I would *not* have described her as mathy. It took her ages to learn her multiplication facts, and I even had her evaluated for a math learning disability. Then she hit upper level math and it ALL clicked. She just blossomed, and she LOVES math.

 

One of the most important things to do for our kids is to keep as many doors open for them as possible. Conveying to them (and others) that they aren't "mathy" could push them away from pursuing STEM careers down the road. You really don't know what they may end up being good at.

 

Amen, Sharon!

 

Thank you for sharing this. I'm not sure what my younger dds are capable of. And I certainly do not want to pre-label them as "not mathy" before they have a chance to develop. I will say that math was more effortless for ds11. But that doesn't mean that the girls won't grow into their own a bit later.

[retiredHSmom]

I really can't stand that word, to be honest. I often see "non-mathy" used to describe a kid who just isn't good at math, as opposed to a child that is "mathy."

 

I get very sad when I see people describe their young children as "not mathy." I get particularly sad when I see it applied to little girls.

 

Yes, kids have their strengths and weaknesses, but K-8 is FAR too early to decide whether a child is mathy or not. If I had to label my oldest in K-8, I would *not* have described her as mathy. It took her ages to learn her multiplication facts, and I even had her evaluated for a math learning disability. Then she hit upper level math and it ALL clicked. She just blossomed, and she LOVES math.

 

One of the most important things to do for our kids is to keep as many doors open for them as possible. Conveying to them (and others) that they aren't "mathy" could push them away from pursuing STEM careers down the road. You really don't know what they may end up being good at.

 

 

I agree, I have told this story here before and I am sure that I will again but it bears repeating.

 

My middle daughter was good at math in elementary and middle school, she was doing algebra 1 in 6th grade, so ahead of the curve but not genius. She claimed to hate math. She went off to college planning to be a kindergarten teacher. She hated everything about education and decided to be a math major because she was good at it and liked the neatness of it and that there was usually one right answer that was not affected by the professors religious or political views. Today she is a paid undergraduate research assistant in a math research project. The head of the math department describes her as "a rising star" in the math department and she loves math. I never would have called her mathy and if we had not insisted that she work to her potential in math because kindergarten teachers don't need much math we have done her a disservice. Let's face it arithmetic is just not that inspiring to everyone.

 

My oldest daughter was going to go to art school and be an artist. She draws beautifully. She definitely wasn't mathy. She didn't really like math and was on the standard Algebra 1 in 8th grade track. We made her complete calculus in high school because she could. She wanted to quit, artists don't need math. She got accepted to the top public art school in the nation. We made her take calculus 2 first semester. She didn't like the art program at all, being forced to produce art took all the fun out of it. Her art wasn't "deep and meaningful enough" for them (it was too happy and colorful) She switched majors to mechanical engineering (she has always liked to make things with her hands) She loves mechanical engineering, her engineering prof asked her to be a TA as a sophomore, her grades are great.

 

Neither girl was mathy, yet math is now a very important part of both their lives. As parents we need to make sure not to sell our children, especially our daughters, short. Especially when it comes to math and science.

[RootAnn]

Perhaps there is a need to change the wording as more along the lines of "natural speller"?

 

I'm not a natural speller, but I think of myself as 'mathy.' So, perhaps I'm a 'natural mather'? (Mathlete?)

I agree with many of the above posters about the definition of 'mathy.' And, I think there are definitely some kids that are "natural mathletes' just like there are definitely some kids who are 'natural spellers.' There are also kids who can spell well that aren't 'natural spellers' (who might be so because of really good visual memories?). I think there are kids who can understand arithmetic and 'do well' on it that aren't necessarily 'mathy.' (Examples by other posters, above.)

 

Tania - Love your story!! My dd#2 is an artistic type. Interesting how things change... :-)

[kiwik]

I have no problem with mathy. I think if it like music - some people can play by ear some can't. Not being able to play by ear at 6 does not mean you can't be a professional musician it just means you learn music in a more structured way, also to do well the play by ear person has to learn formal technique and sight reading music and may in fact find some aspects of this harder.

 

It is more a way of seeing/hearing the maths.

 

Unmathy I don't like though, or unmusical, unartistic or un anything else - it just isn't helpful to label someone in that way.

 

[Embassy]

I would define it as a natural ability towards math. The child may not enjoy math and still be mathy, imo.

[nansk]

... K-8 is FAR too early to decide whether a child is mathy or not. If I had to label my oldest in K-8, I would *not* have described her as mathy. It took her ages to learn her multiplication facts, and I even had her evaluated for a math learning disability. Then she hit upper level math and it ALL clicked. She just blossomed, and she LOVES math....

Love this story! Thanks for sharing.

[NASDAQ]

I reject the concept of being bad at math.

 

In our house, there are people who find math naturally easy, and those who work harder. Dd is the latter type.

[Farrar]

This is interesting. I generally use it to mean a child who is interested by math or enjoys it. I only occasionally see it in the negative and it's usually in the positive, I think. It's not necessarily a child who is good at it, though I think having an intuitive understanding of math makes you more likely to enjoy it. I sometimes say one of my ds is "mathy" because he enjoys math when its presented in a good way. He enjoys puzzles. Sometimes he really gets into it. But he's really not accelerated at math at all and he's weak on computation, which we're always working to improve. Of course, this is in contrast to his brother, who just plugs away at math but never really loves it.

 

I do try to keep in mind that these things change and that mastery can lead to more enjoyment. So I don't want to pigeonhole either of the kids into being mathy or not. We could easily get to a new stage and have it change, I think.

[Tanikit]

When I was younger my parents would say one or other of us was more or less "mathematically-minded" - my sister who was apparently language-oriented is now a lawyer and a translator, whereas I am a veterinarian. I have no idea if what they said influenced what we did or if how we were and what they were seeing influenced it. When we did puzzles as children my sister did appear to be better at crosswords and word puzzles and I did prefer logic problems or those problems I could work out with patterns or numbers. Nonetheless both of us received the same symbols in grade 12 and took the same subjects which included languages and math and science.

 

Maybe being "mathy" has to do with the way we prefer to think. Personally though I believe that math is a language too, not something as different as many people seem to think. One and two are merely names for quantities just the same as love is a name for an abstract concept and chair is a name for a thing we sit on. Word play (where we change letters to change sounds and words) can be seen as a mathematical function as can phonics itself.

 

Personally I do not think that labelling a child as anything is helpful - everyone can change. Also math is such a broad topic as is language that it is very hard to label someone as being good in all areas of it.

 

Nontheless when posting on this board it is easier to understand when someone labels their child as mathy - there is an understanding to that word based on what people reply when the topic has that in the subject line and the same is true for the term non-mathy. If this will affect our children at a later stage we should ask will this be to improve my child's life or not - we may or may not be right but at least we have addressed it and thought about it. We should also ask what ELSE we are saying that will affect our child's future - it is a lot of things and in the greater scheme of things it will probably not do permanent damage to a child to be called mathy or non mathy.

[jenn-]

I define mathy like everyone else seems to: easily grasps math concepts and applies math to their everyday life even without instructions. My mathy kid has been able to divide small numbers since he was 4. It was always amazing to see him figure out how many cookies everyone could have and through me for a loop by straight face telling me to cut one into x number of pieces so it could be even. He also gets annoyed with me during math when I try to get him to do something my way. He knows how to get an answer, just don't ask him to explain it to you. He is just wired differently in his thinking.

[letsplaymath]

I also use "mathy" to mean someone who enjoys math and (at least sometimes) has an intuitive understanding of concepts. And I certainly agree that everyone can do well at math, that being "non-mathy" is no excuse for failing to learn the basics --- just as one doesn't need to be a "bookish" child to learn to read and write.

 

I wrote a blog post about what it means to succeed at homeschool math, which has nothing to do with mathiness. You might enjoy it:

• How to Recognize a Successful Homeschool Math Program
  

 

[Penelope]

 

 

Yes, kids have their strengths and weaknesses, but K-8 is FAR too early to decide whether a child is mathy or not.

 

I agree.

 

Usually, when someone describes a kid as "mathy", what is being described is a facility for arithmetic. But there is so much more to math than arithmetic, and the kid that is quick with subtraction and multiplication at age 5 or 6 is not necessarily going to show the name aptitude when he gets to trig or calculus and beyond. Or even with fractions at age 9. ;)

 

I have used the term myself, but I think it's sort of a silly one.

[Element]

I have one child who is bright and accelerated in math, but she is not intuitive about it the way her younger brother is. He sees patterns very easily and figures out stuff in math without me even teaching him. DD needs me to explicitly teach her the math; DS just "gets" the answer in a Gestalt fashion. When I ask him how he figured it out, he cannot explain his reasoning.

 

DD is good enough at math that she'll be able to pursue almost any career she wants. But she's not going to be a math major unless something dramatically changes in the next few years. DS I could see possibly going that route.

 

 

Wow, this sounds like my children. The bolded sounds exactly like my son, whom I would call "mathy."

 

Dh is the same way. Oddly, he was never an A-student in math, despite the fact that he gets math so easily. I think part of his problem was that he almost never used a calculator, even in college (and he has an Accounting Info Systems degree, so he had several college math classes.) I guess my point is that "mathy" kids/people aren't *always* the highest scoring individuals in the class. Right or wrong, they sure seem to be the fastest to complete the work, though! :rolleyes:

[Clear Creek]

I define it as a child who just thinks and speaks in numbers, for whom the language of math, the little tricks and puzzles and relationships just make sense intuitively. I would describe my one son as being mathy, and I would describe myself the same way. My husband and daughter are both good at math, but I don't think it's as intuitive to them.

 

Otoh, my husband and daughter have brains that think more in words and that sort of creativity. (That doesn't mean they're good spellers; I think that is more of a math-type logic.) I would consider myself to be a good English student, but I don't feel that I have the intuitive gift of wielding language like my husband does. (And yet, foreign languages come easily to DD and me both, so who knows? LOL.)

 

I don't think the terms "mathy" or "non-mathy" are necessarily bad to use. To me, they're just statements about how the person thinks; they have nothing to do with that person's ability to do well in math. A "non-mathy" student may thrive using different methods/curricula than a "mathy" person, but the same is true of students who are more comfortable with language, or writing, or art, or whatever. I would never write off a student who is non-mathy as never being able to do well in math; I would simply choose different materials to meet that student's needs. (My "non-mathy" student is still advanced for grade level in math.)

 

 

The bolded above is how I would define the term "mathy." The non-mathy child doesn't lack ability and can attain the same level of proficiency as the mathy child; he or she just views the world (and the patterns that comprise it) differently. This is why I do not see it as a negative lablel; although I would prefer to use an overtly positive label in the presence of the child (like a natural speller, or a gifted storyteller) because the child might perceive it as a negative label.

 

My oldest and my youngest are mathy. They see the world in patterns and puzzles that can be broken apart and fit together in a myriad of ways. They naturally pick up math concepts with little instruction and learn music theory with ease.

 

My middle child is not mathy. She needs math concepts to be presented with clear patterns that can be learned and clearly defined relationships between concepts. She plans on being a doctor when she grows up, and she knows that she needs to learn a lot of math to get there. She is perfectly willing to put in the hard work necessary to achieve her goal and I am fully confident that she will reach it, regardless of her non-mathiness. She is learning music theory and the piano along with her siblings (and doing equally well) because she is an auditory learner - she can hear a piece of music, or even a song on the radio, and reproduce the melody on the piano. She has to work to understand music theory, but once she hears a piece and sees how the visual notes represent what she is hearing, then she will get the concept.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I define mathy as a child who likes math, usually they pick it up readily as well.

[dereksurfs]

I just can't help but think about the power of suggestion with all of this. I also realize this goes beyond what is intended when folks use these terms to describe kids' math abilities. Sure, we all know some children are better at math than others. And that varies at different stages of their development. Some are later bloomers and then can take off. But boy, I have to really check myself as a father not to prejudge my dds and somehow place them in a *different* category and trajectory than my ds11 who seems to sail through math with greater ease. Yes, they are different and therein lies a bit of a trap for us as parents. I know school teachers fall into this same trap, labeling their 'rising stars' vs. the rest who seem to struggle more. I just don't want to assume too much and allow those early observations and judgments to predetermine where I think they are headed (e.g. STEM vs. humanities field). I love the examples given in this thread of the parents who did not place their child on 'Easy Street' simply because they weren't 'Mathy' at some point during their education.

 

This is really one of the things which is so cool about homeschooling. We don't have to relegate children to a lower rung educational status simply because they are not obvious all stars from the get go.

[RootAnn]

If you would have asked me three, four, or five years ago about dd#2, I would have considered her 'mathy.' Any 'power of suggestion' on my part didn't help her like it or pick up on new concepts better in the past two-and-a-half years. Wish me saying she was mathy over & over again would get those results. :laugh:

[Meriwether]

Thanks for all the replies; I think they accurately represented the various situations in which I've seen it used on the boards. I've described my kids as not mathy before. I meant no insult by it. I'm also not trying to pigeon-hole them. They are all very good at math, are at least somewhat accelerated, and learn both concepts and algorithms easily. All of them will be required to go as far in math as they can go while at home. But they aren't what I think of as mathy. There is no special feeling or aptitude for math like I see in some of the kids here. I tend to think "mathy" describes a small, selective group, and don't think not being mathy is an insult to other kids. Root Ann mentioned natural spellers. I call Dd10 a natural speller. She asked me as a 4yo whether the flower she was wanting to write was "f-l-o-w-e-r" or "f-l-o-u-r", spelling both correctly aloud. She had seen both spellings, but hadn't been taught which represented which item. She has always been good at math, but not in the same way that she has been good at spelling, if that makes sense. Ds8 is decidedly not a natural speller. We work on it. I hope he spells as well as Dd10 someday. I don't think having to work at it makes him less than in any way. So if I refer to my kids as not mathy please don't think I am criticizing or limiting them in any way! I didn't realize until I read some of the threads here that it might be taken that way. ETA: Please excuse the long, rambling paragraph. I can't use the return button anymore. :confused1:

[Meriwether]

And it just occurred to me that I ought to have been "liking" posts as I've been reading them this weekend. Whoops! I've appreciated everyone's responses.

[Chrysalis Academy]

My dd10 is great at math, and she likes it. She does all the math I assign her without complaining. She understands things without too much trouble. But I have never described her as "mathy" because she doesn't looooove math, ask to do more of it, read math books for fun, enjoy puzzles and logic games enough to do them on her own in her free time . . . so I guess I see the description "mathy" as more of a description of interest/inclination rather than ability.

 

However, I would never, ever describe her as "non-mathy" which does seem to imply a lesser ability when I hear it used.

 

I guess my real issue is that I don't like to use labels/descriptors that imply that our qualities depend entirely on our genetics/what we are born with, and thus are not amenable to change. I think there is so much evidence that abillity/intelligence is malleable, and can be improved by hard work and practice. It's the Mindset thing, right? Not to mention the self-fulfilling prophecy? I want my kids to know that they can work hard and develop their abilities in any area they are willing to put in the time.

 

That said, of course I grant that there are gifts in different areas - but I don't think it is at all useful to label kids. I was labelled myself as a kid as verbal rather than mathy, and that definied my choices in school, major subject, interests persued, career choice, etc. all the way until "adulthood." I don't want to limit my girls in this way.

[dereksurfs]

Thanks for all the replies; I think they accurately represented the various situations in which I've seen it used on the boards. I've described my kids as not mathy before. I meant no insult by it. I'm also not trying to pigeon-hole them. They are all very good at math, are at least somewhat accelerated, and learn both concepts and algorithms easily. All of them will be required to go as far in math as they can go while at home. But they aren't what I think of as mathy. There is no special feeling or aptitude for math like I see in some of the kids here. I tend to think "mathy" describes a small, selective group, and don't think not being mathy is an insult to other kids. Root Ann mentioned natural spellers. I call Dd10 a natural speller. She asked me as a 4yo whether the flower she was wanting to write was "f-l-o-w-e-r" or "f-l-o-u-r", spelling both correctly aloud. She had seen both spellings, but hadn't been taught which represented which item. She has always been good at math, but not in the same way that she has been good at spelling, if that makes sense. Ds8 is decidedly not a natural speller. We work on it. I hope he spells as well as Dd10 someday. I don't think having to work at it makes him less than in any way. So if I refer to my kids as not mathy please don't think I am criticizing or limiting them in any way! I didn't realize until I read some of the threads here that it might be taken that way.

 

ETA: Please excuse the long, rambling paragraph. I can't use the return button anymore. :confused1:

 

Meriwether, first of all you asked an honest question in your initial post which is really so simple. I don't think any of us would consider your use of these terms as pigeonholing your kids.

 

However, it does press a hot button with many I think in our own personal parenting and homeschooling of our children. It also strikes a nerve when we hear the 'non-mathy' like 'non-englishy' child being described. I am speaking mostly for myself when I say I have to be very careful as I know my 'perception' of my dds has a profound impact on their futures for better or worse. They ultimately look to me for guidance. And as such I have to guard against certain premature determinations, clasifications as well as cultural biases. This may sound a bit sexist, so forgive me if it does. But I have to be careful not to think about our young girls as fitting more into the traditional female stereotype of being more right brained, language arts gifted, etc... There is a huge need for women in STEM careers, many of which participate on this board. But I'm concerned of my own biases creeping in and influencing their futures even in subtle ways, if that makes any sense at all. A solid Math foundation is so critical in all of this that I don't want to fall into this trap myself and limit them, even if subconsciously.

 

BTW, there is a thread about the return button bug. It's IE 10 specific and works fine in other browsers including Chrome which is my new go to browser. ;)

[macpuffins]

I'm 'mathy' and always have been. Math was the subject you never had to BEG me to do. Had to beg me to NOT do it ahead (that didn't work).

Once I got into Calculus & Statistics, well... Let's just say I used Calculus to defrag my brain when I was studying for the GRE general & psychology exams. When I hit a snag in my Psychology thesis - calculus. Hit a BIG snag? Take that graduate level multivariate statistics course that tweaks the brain. Realize after-the-fact that the stats course SOLVED the not-exactly-a-stats-problem with thesis data analysis.

Hubby is mathy. He chose to learn how to do cube roots in his head just to make sure his students (he teaches at the local CC) paid attention to him, because he actually KNEW what he was talking about. He also used it as a small fund raiser for donating to minor causes - after all, how many public school graduates in CC believe that their instructors can do cube roots in their head? Yeah, not many. :)

 

DD4.5 = mathy. It's genetic. AND environmental. We have stuff around w/ letters/numbers everywhere. She gets it. Period. She understands minus & take-away while her friends don't even get addition with simple things. Discovered that when she was watching a game played at her g-parents' place, and corrected Nanny for adding things up wrong, because those 2 numbers can't give you that! (was adding 5s, and got a number that didn't end in a 5 or 0 - yeah, colour US shocked).

 

I have friends I went to HS with, they didn't consider themselves mathy, but the school was a girls' school and everyone was expected to take Math12 if you were an academic not business student (and even business students were to take business math12). A couple of them went on and are now math teachers because it finally 'stuck' after taking it for so long (and being expected to excel in it just BECAUSE that's what you did). I never heard that someone could not be mathy. It was always considered something where it could change. If someone wasn't getting it, it was because the student wasn't being taught in a manner that got through to them. Even a couple friends who had SERIOUS math woes were expected to get it, and eventually did. In one case, she was later diagnosed w/ dysnumeria, but because of her consistent use of strategies throughout her education, she was mathy in spite of it. [Why yes, the nuns did do 'drill & kill' with a lather, rinse, repeat kind of attitude!]

 

eta: I was also considered a 'word nerd' even though I had troubles with English, especially grammar. I was the girl with her nose in a book, All.The.Time. yet I struggled immensely with simple grammatical concepts. Taking Latin helped immensely, and showed me that I had not been taught the grammatical basics in a manner consistent with my learning style. Nothing like taking a foreign (dead) language that is taught by a music instructor in a very scientific manner to get through to me concepts I had struggled with for years.

Edited June 10, 2013 by macpuffins