My first and standard response when I hear the word "math" is to say, "I don't do numbers." I try to make this statement the truth as often as posssible. I have always been horrible at math, or everything after fractions anyway. So, I avoid it. Thank Goodness my bank has a website so that I can verify my bank balance is somewhere around the amount that I estimate it to be.
So, typical of me, when I saw the title of this article contained that dreaded word, I instantly drew an X through it and vowed not to read it. Well, as fate would have it, I did read the article. I didn't find a lot of pertinent information in the article itself. The subjects were too young and the math too basic. But I did start to think about the fact that secondary students' reading ability clearly affects all of their academic areas. I knew this already, of course, but I have always considered it a flaw of math teachers who feel that they shouldn't have to deal with any instruction related to reading. I never considered that I am doing the same thing when I blithely say, "I am not a math girl." Please don't take this to mean that I am going to suddenly going to try and improve my lacking math skills. Math terrifies me and it is truly a struggle for my brain to process any sort of equation. But I am, at least, realizing that math teachers may feel the same way when they are told that "reading is everyone's job." We all have our flaws.
I feel the same way about math, however I realized that math is in everything we do as is reading. I can do simple math, make a cake and draw( all three requiring some math knowledge). I think we as high school educators have become too specialized.almost thinking "i'm not supposed to teach that". as time consuming as it may seem, we do have to teach it all to some degree. We have to break down to help each other out when it comes to the education of our students.
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