20 Reasons It’s Way Cool to Love Math
by Michele Ranard, M.Ed.
300 words

1. Arithmetic practice is a workout. It stimulates and exercises the prefrontal cortex in your brain (bonus: you don’t have to change into yoga pants or get all sweaty).

2. Math doesn't involve memorization of historical dates or dangling participles.

3. You don’t have to be a great public speaker or a poet to be good at math.

4. Math seldom requires an ugly uniform and group showers after class.

5. Instructors of math do not routinely deduct points for poor spelling.

6. Answering math questions rarely requires five paragraph essays or alliteration.

7. Complicated verb conjugation doesn’t spring up in equations.

8. Math makes you a better musician.

9. Everybody can learn it—math is a universal language.

10. Logic found in math is refreshing; so much else in life is grey!

11. Knowing math leads to wiser financial decisions (cha-ching).

12. Recipes almost always involve math measurement.

13. Projects around the house are simplified with math knowledge…how much paint will I need to cover 300 square feet?

14. Math poses no need to ponder deep philosophy like what Kierkegaard meant about the need to engage in a state of despair before becoming stuck in a state of inertia.

15. Calculating sale prices at the mall involves math and impresses your companions.

16. Engineers and quantum physicists are awesome at math and rake in the dough.

17. Everybody knows ‘The Count’ on Sesame Street loves math and is the coolest muppet dude on the planet.

18. Numbers and math offer relief from all those rehearsals of “Go Tell it On the Mountain” on the recorder in music class.

19. Building with wooden blocks counts as geometry math work.

20. Understanding and using patterns in math leads to advanced problem solving and higher level thinking across all subjects.

Michele Ranard tutored math for years. She has a husband, two children, and a master’s in counseling.