Maths?

I think school method of teaching - inspires a few likewise puts off learning for a similar number and others get by

Maths & Science seemed my go to subjects in secondary school in the 80s. But school didn't inspire me, although I had one teacher who taught Geometric & Engineering Drawing (old fashioned as it was then on drawing board - aka drafting table) .  I think that just latched into my visual thinking and so I left at 16  and got an apprentice job in an engineers office, and studied part-time whilst working and switched to a full-time Masters Degree.  

But that was me and my spiky profile which meant english, arts, languages I found difficult, or as school put it on all my reports for 5 years "lacks effort","lacks concentration/focus","easily distracted", or that my attitude of excelling at certain subjects early on was "narrow minded" - gosh would teachers (form tutor, head of year and headmaster) write this stuff now or think  what's going on ?  I don't know

We should try to show useful maths -  where you can use it in life, like budgets/finances, running a business or understanding business, there's a million more reasons I expect.  And show that learning is life-long

Sorry for the ramble.

I fully agree that learning is for life. 

I failed maths and most subjects at school because ‘I lacked effort, concentration, focus and so on’. School report were littered with comments such as ‘could do better’, ‘if she would apply herself …’ ‘lazy’, ‘capable but won’t apply herself’. Autism wasn’t recognised when I was at school and looking back I can see that my difficulties were due to being autistic and not understanding what was required of me. 

i returned to study later in life and passed GCSE maths plus higher level qualifications. Age is no barrier to education.

I was in top set for maths - but then, inexplicably (to me at least) I was moved down. It was, I was told, because I didn't seem comfortable in top set. 

Unfortunately, the school apparently mistook social anxiety for inability - just another misunderstanding, one of many that I endured as a child. 

Amazing that I ever came back (I work there now) actually.

I do teach some maths now, as part of my job. I think every student can get something out of it, with an informed approach to teaching. 

I was in top set for maths - but then, inexplicably (to me at least) I was moved down. It was, I was told, because I didn't seem comfortable in top set. 

Unfortunately, the school apparently mistook social anxiety for inability - just another misunderstanding, one of many that I endured as a child. 

Amazing that I ever came back (I work there now) actually.

I do teach some maths now, as part of my job. I think every student can get something out of it, with an informed approach to teaching. 

In some ways we are remarkably similar. I shot up to nearly the top of the class in maths when I was about 10 years old, the following year in secondary education, I came last in maths. Aside from autism, I can attribute the sudden drop in marks to not adapting from basic numeracy to the big school maths of algebra, geometry and trigonometry etc, I am a repetitive counter which was helpful in the early years, but not good in secondary education. 

The politics of which maths set one was in, was incredible in my middle school.  It taught me more about human nature.

I was moved from a special school, by special,  I mean a school for severely mentally disturbed children, to a normal school half way through the school year.  I was automatically placed in the bottom maths set.  In the end of year exams I was top of that class by a big margin and I was moved to the middle set, the boy who was second in that class was very upset at being left behind in the bottom set. He never spoke to me again despite being in the same form as me and in most classes in other subjects.  He went from being friendly to completely shunning me.

After a few weeks in middle maths set, I came top in an Algebra test with a score of 40 out of 40 and I was moved to the top maths set.  The girl who came second went berserk, accusing me of stealing her rightful place in the top set.