Math. For some, it’s fun.
I’m not one of those people.
For me, math is like reading hieroglyphics or trying to navigate through the Periodic Table of Elements. I don’t pretend to be good at either one of them.
My brother on the other hand is a math teacher. Go figure. FOX 4 has a math teacher, too — well, sort of. FOX 4 Meteorologist Michelle Bogowith has three degrees, one in communications, one in meteorology and (hello!) a masters in meteorology, which basically means she’s really smart at math. If it weren’t for her, morning show ‘math’ segments like the one posted above wouldn’t be as fun — nor would we look as smart.
Still, those who have trouble with numbers can relax. You’re in the majority. Most of us scratch our heads, count on our fingers or — if we’re really lucky — resort to calculators to solve those problematic equations. According to a recent survey, 95 percent of parents are stumped by their children’s math homework.
Laura Clark, education correspondant with the Daily Mail, reports that just one in 20 parents were able to solve math problems that 8, 10 and 12 year old students can solve.
FOX 4’s Kim Byrnes can relate. She’s a smart cookie, but she says students learn math differently.
“It’s just the way they solve problems,” she said. “It’s completely different than what we learned in school. We get the same answer, but the process is different, which can be frustrating to me and my kids.”
One method taught today is called “chunking,” which is a form of long division. Students subtract “chunks” from a number and rely on an element of guesswork to complete the problem.
It’s confusing to today’s adults! Just watch the video. I tested out some of today’s math problems on my colleagues Nick Vasos, Kim Byrnes and Michelle Bogowith.
See how well you do solving the problems. No cheating!
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