They try hard to squeeze in “real life” examples of how the Maths they learn is used in…real life. Unfortunately, after talking about measuring the playground (geometry and mensuration), cooking in the kitchen (ratios), buying grocery (profit and loss..of all things!), and some business concepts (percentages, discounts etc), everyone comes to a sorry stop.

Because that is the reality! It is very hard to give a real-life or, at least, a day-to-day-life example of how they would use quadratic equations, or set theory or calculus! Unless, they are talked about in the context of specific pursuits, it is simply impossible to make these day-to-day life connections. Most of us are never going to build bridges, or become data scientists, or do research in theoretical physics. And we will never, ever, ever, find the height of a pole by measuring its shadow, or worry about when your train cross another which left your destination four hours ago and is traveling at 90 kmph. That’s just not how life works.

So, how then do we explain to our students, why they are learning these concepts. The answer is simple…it’s the same reason why a cricketer plays table tennis, or lifts weights. It improves other skills. But, first, start with telling that here is a concept which they might never use in the future. But if they did choose a career in Physics, or Nuclear Science or Architecture, or Data Science, now is the time to build that foundation.

And if they don’t know which career they are going to choose yet, now is the time to build a foundation anyway. That’s what it is for. So they don’t have to sweat it, but it’s worth paying attention in class when the topic is being taught.

This, by the way, applies to all subjects. I have never composed a sonnet, leave alone a haiku, never used the Wurtz Reaction (I am not even sure why I remember that name), never built a transformer, never tried to measure my food in terms of calories, leave alone units of ATP it will produce, the list goes on. But, someone has. And, they started learning it in school.

Here are a few more things you can tell children:

1. It helps them expand their thinking. Does everyone need to have “expanded” thinking? Maybe not, but it is worth trying. The wider your “thinking” net is going to spread, the better problem-solving and decision making abilities you will develop.

2. It helps them understand ideas in terms of First Principles. First Principles thinking is very easy to define in words, but hard to execute. Try solving a variety of Maths problems, and it is sure to develop your ability to think in terms of First Principles.

3. It helps them see problems in terms of Maths. Very often, we avoid thinking in “Maths” terms because we are afraid of the subject and the Pandora’s box that train of thought is going to open. But, actually thinking in Maths terms might lead to a correct solution instead of guesstimates. That will only happen when you learn Maths in all its glory.

The most important reason why they should learn the subject is to see the wonder in it. As a thought experiment, just throw a random but real life situation (like the election results of the last elections in your state) and ask them to see the Maths in it. When they do, you will create that sense of wonder. And that is the point at which our job as a teacher begins.

You could also ask other subject teachers to nudge students, when they bring Maths into a topic. For example, cartography or the ratio of Porus’ soldiers vs. Alexander’s. Physics, of course has a lot of Maths in it. As does Chemistry. When they start showing the Maths in the topic, that adds more context than you could do in the Maths class itself.

If it works, repeat often.

It will work.

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