Problem Solving Epidemic: Lacking Basic Math Skills

Brief discussion on the latest "epidemic" involving today's students unable to critically think: reflective of their academic performance(s) in American schools today.

Author Jerry P. King, who wrote the book The Art of Mathematics, said this:

"There will come a time when mathematical ignorance, like public smoking, will become socially unacceptable."
— King, The Art of Mathematics (1992), p.176

Relevance of King's statement couldn't more apparent: today's American students are finding difficulty in their problem solving conjectures, academically speaking. Added along this struggle are these students' inabilities in reading [comprehension], peppered with poor attention spans: a generational recipe waiting to crash. How are we to manage such future when they, themselves, can't figure out the neurological process of what converting fractions into decimals mean? Do they care where they're headed in life?

Home Is Where The Start Is

A person's story often starts at home. If today's parent(s)/guardian(s) are too busy not to partake in their child(ren)'s growth and well-being, nor teaching them the ropes of life, then they are setting these young ones up for disappointment. Even as I will forever honor my own parents, it's a bummer not having known, nor be warned about, vagaries and nuances that eventually spring up in life. Then again, our life paths are different, whence circumstances are too plentiful to overview and discuss. That doesn't mean we shouldn't make time teaching the basics that kept generations stable for many years. When it comes to subjects like mathematics, one of the most frowned-upon—academic—areas of study, inabilities solving nontrivialities such as \(12 + 13\) is an obstruction to human progress (by cognitive standards). I mean, what's happening to us? Why are kids struggling with basic math? Furthermore, why do kids/teens get upset when called out over something like this? Folks older than them, like myself, a millennial, are just helping; but we're also wondering if their parent(s)/guardian(s) are doing their diligence helping them get where they need to be. There's nothing worse than seeing a child, who's part of who you are, grow up for failure. Just because you yourself never succeeded doesn't mean your own child should suffer the same fate. I understand: smart devices, social media, online videos, podcasts, etc., being severe factors; it's as if the internet has turned into Hollywood 2.0—brim with all kinds/forms of entertainment. On the other hand, I also understand you are all busy working, trying your best putting food on the table (others, who are more irresponsible, take these opportunities to wrecklessly party and socialize). Then, you have parent(s)/guardian(s) that completely don't care at all; some wishing they had the place for themselves and not with a child they "forcibly" attend to. When it comes to having kids, it's not about you anymore. While I can't fathom the stresses my parents underwent having to, legally, emmigrate here in the US, giving myself and sister the lives they wanted for us, I'm eternally thankful; something I'll never ignore, doing so similarly myself. For that, we have sacrifices to make for our child(ren): lose our ego(s) and go the distance; as these kids can't do it themselves. In addition, as briefly mentioned, children are an extension of you: how they're treated, raised, and your role in inspiring/motivating them says a lot about yourself overall. By that logic, your child will turn out exactly how and what you've become: something you, yourself, cannot fault them for. They follow your lead, learn from your words and mannerisms. Therefore, you shall not be upset for how they turn(ed) out; even if they, miraculously, manage to break their way out from the insecurities you instilled in them, you're not deserving of any credit they earned given how poorly you've raised them. Take accountability for how you've raised/treated them or admit that you destroyed an innocent life—for it is my wish, and hope, those innocent kids deserve better.

Understandably, parents aren't perfect. We didn't choose the place(s), and circumstance(s), we've lived with. While there are factors that constitute such circumstance(s), many folks blame our current economic landscape to the Boomer generation (will not be discussed here further). Since consumption of entertainment, shopping malls, and technology, societal standards we grew up with went obsolete quickly. We had to "invent" our own blueprint(s) navigating this now-digitized lifestyle: us millennials setting a precedent on it, introducing youngsters to such. More-so, consumer confidence keeps dropping as prices continue to increase; adding with that, a dry job market, and we're holding on every last thread we have. For those with kids now must navigate such complex standard of living, almost similarly, if not worse, compared to our own parent(s)/guardian(s). It's not easy sacrificing something to attain something else/better; but we can't have it all, can we? Our parent(s)/guardian(s) did the same for us; shouldn't we do so, too? These are children we're talking about; yet the psychological instabilities active today, which has made many people become self-centered narcissists, will leave frustrated having read such message this blog post has expressed so far. This begs the question: whose future is more concerning—yours or your child(ren)? That's a question only you can answer...privately.

Money is one of many sources for survival. Even those short on cash can find free sources of educational material online. Knowledge continues to be shown, taught, archived, and presented, yet some people never take advantage of them. Whether it's books or video lectures, there's more than enough material your child(ren), perhaps even you, can access. Again, if screen time is an issue, many resources can be downloaded and printed; for books, check local libraries or any platform that give away free books. Services remain available, you just have to look for them. In other words, if you care enough about the success of your child(ren), you'd go through hoops to make it happen. Isn't great loving your child(ren) enough to where they know they'll be protected and supported by a parent(s)/guardian(s) who believes in them? Ignore every online video from people expressing regret on having children—whining about how stressful it gets and all that. I stand by my view: if you love your child(ren) enough, you'd go all the way in ensuring they're secure, stable, and always safe. Logging onto social media, whining how being a parent is stressful, won't solve your problem(s); you know very well the responsibilities in place when having children. Not everything in life is supposed to be easy because it isn't; and every "dirty laundry" you have shouldn't even be shared online. We all have to contribute and do our part keeping our human species alive. Putting it bluntly, quit your whining; and if you really thought parenting was stressful, you shouldn't have had kids in the first place. You're ruining someone's life in real-time and many of these adults don't know it. (Oh, and good luck deleting those complaining videos of yours when your own kids find them. They'll be crushed when they find their own parent/guardian telling the internet how much they begrudgingly dislike them; but hey, when it comes to posting on social media, it's all about you, not them, right?)

Some of you are asking, "what about learning through AI?" There have been some reports about how fast learning students attain through AI, and while it may be a possible new standard, perhaps it's fine. Personally, I prefer the traditional method, learning through concepts, methods, and/or techniques; but if it's helping your child(ren) grasp knowledge and information, then by all means. There's enough controversy with the use of AI, but using it as a tool shouldn't be too problematic if, and only if, it's used for its intended purpose: learning (see below).

Classrooms Are for Teaching

Too many blunders have happened in classrooms, historically. One that stands out are spontaneous tirades where teachers/professors project their frustrations, to the students, over current events, politics, or personal matters not belonging in class. Nothing gives awkward vibes than students finding a video of their own teacher/professor online posting something so immature, insensitive, and/or ridiculous; to where they, themselves, no longer feel respect for them. Do current events matter? Yes. Should politics be in our minds as it concerns society's future? Definitely. Then does that imply it should be discussed in class bouncing off of students in hopes to suppress our frustrations about the modern world? No. There's a time and place for such discussions, just not in the classroom. It's fair to assume your students would rather not talk about such matters either, as they are there to jot notes from your lecture(s) then call it a day. If you want to see change in this world, as a teacher, you'd become and act upon such thing. You can tell your students, and others, what they should(n't) do all day; but your actions, and how you carry yourself, speak louder. If vocalizing your complaints led you in thinking something is going to change, you'd do something about it; otherwise, your complaints aren't worth a listen. Set an example; become someone that others look up to; prove that who you are stands over everyone else; and quit lowering yourselves for the sake of coinciding with others' standards. Your presentation and teaching dictates how much you want your students to succeed. Focus on what you can control, and stop obsessing about becoming the superhero everyone needs just for "likes" and "followers." (Another reminder: you're also not above the law.)

Assuming many teachers know their job and role, now comes the issue of technology itself. Technology has made life much easier at the click of a button; though, however, it's gotten too easy and comfortable, making us overly dependent on it. How uncomfortable do you feel misplacing/losing your cell phone? How many times have you had meltdowns when the internet slows down or stops working? Devices like computers that run on electricity everyday are bound for outage, even in brief moments; how one manages, or copes, is up to the individual. From binge-watching to "doomscrolling," there has come a point where enough is certainly enough. As you age, health becomes your number one concern. From young toddlers to senior citizens "doomscrolling," it's like we're now in a second pandemic. There are exercises, and practices, that can be done to mitigate our addictive habits, while worse-case scenarios may require medication; unlike an actual pandemic, there is no vaccine preventing the "spread" of mobile technology. While it's hypocritical for me suggesting offline activities on a digital platform like this, I still stick by my advice. Having used internet since late nineties, too many things have changed; the online space wasn't like it was back then. Nowadays, the 'cloud' is so commonplace that people have become chronically online. As previously mentioned, devices requiring electricity will undergo days where blackouts are expected, no matter where you live. How will people manage? Because young kids have a higher chance of harnessing such digital addiction, especially since internet is now standard for them, all kinds of mental and emotional healths are at risk. On the other hand, tech companies will continue hard selling services and products not fearing such populace wanting life like it's 1980s again; whilst paying millions, and billions, in advertising guilting citizens about their current lifestyle just to purchase their product(s)/service(s). Technology is a blessing as it's also a curse; and how it's used dictates what you want to achieve. Use technology to your advantage: gain or achieve what's needed, then it's not so bad. I could say "use technology in moderation," but that's not a sufficient enough advice, as it'll veer toward addiction. Anyway, these computational devices we use are nothing but tools automating or 'cutting corners' with regards to performing tasks; some requiring time-saving, albeit cost-cutting, measures indeed. With regard to learning, teaching, and studying, if it can be done without "advanced" technology, consider that. (While I personally do own an e-reader, I still read books in physical form.) Don't ever consider technology something that solves problems if it's the one causing it.

"I don't use math in real life anyway, bro."

The way teachers teach math rests on an individual basis; some are more rigorous than others. While most of what I talked about was relative to social issues, it all starts from home and the classroom. We don't know what students are thinking, but best we can do is instill them a reason to live—learn math. This isn't saying we should encourage every student to become mathematicians, but enough that they can handle life on their own. Sure, one common complaint about math itself is its poor usage in real life. While not everyone aims to study graphic design, astrophysics, or theoretical computation, one thing students can take away from a class, like geometry, is logical thinking. They may not find themselves in—civilized—debates, but the running and practices of doing proofs builds logical reasoning: deducing a statement's validity for such thing to be true. Okay, yeah, knowing circumferences of circles nor areas of a rectangle may not seek much use, unless engineering or architectural sciences are in their life paths, but it's essential recognizing the nuances tied behind learning shapes—its beauty on how it can be explained with math. Finding the magnitude of a vector sounds perfect for someone in physics and not an everyday person, until you learn that using such method works when packing items in boxes—essential for moving or shipping. In addition, arithmetic is also beneficial when calculating an item's final price after taxes, allowing one to decide and/or balance their budget(s) without wrecklessly spending just because they have a debit/credit card. Math has so many uses in the real world, there's historically been an area of study dedicated to it—"applied mathematics," it's called. The uptight student may not sense its usage off the bat, but someone out there is currently calculating with it right now; thus invaliding what abhorrent complaints they have about its meaning, uses, and artistry (yes, mathematics is artistic...bro). Log onto any social media platform, and you'll guarantee seeing living proof at the decline of critical thinking.

Let's not leave our fellow youth behind with the basics. Technology has certainly sped things up and made things more convenient than what our parents, grandparents, and more, had to endure through. However, one thing we can learn from them, and older generations before our elders, is that basics still hold up. If we cannot strip away our pride and ego, knowing that a generation, possibly our own human species, is at stake, we'll be seeing uncertainty unfold before our very eyes—all which are too nihilistic, albeit metaphysical, to discuss here. Even those who are pro-AI won't admit that intelligent machines won't last forever either. You may as well embrace that our world is still governed and managed by us, continually extending our lifespan encouraging our youths that life is the greatest thing we have. After all, what's your purpose in life? That's a question plenty of people need to answer now, as it's something AI cannot, and will not, overtake; because what you are passionate about, and are meant to do, is the thing computational machines will never understand nor craft any self-correcting algorithm for. You've clearly made it this far, and are doing just fine, so why quit?

Author Jerry P. King's statement, quoted above, couldn't be any more succinct with what he wrote. In fact, we're seeing such issue(s) unfold before our eyes; and with AI getting smarter, critical thinking will become the new societal standard. Only thing achievable with that is mathematics (philosophy as well). In that case, those without critical thinking skills, nor having any mental patience or capacity building such skill(s), will fall behind fast; they may not even be welcome into this new, upcoming society/age developing right now. Fear-mongering? I welcome your interpretation how ever you see fit; but if our future looks dystopian and bleak, then my claim of a new societal norm, where critical thinking is key for participation, is miniscule—the least of your worries. What ever is being done for this world, may as well take time to stand strong against anything coming our way which, in our case, shall be critical thinking. Something simple as arithmetic shouldn't be trivial nor cryptic. Face your fear(s), and help these poor kids get caught up, mathematically.

(Yes, I've made a bold claim that failure to catch up with simple math can cause a rapid decline toward human extinction. Is it possible to live without any cognitive skills? Sounds like trouble waiting to happen. How many of you struggle to remember dates or why you entered into a room?)

Any suggestion(s) you have in reaction to the poor math skills these young people have? Since calls for SATs are getting louder, will that help students get up to speed? Should parent(s)/guardian(s) go all in at home to help their child(ren), along with teachers requiring they do a better job in classrooms? Let's talk about it in the comments section below!

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Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he started blogging in late 2005. Currently self-publishing, from essays to poems, Kris enjoys reading and self-studying mathematics, quantum computing, and philosophy; he also enjoys playing old video/MS-DOS games, writing/journaling, numerology, digital video archiving, listening to sports/public radio and classical music. Earned his BA of Mathematics degree in 2025.

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