Pretend you got on a bus that immediately crashed into a telephone pole and the driver turns to you and says, "I am not really into accuracy or competence. I am a people person." I feel exactly the same way every time I hear someone say, "I am not a math person. I am a people person."
Few people brag that they have poor dental hygiene, bad breath or cannot read. However some people seem to take pride in their poor performance in mathematics.
Are we satisfied that Alaska has fewer than 30 percent of its students going to college and a college graduation rate of merely 7 percent?
The 2008 National Mathematics Advisory Panel final report states, "A strong grounding in high school mathematics through algebra II or higher correlates powerfully with access to college, graduation from college and earning in the top quartile of income from employment."
There are many factors which impact whether a student attends college, completes college and attains gainful employment. However there is strong statistical evidence that having students successfully complete more than the bare minimum in high school mathematics is a key factor to help Alaskans get into college, graduate from college and get a job that allows them to flourish and be productive.
As a state, we cannot afford to communicate to our children that under-performing in mathematics is acceptable.
Alaskans can be proud that Trajan Langdon, Carlos Boozer and Mario Chalmers are playing basketball professionally.
Thirteen Alaskans have made it to the NHL. However, we have more than 100,000 students and their success is going to ultimately depend much more on their mathematical abilities than their athletic abilities.
Your ability to foster a curiosity for learning and an enthusiasm for mathematics within your child will have a larger impact on your child's future than any buzzer-beater three-point shot or slap-shot overtime goal.
Overcoming mathematical weaknesses and celebrating mathematical strengths are important steps to ensure each Alaskan child's future is bright and successful.
Bob Williams is a Colony High School mathematics teacher and the 2009 Alaska Teacher of the Year.
A little pi with your pizza
• Pi is the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. How can Alaskans who have struggled with mathematics share this important concept with their children? I encourage you to sit down as a family with a large pizza and cut out five or six pieces of string equal to the diameter of the pizza. How many pieces of string would it take to go all the way around the outer edge of the pizza? Your children will find that three pieces of string are not quite enough. It would take three pieces of string and a little bit more. Pi is 3.14159265 to eight decimal places. The 3 represents the three pieces of string and the 0.14159265 represents the little bit more we need to go completely around the pizza. Eating the pizza is a fun way to conclude your math lesson.
By BOB WILLIAMS