Math can be difficult.  After all, it requires a certain amount of repetition and dedication.   You have to spend time working a lot of problems to get good at it.  Math takes time.   

And for students that have gaps in their understanding, all of the time in the world spent working problems may end up yielding only frustration rather than the desired results.  One missing piece can doom an entire homework assignment.

However, if a student is able to get help so that the missing pieces can be identified, and the needed explanations given, then a student’s time and efforts can yield success and mastery rather than confusion and frustration.

Math’s reputation for difficulty also stems from the fact that many students are not used to having to consistently apply themselves to a subject in order to do well in it, but they find that that is not true for math.

This especially can be the case for bright students who may have gotten through primary and middle school math just fine without ever really worrying about completing their homework.   Somewhere in high school this lackadaisical attitude often tends to create less-than-desirable results.   So by comparison to the easier days of primary school, math starts to seem hard.

So math does require diligence.  And all the diligence in the world is of limited use without sufficient understanding.   Lack of either hard work or lack of understanding will tend to create problems for the student, thus giving math the reputation for being “hard”.

But the flip side is also true.   With both hard work and understanding, mastery can be achieved and math can feel like a superpower.   This can be especially true for students for whom math once seemed utterly impossible.

Frustration and self-doubt can be turned around into a solid sense of confidence and self-esteem.  And for many students, that confidence and self-esteem is going to be of inestimable value going forward in life.   And every time they are able to confidently do a math problem or succeed in some real world math application, there will be that little burst of pride for a “difficult” subject that was taken on and conquered.

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