Math. It is a scary word for many. It does not have to be. But it is. Math is a very unusual subject in that every step forward requires a mastery of the previous step. This is not a revelation. But for some reason the current public school system does not seem to understand this.
Ask any high school student who is struggling in math whether they had trouble with math in elementary school and the answer invariably would be in the affirmative. On the flip side, ask any high school student who is doing well in math if they had any trouble in math in elementary school, then the answers tend to be less clear-cut. Those who are doing well in high school math usually fall into two groups. Those that had trouble early in math but the trouble was identified and rectified. Or those who had a good foundation in math from the start and math has been a breeze from their very introduction to numbers.
In an environment where high school teachers point fingers at the middle school teachers and middle school teachers point fingers at elementary school teachers, it is hard for the student to get the help that is needed. The help must come at the first sign of trouble. If one was looking at one's health issue, at the first sign of trouble most would make an appointment with a medical professional. Why is that most who notice math weakness in their students or children overlook it? One answer is that most would not consider weakness in math as life threatening. Another reason may be that weakness in math is cool and an expected thing in our society. It is cool to say one's child is struggling in math. Since so many of our kids are in the same boat, it is not such a big deal to admit weakness in math.
The most frustrating part for those who love to see kids succeed is that it is really so easy to rectify and correct a child's weakness in math. The outcome is very positive; the child can learn incredible things and a whole new world of opportunities open up for him/her. However, taking the first step is the key. If the first step is missed in correcting the child's math lack of foundation, math becomes a step-by-step disaster. Every grade higher the child moves, he/she falls behind more and more because new math topics require mastery of the previous math topics. If the early foundation was missed, it is like constructing a building of cards without a solid base. Every level is built on a very weak and shaky prior level. It is just a matter of time before implosion occurs.
The responsibility lies to a great extent with the parents and with the elementary grade teachers to recognize the signs. If the choice is left to the child between playing recreational or organized sports and taking foundational math classes, a child will obviously pick sports. This is especially true when a child has already developed an apprehension towards math. It then is the parents' responsibility to guide the child. The small steps taken early on will pay great dividends down the road.