There are few more depressing sights to a high school student than opening up a math textbook to discover they’ve replaced math problems with letters and strange, foreign symbols. What on earth is the use of memorizing trigonometric equations and calculus formulas? Who even uses higher math after graduation? According to math teacher Don Luna, the point of these classes is more than the math itself.
“While not everyone uses advanced math daily, the skills and reasoning developed through higher math can enhance many aspects of everyday life. Having a solid grasp of these concepts can lead to better decision-making, improved financial management, and a deeper understanding of the world around us,” Luna said.
Math teacher Christy Green sees knowledge of high mathematics as necessary preparation for secondary education.
“I think those [higher math courses] are important, because we want students to go into college prepared. We don’t want them going in and being essentially blindsided and unprepared, and then they’re lost when they go into a college classroom,” Green said. “So that’s why I think, if you’re going on to a college, that you need to take some of those upper-level courses. If you’re going to a tech or [trades] job field…we learn different math at different levels. So what your goal is outside of high school determines the types of math you need to take to follow through. This is what we need people to have if they’re going into [a particular] field or studying this because we want to be able to keep this service wide, and then that will create the curriculum.”
Even for careers that don’t require a college degree, extensive math knowledge can come in handy.
“My husband sometimes works on wood projects, and he’ll say to me, ‘Okay, here’s what I need. Here’s what I want. Figure out the angle,’ and I have to then end up using some of the trig and figuring out the angles. And I had a student back in my early part of my career that was a landscaper, and he wanted to build a pentagonal flower bed…and they used some of my geometry to figure that out,” Green said.
Luna, who is well known for his many small businesses, is also able to apply mathematics to a variety of specific situations.
“I used trigonometry a lot when I was still [kart] racing to determine what changes I needed to make to the rear suspension based on the way the car was handling. I used critical thinking and problem-solving skills when designing and renovating the building in Saint James where our shaved ice stand is located. Fitting all of the required equipment while keeping the most efficient workflow is quite challenging. I continually focus on streamlining the business so it can run flawlessly without my presence,” Luna said.
So maybe higher math is worth learning, but how do you avoid being swept away in a flood of calculus questions?
“First off, I would just suggest going from algebra to precalculus rather than straight to calculus/trigonometry. That in-between course does help…the concept of calculus. It’s one of those things that you can either see it, or you don’t, so being able to understand and visualize can be helpful,” Green said. “Secondly, even if homework is not graded, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do it…You have to practice, like practicing knitting or painting or anything else. Practice until you get better…When your teacher gives you back something that’s graded, go back over it. Look at what your mistakes were. We all learn from our mistakes in life—or at least we hope we do—and you know, same thing in anything academic: use your mistakes. Also, I would say ‘ask questions, ask questions, ask questions.’”
Luna also advocates for completing all homework for understanding rather than for the sake of completing it. He also suggests being an active note-taker, and not just passively copying what the teacher has written.
“I really enjoy taking what seems to be a complex subject for many students and breaking it down into small pieces so that everyone in the class has the chance to be successful…Math helps students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that they can eventually apply to everyday life,” Green said.