When Are We Ever Going to Need This?

If you've ever heard a kid groan, "When are we ever going to need this?" during math time, you're not alone. As a parent or teacher, it can be tempting to respond with a real-world example or career that uses the concept at hand, but let's be honest...most of us aren't solving systems of equations or factoring polynomials in our daily lives.

So what is the point of learning all this math, especially when students feel it's irrelevant to their lives? And how can we help kids buy in, especially those whose career paths may not require higher math or a college degree?

First, we have to shift our own thinking. Parents especially, we have to check our math baggage at the door. If you had a tough experience with math, that feeling can unintentionally seep into your child’s mindset. Kids are perceptive. If we treat math like something to "get through" or roll our eyes during math time, they pick up on that. It becomes harder for them to engage in something their brain has already labeled as pointless.

But math is about more than just numbers. I often tell my students, it’s not really about whether you’ll use this exact skill in the future, it’s about how it shapes your brain. Math is one of the best workouts for the prefrontal cortex. It builds logical thinking, problem-solving skills, persistence, and decision-making. These are life skills that apply whether you become a surgeon, a chef, a contractor, or a coder.

And math is not monolithic. Geometry taps into spatial reasoning, logic, and proof-building. Algebra develops pattern recognition and structure. Statistics teaches us to question data and make informed decisions. These are thinking tools, not just school subjects.

Sure, we can explain that higher math may be required for college entrance, and that works for some students, but it's not enough, especially as more young people are choosing skilled trades or alternative career paths. We need better answers for them.

Take one of my students, for example, a young girl who’s not thrilled about math but hopes to become a mechanic. I told her that some of the best mechanics are people with strong spatial skills. They can look at an engine and mentally rotate its parts, understanding how everything fits and functions. That’s geometry. That’s problem-solving. That’s math in action!

What if we helped kids see math as a puzzle instead of a test? What if we invited them to play, explore, and make mistakes, rather than just chase a grade or memorize a formula? If we can shift the focus from "Are you good at math?" to "Let’s see how you think through this," we create room for growth, and maybe even joy.

And finally, families can play a powerful role in connecting math to life. We do use math, all the time: in cooking, budgeting, comparing gas prices, building furniture, timing a road trip, or figuring out how many gallons of paint are needed for a project. What if we made that visible to our kids instead of invisible? A quick “Hey, that’s math!” in real time can go a long way.

Math might not feel relevant to every child right now, but the ability to think clearly, solve problems, and persevere through challenges? That’s relevant forever.