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Act Like Someone Who Loves Math

Writing for Quartz, University of Michigan economist (and almost 1977 U.S. IMO team member) Miles Kimball argues that the key to becoming a "math person" is spending time doing math in the manner of someone who enjoys it.

"Think of math like reading," Kimball writes.  

Not everyone loves readingBut all kids are encouraged to spend time reading, not just for school assignments, but on their ownJust so, not everyone loves math, but everyone should be encouraged to spend time doing math on their own, not just for school assignments.

Kimball himself did this as a boy, and he recalls the benefits:

It was a lot more fun doing math when I wasn’t supposed to be doing math than when I was. For one thing, when I did it on my own, I could do it my own way. But also, there were no time limits. It didn’t matter if it took me a long time. And nothing seemed like a failure.

Read the essay.

Start Date: 
Friday, September 5, 2014