The problem with math is simple, we lack realistic perspectives of maths; because the education system is still struggling to understand how to teach it effectively.
I will draw examples of the education system from my own country and I still think it will be relatable because the fear of math is international!

While an adolescent is bored to death by the third period, give them math problems that say “if Mr. X buys 695 watermelons from a grocery shop at a 10% discount, how much does he save”.

The statistics math goes like this – “if the outlier numbers of museum visitors are not included in the given table, what is the mean number of visitors every day?” 

Neither as a fifth grader will I purchase 695 watermelons; not even as a prank nor am I a museum curator who needs the average number of people visiting a museum. 

People who can solve textbook math problems are overly proud of passing a poorly designed exam; people who cannot solve textbook math problems are extremely ashamed of not conforming to a poorly constructed education system. 

So, forget everything anyone said about math problems, and let’s take a look at why and to what degree, we need math problems in our education system and our daily lives. 

If you plan to work at a physics research lab or NASA, all the (x+y)^2 will come in handy and you will need the fundamentals of algebra to draw out bigger, more complicated calculations. If you decide to be an accountant, you won’t need algebra to live your life or to earn money. You want to become an interior designer, you might need to learn more geometry and calculus than algebra. These are examples of math relating to your career. Does a professor of Literature or a marketing executive need textbook maths? Let’s look into that.

1. Imagine you want to divide a 16’’ inch pizza among four friends, everyone pitched in and expected an equal share of that pizza. Use your high-school geometry here to establish equality.

2. You want a secure job at a company. How long will that company last to give you job security? Use calculus to track their employee turnover rate or their future growth rate to figure out if your future in the company is secure.

3. Use calculus to figure out how much your credit card debt will pile up in the future and how much you should spend using the card to stay out of soul-crushing debts

4. You are late for a meeting; calculate the minimum and maximum speed your vehicle needs to get to a destination in time. Calculus can help. You can map out which route requires what speed according to the places you regularly go to and never be late again!

5. Both calculus and statistics can help analyze stock market trends, so buying and selling in the stock market can actually produce significant profit and cut losses.

6. Gourmet cooking and baking become perfect when there’s math involved. There are proven universal ratios of sweet, salty, savory, and acid that makes food delicious. Turn a recipe for 2 into a recipe for ten using math, and take the credit all for yourself.

7. Last but not least, casino owners are afraid of mathematicians. Why? Watch the movie, “Hangover” and you will know.

Please remember, the high school math teacher calling you dumb only knows the math problems from your books or what shows up on the exam paper, that’s where their knowledge of mathematics ends. Don’t let a non-mathematician or non-scientist tell you how to feel about math. 

High school mathematics is really the easiest version of mathematics. Algebra is not a specialized subject, it’s mandatory for each and every student which means each and every student has the capability of grasping it; so, it’s probably your teachers’ fault that you don’t understand it. 

People are not born with knowledge, skills, and talents; they learn and practice all their lives to become experts in their field. If you can’t do it the first time, remember that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb on his 1000th try. Have you tried something 1000 times before giving up?