319: [Akil Parker] Math Matters: Why Parents Should Get Involved in Financial Literacy
We’re diving deep into the world of math and financial literacy today, and trust me, you don’t want to miss it! We’re chatting with Akil Parker, who passionately explains how mastering math is the key to unlocking a treasure trove of opportunities, especially in STEM fields. He emphasizes that strong math skills aren’t just about solving equations; they’re the backbone of financial literacy, too! If we want our kids to be savvy with their money and not fall prey to financial traps, we’ve got to start teaching them math early and often. So grab a comfy seat, and get ready for some enlightening discussions on how we can empower the next generation to be financially confident and math-savvy!
Takeaways:
- Understanding mathematical literacy is crucial for achieving financial literacy, so let's bridge that gap!
- Parents should take charge of their children's math education, as schools may not provide it adequately.
- Math is the gatekeeper to many career opportunities; embracing it opens doors to finance and STEM fields.
- Engaging children in discussions about money and math at home creates valuable teachable moments.
Links referenced in this episode:
For more episodes and financial insights, visit https://aboutthatwallet.com
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any decisions regarding reverse mortgages or other financial products.
Episode 319
Transcript
Because once you're a strong math student, you know, it's similar to the conversations around stem.
Speaker A:Like, there are a lot of conversations around, how do we increase the number of black students that are in STEM going to STEM disciplines?
Speaker A:Well, if they're strong math students, then that becomes an option.
Speaker B:Welcome back, everybody, to another exciting show, the about that Wallet podcast, where we help the Samus generation build strong financial habits so that they can talk about money, spend money, and enjoy their money with confidence.
Speaker B:Today I have somebody who's not.
Speaker B:Who's not.
Speaker B:I mean, you all know this person.
Speaker B:He's been on the show at least two other times, at least once a year.
Speaker B:It seems a kill Parker.
Speaker B:So you gotta know who he is.
Speaker B:If you don't know who he is, you need to follow him.
Speaker B:Now from all this math.
Speaker B:How are you doing today?
Speaker A:I'm doing great today, man.
Speaker A:Glad to be here.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker B:I mean, I know we recording this early on.
Speaker B:Well, I guess you could say early fall.
Speaker B:And a lot's been happening, especially getting back to school.
Speaker B:A lot of times the parents are trying to figure out what to do with their kids or even do it themselves now that the kids are back at school.
Speaker B:So can you just kind of explain a little bit more about, you know, why is it important for the parents to start teaching their kids about math and actually more than math, but their financial literacy when it comes to math?
Speaker A:Well, I mean, I definitely wanted.
Speaker A:Wanted to come back, you know, on your platform to have that.
Speaker A:Have that conversation, because, you know, I'm.
Speaker A:I believe financial literacy is very important, you know, such as is economic literacy, you know, understanding economic systems and, you know, and us having larger conversations about, you know, well, why maybe.
Speaker A:Why do we live in an economic system where we constantly have to be on the defensive and have to, you know, defend ourselves against predatory practices and things of that nature?
Speaker A:But even if we just focus in on financial literacy, the foundation of financial literacy is mathematical literacy.
Speaker A:And I want for people to make.
Speaker A:To bridge that gap, because a lot of times people, you know, the financial literacy is sexy.
Speaker A:You know, it's appealing, it's attractive, you know, you know, but then it's like, well, how do you calculate your roi?
Speaker A:You know, how do you understand what a basis point is?
Speaker A:Like, how do you, you know, understand, you know, you know, asset allocation and, you know, things of that N. This is all algebra.
Speaker A:It's algebra one and arithmetic.
Speaker A:And as parents that are watching this, I want them to think about that in terms of developing their children to be stewards of Financial literacy.
Speaker A:But it starts with the mathematical literacy, because once you have the mathematical literacy, then the financial literacy almost becomes second nature.
Speaker A:I remember being an undergraduate student at Morgan State, and I was a finance major, because I never had intentions of becoming a high school math teacher, like, ever.
Speaker A:I gotta.
Speaker A:This is one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Speaker A:But that was never the plan.
Speaker A:You know, I went on the detour and became a high school math teacher and then a, you know, college math professor and, you know, an entrepreneur with a company dedicated toward teaching math to the black community.
Speaker A:But, you know, as a finance major, you know, there's an expectation that you have a certain background in algebra and a certain background in math.
Speaker A:And, you know, so, like, I'm not going to say my finance courses were easy.
Speaker A:I mean, they were.
Speaker A:They were rigorous and they were challenging at times.
Speaker A:But it was more concept.
Speaker A:The conceptual aspects were the more rigorous part.
Speaker A:It wasn't the, okay, like, once I understood the formula, I could, like, apply it and, like, figure out the answers to the questions.
Speaker A:But if you don't have that, if you don't have the understanding of algebra, don't have the understanding of arithmetic, how to add fractions, how to find common denominators, how to deal with decimals, how to round decimals, you know, you're not gonna.
Speaker A:You're not gonna be able to become financially literate.
Speaker A:And I think, unfortunately, a lot of people want to skip that step.
Speaker A:You know, they want to just, oh, well, you know, I know I'm gonna need this.
Speaker A:It's like when people, you know, say, like, well, why isn't school teaching us, like, how to do taxes?
Speaker A:And it's like, well, there are a lot of re.
Speaker A:I could.
Speaker A:There's a lot of reasons for that.
Speaker A:I mean, you have to understand that we live in a oppressive society where people are not meant to.
Speaker A:Those that control the society, the type of society we live in now, do not want everyone to live up to their full potential.
Speaker A:Even if that's the lip service that we're given, even if that's what's advertised to us, that's just not a reality.
Speaker A:But even still, if you want to learn how to do taxes and things of that nature, there's a lot of algebra and arithmetic that's involved within that.
Speaker A:So that's foundational, you know, to those things.
Speaker A:So I just want people to understand that and become more aggressive and assertive and feel a sense of urgency around developing their children to be strong math students.
Speaker A:Because once you're a strong math Student.
Speaker A:You know, it's similar to the conversations around stem.
Speaker A:Like, there are a lot of conversations around, how do we increase the number of black students that are in STEM going to STEM disciplines?
Speaker A:Well, if they're strong math students, then that becomes an option for so many of our young people.
Speaker A:STEM is not even an option.
Speaker A:Being an engineer is not an option.
Speaker A:Being a doctor is not an option.
Speaker A:Being a registered nurse, being an architect, a computer scientist, they don't even see that as an option because they stay away from the math.
Speaker A:Math is the gatekeeper.
Speaker A:And I think that the same thing can be said with finance and with financial literacy.
Speaker A:I mean, and even things that we might, like, you and I might take for granted at times, even a person understanding the concept of negative numbers, which is a concept that's unfortunately.
Speaker A:And I say unfortunately because I think it's introduced too late.
Speaker A:It's introduced in algebra 1.
Speaker A:But I think when children first learn to count, they should learn the negative side of the number line.
Speaker A:Like, if so if I teach my child how to count from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, I should also teach them where 0 is as a boundary and teach them how to count from negative 1, negative 2, negative 3, negative 4, negative 5, negative 6, negative 7.
Speaker A:I think we should all.
Speaker A:We should do that simultaneously so they don't have to wait until they get to algebra 1 to be introduced to that concept of negative numbers.
Speaker A:How does this relate financially?
Speaker A:There are people that do not realize that there is a tangible difference between having $0 in your checking account and having a negative $200 balance in your checking account.
Speaker A:Because to them, they may say, well, either way, I can't take any money out.
Speaker A:So it's the same.
Speaker A:It's an equivalency.
Speaker A:It's not an equivalency because.
Speaker A:And these are the same people that will get upset if they don't understand that concept.
Speaker A:You know, they get.
Speaker A:They may get upset if they say, okay, well, I just deposited $400 into my account.
Speaker A:How come I can't withdraw $400?
Speaker A:Well, because you had a negative $200 balance.
Speaker A:So that has to be covered first to get to.
Speaker A:We don't go from, you know, negative 200 plus 400 does not equal 400.
Speaker A:Negative 200 plus 400 equals 200.
Speaker A:So that's why you only have $200 available.
Speaker A:But these are very, like, fundamental things, you know, but this is.
Speaker A:This is a mathematical issue more than it being a financial literacy issue.
Speaker A:So I'm just like, I'm a heavy advocate of People just like learning, learning math because otherwise.
Speaker A:And we've seen, like, especially during the pandemic, I think there was a huge, you know, increase in conversation around financial literacy, which can be a good thing.
Speaker A:But if the same people that are very motivated and enthusiastic about embracing financial literacy also are the same people that are walking around saying, I'm never going to use Y equals mx plus B in life.
Speaker A:I don't need to know how to calculate.
Speaker A:Use this form of the exponential functions.
Speaker A:An exponential function is compound interest.
Speaker A:That's what an exponential function is.
Speaker A:They don't know the connection between that.
Speaker A:Then it's like, okay, apparently you must just want to listen to other people talk to you about how much money they made or how other people tell.
Speaker A:Tell you stories about how they were able to, you know, budget and do things like that.
Speaker A:And you think somehow through osmosis, you're just going to be able to just pick that up without having to actually roll your sleeves up and do some actual calculations of your own.
Speaker A:So I don't, I don't.
Speaker A:And I like, yeah, I just, I wonder about that.
Speaker A:Like, okay, you want to go into real estate, cool.
Speaker A:But you don't really understand percentages.
Speaker A:So how are you going to calculate your roi?
Speaker A:How are you going to calculate anything?
Speaker A:You know, so I'm just very big on, like, the mathematics being the foundation of.
Speaker A:And not just with financial literacy, but a lot of things.
Speaker A:You know, mathematics is so foundational to so many areas of our lives.
Speaker A:But we also have to keep in mind the fact that, again, we live in a very exploitative society.
Speaker A:So it actually benefits certain entities, certain people for us to be ignorant of certain things so that they can actually make money.
Speaker A:They have a financial incentive on their part to keep us ignorant so that they can make more profit based on our ignorance, because our ignorance is very profitable.
Speaker A:And a lot of us make poor decisions because of the ignorance we make.
Speaker A:And then somebody has to either come clean it up or somebody profits off of that from us making that decision, that poor decision in the first place.
Speaker A:And I think a lot, I mean, some of it can be attributed to a lack of discipline.
Speaker A:I get that.
Speaker A:Just like even myself, like, I know a lot of math, but I still make bad choices sometimes just because of a lack of discipline.
Speaker A:It's not because I didn't know any better.
Speaker A:I knew better.
Speaker A:I just didn't want to do.
Speaker A:I just didn't want to do better at that moment.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But at least I did know better.
Speaker A:There's some people that don't even know better.
Speaker A:So even if they do have the discipline, they're still going to do the wrong thing.
Speaker A:It's something that is detrimental to themselves.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I want for anybody watching this to think about the fact that the math has to be the foundation and we have to become aggressive as parents with becoming the primary educators of our children in terms of math.
Speaker A:So while we're having these conversations about, you know, being financially responsible, being fiscally responsible, those could be mathematics lessons, those could be algebra lessons, you know, and I, and I think too, one thing.
Speaker B:One thing, having that understanding.
Speaker A:Now, one thing I was just going to add, I was going to say this one thing, and I want to, I want to let you jump in, is we have to make a decision as a community.
Speaker A:And even if it's not a communal decision and within individual households, we have to decide as parents, do we want to keep our financial business private and personal from our children or do we want to expose them to it?
Speaker A:Because it can be a very tangible and rich teachable moment.
Speaker A:Because I thought about that years ago because I said, wow, you know what, there's so many opportunities we have to.
Speaker A:Children can have to develop financial literacy just with the bills that come into the household every single month, but yet we have a culture of stay outta grown folks business, right?
Speaker A:So if your financial decision making in your household is seen as grown folks business, then the children never learn.
Speaker A:And then when they become adults, it's like, well, what am I supposed to do?
Speaker A:Like, I never, I didn't grow up, you know, practice with these practices, right?
Speaker A:So I think we have to make a decision or like I said, as a community, or at least within individual households, should we, okay, when you sit down at the kitchen table or the dining room table to do your bills every month, to do your, the budgeting and your finances every month, do you have your kids with you?
Speaker A:Because if you have your kids with you, they can be calculating, oh, well, this, oh.
Speaker A:Cause this I figure out how much I should pay on my credit card or this is how we, you know, figure out how much we're gonna pay on the, on the electric bill or the gas bill or the water bill or okay, the rent's due.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:You know, and how do I, how do I know, you know, how much I should allocate to this or to that, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:Because I think that's something that doesn't get discussed enough.
Speaker A:But it is like, it's a decision that has to be made because it's a lot.
Speaker A:I Think there's an opportunity that a lot of us as parents, we may miss out on because of that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I was wondering about, first off, commend you on doing all of this work because like you say, you don't know what the future is going to hold for you based on the discipline that you decide to choose, especially as you're going in through education, because mathematics, yes, it opens up the world for you.
Speaker B:An engineer might look at everything as an engineer point of view, but I think math is looking at it like, hey, you're actually like an ore for, like an ore for like a, I don't know, like a steel or like you can become anything you want.
Speaker B:But you know, if you look at an engineer, they know how to make a particular tool and once they make that tool, it's kind of like that's all they can use it for.
Speaker B:So having that understanding of like where you can utilize your, your math skills into different disciplines is very important.
Speaker B:So when it comes to understanding your gift of not just mathematics, but actually taking that moment to understand what you want in life, what would be the first step?
Speaker B:Because you talked about the roi, how do you calculate an ROI for something that you decided to invest in?
Speaker A:So the return on investment.
Speaker A:So you're looking at.
Speaker A:Yeah, now you put me on the spot.
Speaker A:How do you calculate roi?
Speaker A:How many years?
Speaker A:There's a.
Speaker A:It's like percentage change.
Speaker A:So the value.
Speaker A:So what is it?
Speaker A:Yeah, basically it's the percentage change formula when we use to calculate percentage change in a math course.
Speaker A:So it's new minus old divided by old.
Speaker A:Basically the new.
Speaker A:The new value minus the old value divided by the old value.
Speaker A:So it's the change.
Speaker A:And so this is Y equals MX plus B.
Speaker A:This is basically slope, right?
Speaker A:It's basically slope.
Speaker A:That's what it is.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The M and Y equals MX plus B.
Speaker A:So the new value minus the old value, the change in value as a fraction of the original value.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because we're comparing it to the original value.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So we talk, you know, real estate values.
Speaker A:You know, it could be anything, you know, the cost of something, the cost of anything, you know, And I think that's important to be able to do because then we start to begin to function more like producers and not only as consumers.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Business owners, entrepreneurs.
Speaker A:One of the things I advocate for as just a daily math practice in households is have children.
Speaker A:I mean, adults should, I think adults should do this, but I think the children should.
Speaker A:All the adults should be showing children and encouraging children to calculate unit Price of everything.
Speaker A:Case in point, if you get a big bag of chips, it could be Ruffles, Doritos, whatever, whatever you like, right?
Speaker A:You can calculate how many chips are in that bag and then you can calculate the unit price, not per ounce, because the store, the grocery store, just do it by ounce, right?
Speaker A:But I'm saying, like, that's not as relevant to me.
Speaker A:I want to know how much one chip costs.
Speaker A:So when I eat one chip, I know how much I'm actually consuming on a monetary basis.
Speaker A:And if you look on the nutrition information on the back of the bag of chips, it'll tell you how many servings are in the bag, it'll tell you how many chips per serving.
Speaker A:So therefore, you can do the multiplication and figure out how many chips on average are in that bag approximately.
Speaker A:And then if you want to know the cost, you know, relative cost of one chip, you would just calculate the unit price.
Speaker A:You would take the, the total amount of money that the bag cost.
Speaker A:How much did the bag maybe was.
Speaker A:Five bags of chips are expensive now.
Speaker A:Like $6, sometimes seven bag of Doritos, like $7 now.
Speaker B:Ridiculous.
Speaker A:And then you divide it by the number of chips in the bag.
Speaker A:And that's a way to also talk about the concept of division.
Speaker A:What division actually means, what's happening when you divide?
Speaker A:And then your child could know, okay, so when I consume this, this is a, this is actually, you know, monetary I'm using.
Speaker A:I'm thinking of it in terms of a different metric.
Speaker A:So you might even want to say to your child, like, you know, if they want some shit, they're going to the kitchen.
Speaker A:Like, you know, mom, dad, can I, you know, can I get some chips?
Speaker A:Well, and you might say, yeah, but one of the things you could do is say, well, instead of just getting a handful of chips or just pouring chips into the bowl half haphazardly, right?
Speaker A:Say you can have 50 cent worth of chips, you can have 75 cent worth of chips.
Speaker A:And they might look at you, well, how am I supposed to know that?
Speaker A:Calculate it, figure out how much, figure out how much one chip costs.
Speaker A:And then, so if one chip is 5 cent based on the cost of this total bag of chips and the number of chips in the bag, then, okay, if you get 75 cent worth, okay, one chip is 5 cent, then again division.
Speaker A:And also it's like it's developing that number sense in a controlled environment, in a safe environment.
Speaker A:Because oftentimes school environments are not safe.
Speaker A:You know, we're not in a position to feel Vulnerable enough to actually be open enough to learn.
Speaker A:A lot of times, oftentimes you have teachers that are not trained as well as they need to be in order to deliver instruction in a way where students can really understand it and internalize it.
Speaker A:But you figure that out, you say, okay, well, if it's 5 cent for one chip, it's gonna be 10 cent for two chips.
Speaker A:Two chips is 10 cent.
Speaker A:Now, you might sit there, the child might sit there and just count up all the way to 75.
Speaker A:Or they might realize, wait a minute, what if I use this tool called division, and I did 75 divided by 5?
Speaker A:And then I figure that out and I say, oh, okay, that's 15.
Speaker A:So that means I can get 15 chips.
Speaker A:Now, somebody might be listening to this saying, man, ain't nobody about to do all that.
Speaker A:That's crazy.
Speaker A:That's tedious.
Speaker A:Nobody's about to count.
Speaker A:No child's about to count out 15 chips.
Speaker A:But what if you tell them to do it, right?
Speaker A:You tell them to do it, and it's a practice and with the goal of them developing their mathematical fluency and mathematical understanding so that they can ultimately be a better critical thinker.
Speaker A:Because I think that's another issue we have in our community in terms of not knowing what the value of mathematics really is.
Speaker A:Like, what's the value of knowing mathematics?
Speaker A:We often equate it to, you know, in a capitalist sense.
Speaker A:Well, what type of job can I get?
Speaker A:So then if you say, well, if I don't want to be an architect or I don't want to be an engineer, that means I don't need to know math.
Speaker A:But then you're missing out on the opportunity just to be a better problem solver.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Just a better problem solver, a better critical thinker.
Speaker A:Mathematics, to me, is a class where you actually get to sit in class and practice critical thinking.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Every day you're just practicing critical thinking.
Speaker A:Solving word problems, solving equations, you know, thinking about, simplifying expressions.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:Those are exercises in critical thinking, which is a transferable skill to any area or facet of life.
Speaker A:And unfortunately, it's not.
Speaker A:Math is not marketed that way.
Speaker A:It was never marketed to me that way.
Speaker A:Or if it was, maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
Speaker A:I didn't get it right.
Speaker A:If a teacher.
Speaker A:If a math teacher did tell me that.
Speaker A:But if they did, it wasn't enough of them.
Speaker A:Not enough of them did that.
Speaker A:But it really is that.
Speaker A:It really is that.
Speaker A:But we often just.
Speaker A:It becomes something that we want to evade and avoid, and it becomes like a necessary evil.
Speaker A:Even a lot of students like myself that excelled in math, we never really bought into it.
Speaker A:We didn't have a love for it because we just saw it as a, you saw it as a necessary evil.
Speaker A:A lot of us, and we just wanted to get the good grades, but we didn't really want to understand the math.
Speaker A:And I think that is another issue because then you start to, or you develop this habit of only focusing on algorithms, memorizing algorithms, memorizing the steps without any real understanding of the concepts that are embedded within the math problems or within the algorithms that you're using.
Speaker A:And then you end up not being able to really apply the algebra or the geometry or the pre calculus concepts in other areas of life.
Speaker A:And we also have to consider that there are people that do have deep understanding of math that are able to apply it in other areas of life.
Speaker A:Which brings me to this point real quick.
Speaker A:I want to say a lot of people often will say, well, why do I need to know this?
Speaker A:When am I ever going to use this?
Speaker A:I think that we need to be less concerned with when we may use it and more concerned with the people that are learning it and when they're going to use it and what they are using it for.
Speaker A:Because ultimately they're using math.
Speaker B:I totally agree with that.
Speaker A:Yeah, they're using math to create algorithms and systems that are going to affect all of our lives and always have affected all of our lives.
Speaker A:Because we have to ask ourselves this question.
Speaker A:The person that gets the bachelor's degree in pure mathematics, pure or applied mathematics, the master's degree in pure or applied mathematics, the PhD in pure or applied mathematics, what is that person doing?
Speaker A:They're probably going into, they might go into private industry, they're working for a corporation, they may work for Google, they may work for Facebook, they may work for, well, meta, you know, working for Facebook or Instagram, developing algorithms that are going to develop and influence our own personal tastes and the things that we like.
Speaker A:So they're creating algorithms that are meant to control our lives while we think that, that we're making choices of our own.
Speaker A:Like a lot of us when we go on YouTube or a streaming app, they're telling us what we like.
Speaker A:Oftentimes we don't even think about what type of music we like anymore because they just tell us to us or they predict, okay, well if you like this, then you probably like this.
Speaker A:Well, maybe I wouldn't like that.
Speaker A:But your algorithm that some mathematician created is Telling me what I like.
Speaker A:So my point is that we need to start thinking more about.
Speaker A:More of us need to start thinking not, not so much about that I may not use something, but what the people that are using it, what are they doing with it?
Speaker A:Because when we say, well, I don't need to know this, but then there's some people that are embracing it and realize that they need to know and they want to know it.
Speaker A:We're setting ourselves up for asymmetrical warfare because a lot of times math is weaponized against the population, and then you end up saying, well, I didn't.
Speaker A:I don't need to know calculus.
Speaker A:But then the person that knows calculus is creating systems that are, that are affecting your life every day.
Speaker A:So then now you show up to the, to the, to the gunfight, thinking you about the box, and then you get shot and you die.
Speaker A:That's, that's really what happens.
Speaker A:It's like when people, it's like when people say, I'm not into politics.
Speaker A:I don't get into all that.
Speaker A:Well, politics is into you.
Speaker A:Because political politicians make policy that affects your life, that affects the economics of your community that you know, and that affects whether you may have a job, you know, that affects this factory or this company is going to be able to function here.
Speaker A:What if they're going to relocate and then you don't have a job.
Speaker A:But all along you talking about, well, you, you don't.
Speaker A:Politics don't got nothing to do with your life.
Speaker A:Politics has everything to do with your life.
Speaker A:Politics determines whether this plant may open up and it may affect whether you have clean drinking water.
Speaker A:That's all political.
Speaker A:Everything is political.
Speaker A:So the same way people are conditioned to think that politics is irrelevant except for electoral politics.
Speaker A:So every four years I gotta vote for a president.
Speaker A:Every two years I might vote for a congressman or whatever.
Speaker A:They do the same thing.
Speaker A:We do the same thing with mathematics a lot.
Speaker A:We think, well, the math is irrelevant.
Speaker A:It's not going to affect my life.
Speaker A:Well, there are people that all learn the math that are making decisions just like politicians are, that are affecting your life every day.
Speaker A:So it just makes sense to me to understand the tool that they're using to affect your life.
Speaker A:And I think that's something that as parents, we got to start thinking about and we got to start having these conversations with our children early on because the children, just like as adults, a lot of us have tapped out and don't want to affiliate with math because of a lot of reasons, sometimes negative experiences in classrooms Growing up, our children are tapping out too, and we got to keep them engaged.
Speaker A:Because when the children say math is boring, math is too difficult, and then they say math is irrelevant and I don't need it, I'll be fine without it.
Speaker A:They're basically, they're cooked at that point.
Speaker A:I mean, they can be reverted, right, with the proper guidance after that point.
Speaker A:But if they don't get that propaganda, it's their cook.
Speaker A:Because now what you said is with mathematics being the gatekeeper for so many opportunities, let alone the critical thinking ability, it will develop, but just job opportunities and career opportunities now, you're never going to become the physician, you're never going to become the registered nurse, the computer scientist.
Speaker A:You never, you probably won't be able to go into finance fields, accounting.
Speaker A:You need those math skills.
Speaker A:So then what happens is you either like graduate from high school, maybe you don't even go to college, or if you do go to college, when it's time to choose a major, what do you do?
Speaker A:Oh, let me pick, let me find the major that requires the least amount of math coursework.
Speaker B:I've heard that conversation.
Speaker A:So I could just stay away from the math.
Speaker A:And then all the while, the people that have been trained to embrace the math and run towards it, they're more comfortable because they have less competition, because a lot of the would be competition has disqualified themselves.
Speaker A:And then, you know, a lot of people that create the environment for that, where people will disqualify themselves, they get plausible deniability because then they say, oh, well, we didn't tell these black kids that they couldn't be engineers.
Speaker A:We didn't tell these black kids they couldn't be doctors.
Speaker A:We didn't tell these black kids they couldn't be physicists, quantum physicists, and, and, you know, you know, architects.
Speaker A:We didn't tell them that.
Speaker A:No, but what you did was you conveniently and in a very insidious way created an environment where they would fear math and stay away from math, knowing that math is the gatekeeper toward those opportunities.
Speaker A:So that's what you did.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Which, and the solution to that is, for me, we have to develop parents to become more aggressive with becoming the primary educators for their children.
Speaker A:Because then those environments that are created to make our children scared of math and run away from it, they become less relevant.
Speaker A:Because now, well, you know, you, you don't have as much power in my household, because in my household, okay, we're talking about, we're having mathematical conversations every day.
Speaker A:And then, you know, and then that like we said earlier, then my child is going to be more financially liberate and less likely to be taken advantage of.
Speaker A:And they may not ever need to use credit repair.
Speaker A:They may not ever need to, you know, repair some mistakes that they made when they were in their early 20s or when they first went to college and got their first credit card.
Speaker A:Because as a young child, they had math skills that then lended themselves to them being financially literate, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So that's a lot to unpack there.
Speaker B:Especially because of the use of mathematics and the tying of it to the politics side of the house.
Speaker B:We have to kind of think about what is the importance of how we live in our lives going forward.
Speaker B:Your TV is actually really loud, dude.
Speaker B:Not sure.
Speaker A:I think that's my.
Speaker A:My mom is on the phone.
Speaker A:Hold on, hold on one second.
Speaker A:All right, cool.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was just the feedback.
Speaker B:I wasn't sure.
Speaker B:So now that we kind of got to this point, now that, you know, understand the importance of having the parents involved and being active again.
Speaker B:And the reason why I say again is because, you know, with technology and AI is actually enforcing people to actually do more with less now, now that the parents might be able to go, might be home a little later or sooner, they can actually provide some different type of activities for their child.
Speaker B:So looking into the future, how is AI really going to impact and how to bridge that gap of education with their children?
Speaker A:I think if it's used as a tool.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And not as a replacement for human thinking, then AI can be healthy.
Speaker A:It can be a healthy tool.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:To assist with developing critical thinking ability.
Speaker A:My concern is that a lot of people, especially people that have bought into this notion that math is irrelevant and that effort should not be dedicated toward learning it, they're going to allow AI to do the work for them, which is going to lead us to just becoming dumber, because then we're not going to learn how to do the things.
Speaker A:We're not going to have the practice.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I mean, the same could be applied to calculators.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But then you got to know how to.
Speaker A:You have to have some mathematical aptitude, though, or else there's going to be operator error.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Similar.
Speaker A:Similar with AI.
Speaker A:But I think what has to happen is we.
Speaker A:We have to use it as a.
Speaker A:Just that, as a tool.
Speaker A:It's gotta be a tool.
Speaker A:It can't be a replacement for our brains.
Speaker A:It can't be.
Speaker A:Even though it's.
Speaker A:It's touted as being very convenient, you know, and.
Speaker A:And it is.
Speaker A:It's convenient.
Speaker A:It, you know, it's helpful at times.
Speaker A:But I think what has to happen is we got to think about the long term effects of that convenience.
Speaker A:Because when you get so used to just allowing a computer program to do the work for you, then when do you practice doing the work and when you don't practice doing the work, then how do you learn how to do the work?
Speaker A:How are you able to do it?
Speaker A:Your brain atrophies.
Speaker A:Similar to when we have a broken bone.
Speaker A:We have a broken bone, you have a cast on, then what happens to that muscle?
Speaker A:It's not being utilized.
Speaker A:And then when the cast comes off, it's very flabby and it's, you know, it's, it's underdeveloped.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because it hasn't been used.
Speaker A:And then you end up forgetting saying, man, how do I do that?
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker A:So we have to be very careful with AI, right?
Speaker A:I think very careful.
Speaker A:And we have to be, we have to use it responsibly.
Speaker A:Just like how they say we please drink responsibly, please gamble responsibly.
Speaker A:I don't know what that means.
Speaker A:Gamble responsibly.
Speaker A:Like, I don't know how you take like an addictive behavior and tell somebody to like be responsible with an addictive behavior.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:At least for me, like, and I'm a per.
Speaker A:I have an addictive personality.
Speaker A:So I'm like, some things, like being responsible, it just means not doing it.
Speaker A:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Like for some of us, maybe there's some people that can handle that, but for some of us it's like, nah, man, I mean, that seems like a oxymoron.
Speaker A:Like, to be responsible means I just gotta abstain.
Speaker A:I just, I just can't, I just can't do it, you know?
Speaker A:So we gotta think about, these are things we gotta think about.
Speaker A:And these are some conversations that have to be had in the community or at least in individual households.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:When it usually comes to gambling responsibility, responsible.
Speaker B:I'm sure they mean like, hey, like, know your limits.
Speaker B:Like, you're not gonna go over the amount that you don't mind losing.
Speaker B:Same thing with drinking.
Speaker B:If you're going to have a drink, one drink.
Speaker B:If you're going to gamble, do maybe one or two slides.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:Not meaning, hey, one drink, meaning the whole bottle of wine, but one glass or one cup.
Speaker B:And so I get what they mean by doing it responsibly.
Speaker B:It's like speeding like that.
Speaker B:Some people are just chronic speeders just kind of like, look, slow it down a little bit, you know, moderate, actually.
Speaker B:You shouldn't be speeding.
Speaker B:But the same thing.
Speaker B:I think one of the things that came through years ago when I was in the vegan community, they was like, either you all in or you're not.
Speaker B:And one of the things, I think I was cooking something and I utilized egg.
Speaker B:And it was like they kind of gave.
Speaker B:They ran me through the ringer.
Speaker B:Either you full vegan or you're not.
Speaker A:And I was like, okay, yeah, right.
Speaker B:So I'm vegetarian.
Speaker B:That's where I left it at.
Speaker B:I was like, okay, lesson learned.
Speaker B:But it was just some nasty people.
Speaker B:And they was like, either you in it or you're not.
Speaker B:And I was like, I get it.
Speaker B:You can't be.
Speaker B:There is no transition period.
Speaker B:You just gotta cut it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I get it.
Speaker A:I get it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:No, no leather clothes, no animal products whatsoever.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a.
Speaker A:It's a commitment.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a.
Speaker A:It's a major commitment.
Speaker B:So going back to, like you said, with the parents, they gotta have that commitment to really wanna educate their children and really do the best that they can.
Speaker B:So with the future, we talked about utilizing AI so it's a parent.
Speaker B:We just got to make sure that they.
Speaker B:Well, just make sure that they kind of continuously pour into their children or educate themselves first.
Speaker B:Like putting a mask on first before you start teaching your children.
Speaker B:Is that kind of the best way to go?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And I think we have to reorient ourselves to the purpose of school.
Speaker A:Like, what is school for?
Speaker A:I think for a very long time, we have been conditioned to completely outsource education to public, charter and private schools.
Speaker A:Whereas we see, and I say we've been conditioned this way.
Speaker A:So this is not an attack on parents, but it's a recognition that this is how we were taught.
Speaker A:And I think it's a form of miseducation that we've all received, myself included.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Where we see good parenting as finding the best school for our child.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:The best school outside the household for our child.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Once I do that, I'm done.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I've done my part.
Speaker A:I'm gonna send them to you.
Speaker A:You teaching the algebra, you teach me the calculus, you teach me the trigonometry.
Speaker A:What we have to realize is that most schools are not equipped for true education.
Speaker A:Most schools are test prep centers.
Speaker A:And if we understand anything about test prep, ACT prep, SAT prep, standardized test prep, we.
Speaker A:We understand that with test prep, that's mostly about teaching children strategies to be Able to answer the greatest amount of questions correctly and effectively within the time allotted on the actual test.
Speaker A:It's really not about providing fundamental understanding of, like, SAT Prep.
Speaker A:There's algebra one on sat.
Speaker A:There's geometry on satisfaction.
Speaker A:SAT prep is not for teaching algebra one.
Speaker A:It's not for teaching geometry.
Speaker A:When you come to SAT Prep, you're supposed to already have a solid foundation in algebra and geometry.
Speaker A:Whereas when we see these SAT questions, we're focusing on understanding the word problem, being able to decode the messaging within it.
Speaker A:That's what SAT Prep is for schools.
Speaker A:In large part, I'll speak for mathematics specifically.
Speaker A:The math class is really for that.
Speaker A:So then the question becomes, where's the child gonna get the fundamental mathematical training if they don't get it in school?
Speaker A:Where else are they gonna get it?
Speaker A:They gotta get it in the household.
Speaker A:So as a community, there has to be a huge paradigm shift, and we have to begin to say, you know what?
Speaker A:I'm gonna be the primary educator for my child so that when they go to school, they're ready for the test prep.
Speaker A:And then the test really becomes irrelevant, because now it's easy because they have a solid foundation, which they get at home.
Speaker A:But then people in the community, such as myself, have to create resources, which is what I.
Speaker A:Which is what.
Speaker A:One of the main things I do with all this math is create resources for the parents.
Speaker A:Because it's easy to tell a parent, well, you got to be the primary education, right?
Speaker B:That's how.
Speaker A:And then the parent will respond to that and say, oh, here's something else.
Speaker A:Now I got to do this.
Speaker A:Now you're telling me something else.
Speaker A:I got to do something else I'm doing wrong, right?
Speaker A:You got to create resources.
Speaker A:You got to help.
Speaker A:You got to help to facilitate that.
Speaker A:So this is why I created my YouTube channel.
Speaker A:This is why I add content to my YouTube channel, the all this Math YouTube channel.
Speaker A:And we.
Speaker A:And we have over a thousand videos now.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker A:Last time I was on here, we definitely didn't have that many videos, but.
Speaker A:But yeah, we.
Speaker A:We just eclipsed 1,000 videos.
Speaker B:Congrats.
Speaker A:We have eight.
Speaker A:I appreciate you.
Speaker A:I appreciate you.
Speaker A:We have 8,000 subscribers.
Speaker A:So there's content on there, right?
Speaker A:Where my audience on the YouTube channel is youth students, right, that want to kind of get better understanding, but also parents.
Speaker A:Parents that want to better understand the way math is being taught today so that they can help their children.
Speaker A:Also teachers, early career teachers, even veteran teachers that may want to get a.
Speaker A:Another method of teaching something, you know, that they may have not seen before or maybe they haven't taught it in, like 10 years, you know, so they're like, you know, because math is like a use it or lose it type.
Speaker A:Type subject, right?
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So this is why the resources are available.
Speaker A:And speaking of.
Speaker A:And in terms of parents as well, my book, how to use all this math, Volume one.
Speaker A:My book, Volume two is coming.
Speaker A:I just gotta buckle down and discipline myself and actually write it.
Speaker A:But volume one is a.
Speaker A:Is a resource guide where I take different examples of everyday activities and show how those activities can double as arithmetic lessons, algebra lessons, geometry lessons.
Speaker A:So I'm trying to create a situation where you don't have to alter your regular daily life that much and still help your child.
Speaker A:Teach your child certain math skills and have them practice them on a regular basis.
Speaker A:Like, earlier we talked about finding unit price.
Speaker A:The unit price.
Speaker A:How much is one chip in this bag?
Speaker A:How much is one cookie in this package?
Speaker A:How much is one piece of candy in this, you know, bag of M&MS.
Speaker A:Or whatever candy your child likes?
Speaker A:Have them calculate that.
Speaker A:And when you.
Speaker A:And it's about the repetition.
Speaker A:What is.
Speaker A:What does the brother say?
Speaker A:The brother named.
Speaker A:The brother named Marcus Klein, who runs Freedom Home Academy out in Chicago, does good work.
Speaker A:Independent school.
Speaker A:You know, I've been following this brother for years.
Speaker A:I commend him on his efforts.
Speaker A:He always talks about with his students, repetition duration and frequency.
Speaker A:That's what we have to do in our households, right?
Speaker A:Got to do that in a household.
Speaker A:Because we can't always.
Speaker A:That's not always taking place in the schools.
Speaker A:But we.
Speaker A:We should be able to control what happens in our households.
Speaker A:So the children need that repetition, the duration and the frequency so that they can develop those skills.
Speaker A:And like, in this brother, like, if you go on Facebook, you'll see him posting videos with him teaching algebra one concepts to his second and third graders, which can be done.
Speaker A:It's not outlandish.
Speaker B:I taught abstract algebra to third graders, so.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:Too easy.
Speaker A:You know, we can.
Speaker A:The expectations are too low for our children.
Speaker A:And a lot of that comes to a lot of these low expectations we have in mathematics.
Speaker A:Because I'm sure people will cringe.
Speaker A:You say, oh, teaching algebra, the second graders, a lot of that, that initial, like, triggered response that a lot of adults would have from hearing that comes from them projecting their own personal insecurities and their own fear of mathematics, saying, well, how can they be able to do that?
Speaker A:You can't do that.
Speaker A:Like, no, because I didn't do that.
Speaker A:I was in ninth grade and 10th grade, and I didn't understand.
Speaker A:I was one.
Speaker A:Well, there probably were some instructional practices that weren't suitable to you, but you could have.
Speaker A:It can be taught much earlier than what.
Speaker A:And that's another thing for parents to keep in mind.
Speaker A:We don't.
Speaker A:The curriculum and the grade levels that certain topics are taught at.
Speaker A:That is a suggestion.
Speaker A:That is an opinion of people that make education policy, people that you'll probably never meet and probably will never meet you and probably don't understand or don't care about the needs of your children and their future.
Speaker A:So that's another reason why we as parents have to say, you know what?
Speaker A:I have to make some different decisions.
Speaker A:So if you're telling me when my child is in the fifth grade they should be doing this, you should stop and think, well, why can't they do what the 8th graders are doing?
Speaker A:Why can't they do what 9th graders are doing?
Speaker A:A lot of these, you know, these curricula and the grade levels, it's all arbitrary.
Speaker A:So that's just a suggestion.
Speaker A:So we gotta.
Speaker A:We gotta keep that in mind.
Speaker A:We gotta keep that in mind too, because, you know, we want to.
Speaker A:We want our children to, you know, be exposed to as much math as possible.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:We can't keep running away from the math.
Speaker A:We got to run towards it.
Speaker A:That's the key.
Speaker B:They say, what is the book called?
Speaker B:Eat the Frog.
Speaker B:You gotta do the hard stuff early because they got more time to really dive into to that.
Speaker B:Because as we getting older, we need those hard things to become second nature.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And that's another way to create.
Speaker A:I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker A:That's another way to create time by exposing children to complex topics at an earlier age.
Speaker A:Because at an early age you got.
Speaker A:Because you got time to mess up.
Speaker A:Like, you know, you know, my son is six.
Speaker A:He's in first grade.
Speaker A:You know, Baltimore City Public Schools has their curriculum, and that's fine.
Speaker A:But I know what I'm doing with them, right?
Speaker A:So I may do.
Speaker A:I'm doing some more advanced things with them, right?
Speaker A:And if he doesn't get it at first, that's cool.
Speaker A:Cause we got time, you know, we got.
Speaker A:We got time to mess up.
Speaker A:But if you just wait, and here's a trap that a lot of parents fall into.
Speaker A:They'll allow the school district to do their thing.
Speaker A:And then at the last minute, they're like, okay, now I gotta help you with this.
Speaker A:So now we gotta cram.
Speaker A:If we have to cram, there's Gonna be stress if there's stress.
Speaker A:It's difficult to teach and learn in a stressful environment.
Speaker B:Man.
Speaker B:Seem like we can just talk for hours and hours on this master.
Speaker B:Because I enjoy this topic.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So because I had you on the show before, I always still ask these final four questions.
Speaker B:Is there anything you want to say before we dive into these final four?
Speaker A:Make sure you, you like and subscribe the all this math YouTube channel.
Speaker A:Make sure you do that.
Speaker A:You know, go over to Amazon, get a copy of the book how to Use all this Math, Volume one by Kil Parker.
Speaker A:And you know, as a parent, give yourself grease and realize that even if you didn't have a positive experience growing up in school, in math classes, that may not have been your fault, number one.
Speaker A:Number two, you're older now, so, and you've lived life so the mathematics that you didn't understand when you were 12 or 9, right?
Speaker A:Like those word problems that were about, you know, adult situations like buying groceries, you know, driving a car across the country and, you know, trying to calculate different things, that was irrelevant to you because it was beyond the scope of your experience.
Speaker A:But now you've had those experiences.
Speaker A:So now the math, like we have to understand math is also a language.
Speaker A:So it's really just a means of.
Speaker A:In one way you could think of it as a way to articulate our lived experiences, but as a child you haven't had those lived experiences.
Speaker A:So it's even more challenging to learn math, certain types of math at certain young ages to learn, depending upon how it's presented.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:If you haven't had the experience, you know, so, so yeah, so get, you know, give, give yourself self grace and you know, try, try it again now.
Speaker A:Plus also your frontal lobe wasn't fully developed when you were a child, so that also makes it difficult to understand things.
Speaker B:All right, so you ready for the front of the fork?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Foreign.
Speaker B:So the final four questions, for those of you who are new to the show, these questions are just kind of wrap up questions to end the show.
Speaker B:Out with the bang.
Speaker B:You get to learn a little bit more about the guests and how they actually view money.
Speaker B:So question one, what does wealth mean to you?
Speaker A:Wealth.
Speaker A:Wealth means to me.
Speaker A:Well, a lot of things, but one thing that comes to mind is not having to be stressed about expenses.
Speaker A:Almost taking for granted that your bills will be paid and your needs will be met.
Speaker A:Your financial needs will be met.
Speaker B:Number two, what was your worst money mistake?
Speaker A:Worst money mistake?
Speaker A:Not saving.
Speaker A:Not.
Speaker A:Not becoming committed to saving at a saving and Investing at an earlier age.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Buying and.
Speaker A:And instead being more committed to buying depreciable assets or liabilities.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Number three, is there a book that inspired your journey or changed your perspective?
Speaker A:Definitely.
Speaker A:But if I had to narrow it down to one.
Speaker A:So one of the many books I would say is.
Speaker A:I would say Assata Autobiography of Assata Shakur, and Rest in Peace to her.
Speaker A: just as many of Those in the: Speaker A:And again, to my point earlier about financial literacy, while it is very important, I hope that it leads us to conversations on economic literacy and us even thinking about and starting to question, like, well, why do we have to exist in this kind of economic system?
Speaker A:If you think about the fact that so much of financial literacy is learning how to play defense and protect yourself from being exploited.
Speaker A:So with that in mind, then the question should be, why do we exist within an economic system where we're constantly trying to protect ourselves from being exploited?
Speaker A:Why not have an economic system where exploitation is not the norm and where exploitation is not incentivized?
Speaker A:Because if so many companies are making billions and billions of dollars off of the financial exploitation of people, people that do not have financial literacy, then why do we have to exist within that type of system?
Speaker A:You know, and I understand that's aspirational, but I think that, you know, everything.
Speaker A:Any change always starts with an aspiration, you know, So I would say, like, you know, asada was def.
Speaker A:That was that concept.
Speaker A:And that topic was one of the things that she talked about in her autobiography.
Speaker B:Got it.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:And number four, what is your favorite dish to make?
Speaker A:Favorite dish to make.
Speaker A:I don't cook as much as I.
Speaker A:As I should, but.
Speaker A:And I don't make very elaborate meals.
Speaker A:Um, I gotta say, I don't know.
Speaker A:Something basic.
Speaker A:Spaghetti.
Speaker A:Yeah, Spaghetti.
Speaker B:Sugar.
Speaker B:Do you do sugar in yours or keep it sugar?
Speaker B:Nah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Nah, nah, nah, nah.
Speaker A:I don't do sugar.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:And I don't.
Speaker A:I don't add ketchup, you know, to it.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:You know, I know people that do that too.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:Nah, what am I more of a.
Speaker A:More of a purist or like, spaghetti?
Speaker A:Purist.
Speaker B:Purist.
Speaker B:I'm a purist.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:Well, I mean, this is the very last question of the show, which is, where could people find out more about you?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:So my website, allthis math.com is actually being revamped as we speak.
Speaker A:It should be.
Speaker A:The updated website should be, you know, available next week.
Speaker A:But the current, as of now, the current website is still still available, so.
Speaker A:Www.allthismaf.com all also on social media, YouTube, the YouTube channel.
Speaker A:Please like and subscribe and share.
Speaker A:Share with people, Share with the community.
Speaker A:I want everybody to know about it.
Speaker A:You know, I want people to be able to go and get the help that they need.
Speaker A:You know, I want, I want children to see that black people do math, right?
Speaker A:So if they never had a black math teacher or never had a black teacher, they can see a brother like me, you know, up at the board doing math problems, they can see that they can be exposed to that.
Speaker A:That does a lot, you know, for them psychologically.
Speaker A:It did a lot for me in school when I had black male teachers.
Speaker A:So on YouTube and also you're gonna get some black history lessons mixed in with the math videos, math content as well.
Speaker A:Also on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, all this math.
Speaker A:You can, you know, feel free to reach out and please do, please do, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:Thank youk for coming through.
Speaker B:Really sharing that knowledge and really bringing in the importance of what a parent can do with their child and actually really kind of change the dynamic in that conversation around the everyday household regarding math in everyday life and how that they can actually branch out to different avenues.
Speaker A:I forgot to say one thing.
Speaker A:I'm sorry to interrupt.
Speaker A:Can I say one, one last thing?
Speaker A:You just reminded me of something.
Speaker A:That's cool.
Speaker A:One of the things I recommend to parents, especially at the beginning of the school year, this is a perfect time for this.
Speaker A:So this is September, right?
Speaker A:Whatever grade your child is in, right?
Speaker A:Find out.
Speaker A:Go online or go to.
Speaker A:Either go to the school or go online and look up sample questions from the standardized test that the MAV standardized test that they will be taking in May at the end of the school year.
Speaker A:Print it out.
Speaker A:Print out those sample questions or save it, you know, to your hard drive or whatever you gotta do or go to the school and get a copy.
Speaker A: This is the: Speaker A:So there may be sample questions from 24, 25.
Speaker A:If not, 23, 24, maybe.
Speaker A:Should definitely be available.
Speaker A:But print out those questions.
Speaker A:Look at those questions.
Speaker A:As a parent, become familiar with those questions.
Speaker A:And if you do not know how to do those questions, then that is an assignment for you.
Speaker A:I want for all parents, regardless of what grade your child is in, find out what standardized math test they will be taking from state to state.
Speaker A:If it's Maryland, it's the mcat.
Speaker A:If it's Pennsylvania, it's either the PSSA or the Keystone Algebra one.
Speaker A:If they're in high school, Every state or, you know, even D.C. has, D.C. has, I think, the PARCC test, I think.
Speaker A:But every state has their own test.
Speaker A:But print, because that's a good barometer and a measuring stick for what your child is expected to know to be considered a proficient math student.
Speaker A:So you, as the parent, you make sure you can do those problems.
Speaker A:And if you're wondering, well, why do I got to do those problems?
Speaker A:I'm not in school.
Speaker A:Because if you can do those problems, that means you can help your child to understand how to do those problems.
Speaker A:That's the key.
Speaker A:And also it'll kind of, you know, allow you to develop some empathy for your children, too.
Speaker A:Because when the news media comes out at the end, you know, the end of every summer when the test grades are released and they talk about how low the test grades are and how so many students were, you know, below basic and only, you know, 1% of students are performing proficient or whatever, we automatically assume, like, man, these kids are dumb.
Speaker A:Like, they can barely do math.
Speaker A:Like, nah, the kids aren't dumb.
Speaker A:They're not well trained and they're not motivated, many of them.
Speaker A:But also, these tests are not easy.
Speaker A:But a lot of parents have never seen the test or the type of questions that are on the test.
Speaker A:A lot of teachers in the same school buildings with college degrees would also fail these tests.
Speaker A:A lot of those principals and vice principals would fail these tests.
Speaker A:A lot of the guidance counselors would fail these tests.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Those same adults that kind of have this very condescending attitude about the students.
Speaker A:And because they.
Speaker A:Because they fit.
Speaker A:The failure is so widespread.
Speaker A:So I think a lot of us need to become more exposed to the type of content that is on these tests, because it's not.
Speaker A:They're not straightforward math problems.
Speaker A:There are a lot of word problems, right, which require understanding of various levels of mathematics.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But as a parent, you want to know what your child is up against.
Speaker A:So beginning of the year, this is a perfect time.
Speaker A:Go online, find the sample test questions from the state standardized test that your child will be expected to take in May of the following year, of May of.
Speaker A:At the end of the May of that school year.
Speaker A:So familiarize yourself with it.
Speaker A:Find out a way to understand it.
Speaker A:And if you have time on your side, you might say, okay, well, let's.
Speaker A:Let's let's focus on these three or four types of problems per month, or four or five types of problems per month, right?
Speaker A:And then by the time May comes, right?
Speaker A:Because you don't know what's going on in the school.
Speaker A:Ideally, the school would have some type of plan for test prep to prepare them for this test.
Speaker A:But oftentimes it doesn't happen, you know, or oftentimes there are too many learning gaps where what's being offered in the school is not beneficial to the child because of those learning gaps.
Speaker A:You know, it's like, you know, we talked, like I mentioned spaghetti earlier.
Speaker A:Like, if I'm trying to teach somebody how to, you know, make spaghetti, but they don't know how to boil pasta, like, that's the problem, bro.
Speaker A:You gotta learn how to boil pasta.
Speaker A:Then come back, you know, like, what are you doing?
Speaker A:You know, there are learning gaps.
Speaker A:There's too many learning gaps, right?
Speaker A:Cause you're not at the.
Speaker A:At the level to really gain, to really be able to use for this to be useful, right?
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But parents, in terms of being more conscientious, in terms of taking more ownership of their child's education, get that standardized test, print it out.
Speaker A:Get a previous standardized test, print it out, become familiar with it, you know, read the problems, see for yourself how difficult it is.
Speaker A:See for yourself why.
Speaker A:So you.
Speaker A:Then you'll know, like, why you.
Speaker A:Why some of your kids just put their pencil down or, well, they're all online now.
Speaker A:While some of your kids just.
Speaker A:Just pick anything and just keep pushing the buttons, just going through and without even thinking about it, not even thinking about what the question saying or even reading them, because they get academic fatigue, right?
Speaker A:Familiarize yourself with it so you can be.
Speaker A:Have.
Speaker A:Having awareness.
Speaker B:All right, with that, we just going to wrap up the show.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:All right, everybody, y' all be out.
Speaker B:Peace.
Speaker A:Peace.
Speaker B:Sam.
