Pangloss Critic

I've heard a lot of math teachers (and by math teachers, I mean me) complain about societal attitudes toward mathematics. If I hear one more person tell me, "I'm just not a math person," I may have to shave a pi symbol into my hair in protest. I think Neil DeGrasse Tyson, as he usually does, said it best: "Somehow it's o.k. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet, if I said, 'I never learned to read,' they'd say I was an illiterate dolt." There is plenty of research into the fallacy of the 'math person' ( Dr. Jo Boaler is a good source to start), and I'm certain that this topic has been widely covered in the blog'o'sphere. There is a worrying trend of other teachers, in a well-meaning attempt to connect and empathize with their students, perpetuating this belief. It's a frustration many math teachers feel. However, at a math conference recently, I noticed something interesting. Presenters and atten