Suzanne's Column
May, 1999
May is a golden month, with warming temperatures, brighter sun, and summer just aroung the bend. But this May, the nation is facing some dark times.
The tragedies in Littleton, Colorado, the agonies in Kosovo, and the destruction in Oklahoma have affected students far from the scenes where they occur.
Schools and parents are struggling to face children's questions and fears. Students, even young students, are not sheltered from the troubling questions and the dark realities.
As we struggle for answers, educators try to keep learning on track, and hurry to complete the curriculum before the school year ends.
Where does math fit into this?
Math and anxiety seem inextricably linked. But there is an odd thing about math that is often overlooked: its ability to soothe, and reassure. Math is often attacked for being 'out there' - unrelated to anything in the lives of students. This is usually seen as a bad thing. But in the years I have studied and taught mathematics, I've observed that this quailty of mathematics - which admittedly can plague us as we struggle to learn it, can also comfort. Math's internal consistency, it's predictability, and its constancy, can offer students a sanctuary in the midst of tough times.
Several years ago, I taught math at a psychiatric hospital. One of my students had a severe eating disorder. Quiet and timid, she was slowly gaining comfort in the hospital routine, and slowly accepting more food. Bit by bit, she grew more comfortable with the other students, joining their conversations and laughter. But one day, she arrived at my doorway, crying silently in great, heaving sobs, after a painful family session. I settled the rest of the class into their work, and helped her into the room.
The other students, normally rowdy, deferred to her pain, and worked silently. I hesitated, not sure whether to lead her to the assignment, or listen if she needed to talk.
So I sat down next to her, and asked. Her small shoulders were still shaking with the almost silent sobs, and she was clutching her books to her chest.
"Lisa, this seems to be a very bad time for you," I said, struggling for words.
"Would you like to talk about it? Or go back to your unit?," I was about to get up to find a staff person to help her. "Or would you like to do math?"
She didn't hesitate. "Math," she said.
And we did. The sobs stopped, and her tense body loosened, and for a brief time, she left her troubles, and went deep into mathematics.
I have learned, watching students, that 'math anxiety' is only part of the picture. Math has an unquestionable ability to reduce anxiety, too.
