A Letter to the Editor in response to Op-Ed: Math anxiety is real — and we're passing it on to our kids (posted here on 2022-02-22)

From the Valley News, Vermont, 2022-02-18

Metric system is best

Regarding Michael Brooks’ article about math anxiety being passed down (“Math anxiety is real — and we’re passing it on,” Feb. 9): I agree it is a problem, but one with a solution that does not require years of struggle with “fractions.”

Brooks introduces his complaint by talking about how difficult fractions are for students and for adults. He then continues by using Japan and Finland as examples where adults have much higher math skills.

Could part of the problem be that here in the United States we continue to beat our citizens silly with our absolutely insane system of measurements consisting of arcane units like feet, yards and miles?

We baffle our carpenters with 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 of an inch and then waste years trying to add, subtract, multiply and divide those absurd expressions.

Meanwhile, the kids in Japan and Finland using the metric system skip right by all that stuff and get on with truly understanding math by using the metric system.

Frank Lamson

South Royalton