Ahh, yes The Question. It's a rite of passage that all teenagers ask The Question in math class. We've all asked it. I did.

When are we ever going to use this?

The Question reveals something about our attitude toward math, and our belief about its value. My answer, ahem, The Answer will help you change your attitude about math and help you go higher than you ever thought you could in math.

If you found anything helpful in this episode, or heck, if you haven't even listened to it but know someone who should, share it far and wide on IG, Snap, TikTok, Facebook, WuWu, wherever. OK, I that last one's not real but you get the idea.

Need help in math? Contact us at www.sint.org

I'm terrible about giving away the takeaway, but suffice it to say you should give your undivided attention to this episode. Oh, and by the way, this is a story about Skittles. It is dedicated to my thesis advisor and mathematics professor, the late Dr. Lee V. Stiff. Don't let the name fool you - he was a man of passion, animated and stimulating as a teacher on subjects just like this one. I hope this would've made him proud.

The story I recount here is a retelling of one very similar to it that he shared with my classmates and me in a graduate level teaching course on elementary math. The class met once a week for 3 hours. Can you imagine talking about math that long? Let me tell you in no uncertain terms, it was the opposite of what you're thinking. Those were some of the most fun and fascinating hours I spent in all of college, truly. I credit him for any passion I bring to my students, and if mine is half as his was, I will be doing well.

To read more about Dr. Stiff, please read this remembrance.

This episode will, um, ADD to your knowledge of numbers and let's just say it will MULTIPLY your strength in numbers, too. Wink, wink - foreshadowing!

The lesson you learned last week was so good (humble brag!) I figured we should do more of it. This is another kinda famous example plus some further practice at multiplying larger numbers either in your head or on paper - but not the old way of carrying. That's outdated. Once you get the hang of this new way, you will surprise yourself and improve your strength in numbers.

Need help with math? Contact us at www.sint.org

Multiplication is a crucially important skill. Since you can only reasonably memorize a small amount of "multiplication facts" you could use a way to do multiplication quickly - even in your head. Here you go! This episode is for you.

This first episode could launch into any number of math topics, but I’ll start where many of you are right now. If you feel confused, frustrated, anxious, or apathetic about math – this is the podcast for you. And you might've felt those things because of those darn letters in math... so let's start there.