Beyond Abacus

  Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. Good morning Friends, Early in my professional journey, I came across a simple yet powerful truth: If you do something consistently for 21 days, it becomes a habit—and even a source of joy. Today marks the 27th consecutive day of this blog, Mathematics and Life . Every morning at 8 AM, I’ve been fortunate to greet you with fresh reflections and experiences from my long journey as a maths teacher. Your blessings, encouragement, and silent reading have all contributed to this rhythm. 📘 Why does this matter? Improving mathematics—whether at school or in society—isn’t just about formulas and exams. It’s about: Building discipline in our thought process Creating connections between ideas and people And sharing experiences that help others grow This daily writing habit has become a personal sad...

  🧒 From Grade 3 to Guiding Future Teachers It gives me immense pleasure to be of some help to my younger mathematics teaching colleagues like Shruti Goel, Laly, Preeti Garg, Misha Nambiar, Rajendra Paliwal , and many others—across subjects and across schools. But things weren’t always this way. 📘 The Indore Phase – Simplicity, Struggle, and Silent Growth After leaving Mumbai in 1988, I served as a school teacher at Choithram School, Indore , till 1992. I even taught Grades 3 to 5 in a single session . Yet, the spirit was always high. I loved taking classes, creating activity sheets, and even wrote articles I mailed to U.S. education journals —long before emails were common. If there was one shortcoming I admit, it was in checking large stacks of answer books. I often rationalised, “I’m a creative person, so it’s okay.” In hindsight, it wasn’t—but the honesty helped me grow. 🔄 The Decade of Churn (1988–1997) It was a whirlwind decade. Imagine this combination: Ph.D. ...

  Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. While redefining what it means to “know maths” will certainly impact students—and to some extent, parents—it is the mathematics teacher who stands to be most affected. They are the medium, the mirror, and the mentor through which any transformation truly passes. I would like to begin sharing my own journey as a mathematics teacher. In future parts, I will also discuss how mathematics teachers can evolve, grow, and find deeper meaning in their role. 🧭 A Journey Rooted in Curiosity and Commitment My career began in 1984 as a Junior College Lecturer of Mathematics at R.A. Podar College, Mumbai . Over the last 37+ years, I have experienced mathematics education from nearly every angle: Teaching at school and college levels Designing curricula Leading teacher training initiatives Conducting educationa...

  Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. After exploring the emotional and cultural factors that shape a child's perception of mathematics in earlier posts, this one shares a clear, actionable framework —the Do’s and Don’ts for parents who genuinely want to help their children love math. ✅ The Do’s for Parents Love your child unconditionally. Let your child blossom into their own self; give space. Understand that each child is unique; appreciate their uniqueness. Develop a hopeful, long-term perspective toward life. Help your child recover from low scores or stressful phases. Spend informal time: talk, play, go on outings. If your child struggles academically, explore where their true strengths lie. Avoid over-pushing bright young kids. Often they perform well under pressure in early classes but gradually withdraw from self-stud...

  Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. In this two-part reflection, we explore how parents can play a pivotal role —for better or worse—in shaping their child’s relationship with mathematics. The first part addresses common unintended mistakes that cause long-term damage, while the second part outlines practical and loving ways to encourage mathematical confidence and joy. ❌ What Parents Should Avoid In Indian society, joint families are still not uncommon. There are often many people in a child’s life “taking care” of them—each with different ways of influencing or interfering with growth and learning. Often, the responsibility of guiding a child’s studies, particularly in mathematics, is delegated to one adult, and their beliefs can deeply shape the child’s perception of the subject. Here are some common parental patterns that unintentionally ha...

  The Do's for Parents to Help the Child Like Maths Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. • Love your child unconditionally  • Let your child blossom into their own self — give space  • Understand that each child is unique — try to appreciate that unique feature  • Develop a hopeful, long-term perspective toward life  • Help the child overcome low scores and stressful situations  • Occasionally talk informally, play, or go out with the child  • If the child is not strong in academics, observe where they shine  • Realise that children who score well early may underperform under long-term pressure  • Assist and guide the child in developing a routine and study schedule The Don'ts for Parents to Help the Child Like Maths • Never compare the child’s score or habits with siblings, friends, or cousins  • Never beat, ...

  The Family Ecosystem and Math Perception Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. In Indian society, joint families are still not uncommon. Many people may be involved in “taking care” of the same child in their own ways—interacting, influencing, or interfering in the child’s growth and development. Often, one family member is delegated the responsibility of handling the child’s studies. How children perceive studies, and mathematics in particular, is greatly shaped by this person. Children are natural imitators. They absorb the behaviours, beliefs, and tone of their immediate influencers. This creates either a profound opportunity or a hidden threat. For instance, when parents casually remark that they were not good at math, or share traumatic stories about their own math teachers, they unconsciously plant fear in the child’s mind. This should be consciou...

  Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. Once we develop, teach, and treat math as the science of patterns, and give students a fair chance to arrive at answers at their own pace—where no answer is ridiculed, and where comparison of scores is minimized—we observe students becoming more willing to attempt problems on their own. Unequal comparisons, public shaming, and repeated reprimands for low math scores are among the most significant factors shaping negative attitudes in children. Often, due to reasons beyond their control, children encounter these pressures early in their learning journey, leading to math anxiety and even hatred for the subject. Developing a strong language–math interface also helps students understand problems better, reinforcing their confidence and ability to engage with math meaningfully. Incorporating everyday examples—counting, m...

  Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. Once we develop, teach, and treat math as the science of patterns, and give students a fair chance to arrive at answers at their own pace—where no answer is ridiculed, and where comparison of scores is minimized—we observe students becoming more willing to attempt problems on their own. Unequal comparisons, public shaming, and repeated reprimands for low math scores are among the most significant factors shaping negative attitudes in children. Often, due to reasons beyond their control, children encounter these pressures early in their learning journey, leading to math anxiety and even hatred for the subject. Developing a strong language–math interface also helps students understand problems better, reinforcing their confidence and ability to engage with math meaningfully. Incorporating everyday examples—counting, m...

  Experiential Math: Shifting from Teaching to Learning Implications on Classroom Teaching Mathematics is the science of recognising, understanding, appreciating, creating and using patterns in day-to-day life, business, sciences, work life, and technology. Once we accept this broad-based perception of what it means to know mathematics, our methods of teaching and evaluation all change for the better. They become more student-friendly, inclusive, experiential, and experimental by nature. The focus of teaching, for example, would shift to empowering each student rather than only appreciating or encouraging those already good at the subject. The teacher would use technology effectively to study each child in greater detail, track progress, and create examples tailored to the student. Funwork would replace homework. For example, while introducing the concept of length, students may be asked to estimate the length of different items around them like a pencil, pen, mobile, table, or kit...