Can you solve this 6th grade math problem?

[Pat Mustard]

Don't be like that.
Math is fun.... and this is a simple geometry problem.

Many kids are feeling like you, simply because of this generalized social repulsion towards math... don't add to the problem, be part of the solution!
Try.... as with many other things, you will fail, at first... try again and again... eventually, it becomes second nature.
Pass that on to your kids and friends...

The only reason I feel that way is because I am TERRIBLE at it, lol.  I struggled all throughout high school, had tutors, summer practice, staying after school for extra help, and re-taking of Regents exams (doing worse the second time around).  I hate it because I could never "get" it, not because of any kind of 'social repulsion' or pop-culture reputation it has.  I can't stand not being able to understand something.  It hurts my ego!  Either my brain is not wired to understand math, or I never had the right teacher.  Probably the first one.

I literally, to this day, feel sick to my stomach remembering my struggles with math; the frustration and feeling of being totally lost taking exams, and the disappointment in myself when the poor grades rolled in.  It was the only subject in school that I couldn't excel in no matter how hard I applied myself.

Believe me, I understand how important math is, and I will do everything in my power to make sure my own children have a better experience than I did!  I admire those who excel at mathematics.

Sorry for rambling; I suppose you hit a nerve.  [emoji39]

I had a friend who thought like that until I pointed out that him sizing up our attic and figuring out how much building materials (including wood, floorboard, plasterboard, plaster, cement &c.) to make it a liveable space was maths. You'd be surprised how much of it you do on a daily basis and how good you are if you sat down to think about it.