Most Aussie kids hate maths. But most Aussie kids haven’t met Megan.

Teens and tweens are turning away from algebra, calculus and trigonometry. But is that really a national catastrophe? Isn’t everything going to be solved by AI soon?

According to Australia’s education specialists, it’s an immense problem. The number of our students able to do high-level maths will decide how prosperous — and how safe — Australia will be.

Maths and Australia’s future

Every four years, experts at Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study check in on the students of 64 countries. One of those countries is Australia.

In their last visit, they interviewed a sample of Australia’s Year 8 students. They discovered that a majority of  Australian students don’t like maths. 

As a result, the number of Aussie high schoolers doing advanced maths has collapsed to an all-time low.

Does that matter?

According to Andrew Norton,  an education professor at  Australian National University, it matters a lot. He says he has a “long-term concern” over the declining number of students able to do serious maths. For one thing, we simply won’t have the clever people to run the submarines and other complex systems we need to protect our coast.

The answer is Megan (and teachers like her)

Australia is struggling to interest schoolkids in mathematics. Megan from Tyndale Christian School seems to be making some breakthroughs. She answered some questions about the way she teaches maths, which you can see in this video.

While it’s clear many Australian kids feel anxiety about algebra and algorithms, they are interested in beauty, nature, God’s good design — and the maths behind it.

It’s also obvious that Megan is motivated by a passion for her subject, and her Christian faith. Some might think the first passion would cancel the second, but for Megan faith and reason energise each other. And isn’t that kind of enthusiasm that connects with all learners?

Teachers build faith, understanding, and nations

In a warm message to teachers at faith-based schools, Senator Deborah O’Neill said “a great country can be born of the work that you do.”

If we let Christian teachers like Megan teach hard subjects with all their hearts, we may see more students take up those subjects. And we may see more Australian kids go into the STEM degrees, which our country clearly needs. The only way to ensure that happens is to find new ways to interest students in maths.

More strength to your arm Megan, and all teachers like you. We hope you never stop expressing your faith in the way you teach, and the way it engages your students to keep learning.