Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Wasted Time

I find that a little compassion goes a long way sometimes.

Sometimes, stuff seems pointless because you still don't see the big picture of why you're learning it. You can't yet, because you're still learning the basics. Some math books try to tell students why subjects like geometry and algebra are important, but from what I've seen, they mostly miss the big picture.

I, too, wondered if I'd ever use geometry when I took it, but by a few years later, I had really started to see how a solid foundation of mathematics could help me in many areas. The logical way of thinking I learned in geometry helped me learn how to structure an expository essay when I was a freshman in college. Solving lots and lots of geometry and algebra problems helped me understand statistics with greater speed and accuracy than would have been possible otherwise. And of course, statistics are really important in psychology.