The Most Unpopular School Subject

Some of us love math. Many of us just hate it. According to an AP-AOL News poll of 1,000 adults, almost four in 10 of those surveyed said they hated math in school. That's twice as many as felt that strongly about any other school subject, reports The Associated Press.But not everyone hates math. About 25 percent of those surveyed said it was their favorite subject, which is about the same number who chose English and history. Slightly less chose science. Of course, math is one of those subjects that appeals to people who like clear cut answers. One plus one is two. Those who find such a black and white process overwhelming, prefer subjects that have a bit of gray and allow for interpretation and debate.What's alarming about 40 percent of us hating math? It complicates efforts in U.S. schools to catch up with those math whizzes in Asia and Europe, notes AP. Math and science are critical to research, innovation and economic competitiveness, making it vital that students have a solid grounding in all subjects so they can become well-rounded citizens and skilled workers. How do we get kids interested in math? Fifth-grade math teacher Dianne Peterson of Merritt Island, Fla., told AP the key is to make it fun and capture their imagination at a young age. "I do a lot with music with them," Peterson told AP about how she teaches the multiplication tables. "I've got some CDs that go over the facts. Some of it is rap and some of it is jazzy songs."If you could do it all over again, to what subject would you pay closer attention? The overwhelming answer in the AP-AOL News poll is foreign language, a response that might be sparked by the growing number of immigrants in this country. More than half said children should get more education in both science and the arts.An even more apt answer to that question might be paying attention to what the teacher said no matter what the subject. The New York Times reports that only about half of high school graduates have the reading skills they need to succeed in college, while even fewer are prepared for college-level math and science, according to a yearly report from ACT, which produces one of the nation's leading college admissions tests. "It is very likely that hundreds of thousands of students will have a disconnect between their plans for college and the cold reality of their readiness for college," Richard Ferguson, ACT chief executive, said in a statement announcing the findings.