My son is in the fifth grade, and the other evening I found him sitting at the dining room table, bouncing his forehead on it. Technically, his head was ricocheting off the math worksheet that was on the table.

“Buddy, you’re gonna crack your skull open. Quit doing that.”

“Dad, we have to divide fractions for homework, and I have no idea how to. The teacher went too fast and this is impossible.”

And then my son uttered that famous line that has been asked of teachers and parents probably since Pythagoras taught his first geometry lesson: “When am I ever going to use this?”

So... Do We Still Need Math?

It was like a time warp, traveling back 27 years to when I was an 11-year-old wondering when I would ever need to divide a fraction again, pondering the uselessness of math (and the other difficult subjects in school, but for me, math takes the cake). At least in the 1990s, my parents could respond that I might need these math skills to do my taxes someday or start a business. In 2025, we have artificial intelligence, and if I ever have a need for dividing up some fractions (which hasn’t happened yet), I can point my phone at the problem and will have the answer instantly.

So when my son asked that famous question, I couldn’t promise he’d use this math in the future. In the same way, I can’t promise an English student that they will need grammar skills in the same way many of us did prior to innovations like Grammarly or ChatGPT. Technology has automated key aspects of communication and work, and the skills that were once a priority are no longer as necessary.

Do we still need to teach math? Is making my son’s brain hurt (from the math, not the pounding on the table) worthwhile? If we have technology that can solve any math problem in the world, edit any paper, find any information, and it can all be accessed from a cell phone, do we still need to make students do this difficult work?

The Brain Science of Doing Challenging Work

The answer is yes, but not because they will need to do their taxes. Of course, some students will be using math in their careers. However, this 2013 survey found that less than 25% of workers do any calculations more complicated than basic fractions, and the U.S. Department of Labor has data that shows it's far less than that, and only 2% of employees require more than basic arithmetic for their work. However, we don’t make millions of kids learn math so that 2% of them can use it in their careers. The reason students learn math nowadays is the reason students learned math 100 years ago: learning math is difficult.

When a student is engaged in solving a difficult math problem, their brains form new neural connections. This is called neuroplasticity. This process expands and grows the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain responsible for decision-making and problem solving. However, neuroplasticity only happens in the midst of challenges. Students have to be outside of their comfort zone in order for this type of brain growth to occur.

Factoring and the Future

When students engage in challenging math, their brains develop in ways that few other activities can match.

They aren’t factoring polynomials because they will need to know how to throughout their lives (it’s been over 20 years since I’ve last had to factor one). They’re factoring polynomials so they can solve complex problems throughout their lives, which I can attest they will have no shortage of.

Math class is an investment in the human brain. The math homework my son is doing at the dinner table will help him 30 years from now when he’s trying to figure out how to get a couch upstairs in his house. Or deciding if he can afford a home in a certain neighborhood. Or planning how to restructure his team’s workflow to meet a tight deadline without burning everyone out.

It’s not just about numbers. It’s about learning how to think through complexity, weigh options, and make smart decisions.

Automaticity and Adaptability

By learning and practicing difficult content, he’s becoming a more capable human. There’s actually another phenomenon called automaticity, which is the ability to do something automatically, without conscious thought, because it has been practiced so much. When you repeat a task, like solving a type of math problem or reading sight words, your brain creates and strengthens neural pathways that make that task faster and more efficient. Over time, these pathways become so well-worn that the brain can perform the task with little to no active thinking. This frees up mental energy for more complex thinking and problem solving.

When my son was struggling with his math homework, I dropped a little brain science on him. I explained neuroplasticity and automaticity and how even though it may not feel like it, this work is making him smarter so that he can do more and handle more in the future. “Your brain is growing. Isn’t that cool, Bud?”

And of course, my 11-year-old met me with a blank stare. Being able to solve problems when he’s forty didn’t exactly motivate him towards a passion for solving equations. But it makes me feel better for making him solve them. And it helps me understand why we need to keep giving students challenging work in school, even when that work can feel obsolete.

Encouraging the Struggle

Of course, we do need to find ways to make learning complex content engaging. This can be achieved with problem-based learning, applied learning, and STEM projects. We also need to help students develop a growth mindset, and encourage resilience when their brains are being forced to work outside the comfort zone. This might mean encouraging small victories, allowing retakes, and providing feedback that focuses on effort and strategy rather than just correct answers.

Sitting Beside Them

And so with my son, I sit beside him at the table and help him in areas that I can. This rarely means giving him the answers (partly because I don’t don’t have them!), and instead I ask questions and offer encouragement. I could let him easily scan his worksheet with my phone and ask the AI to show its work. I could also tell him he’s right and that he probably won’t use this math ever again. 

Instead I let him struggle through the work and support him along the way, because I want his prefrontal cortex to grow, and learning math is a great fertilizer.