Teens Need Math To Land Dream Jobs common? For one, they are “NUMB3RS.” The free classroom activities are available at www. cbs.com/numb3rs. choices. They also require a sig- Challenge teens to take harder (NAPSA)—What do doctors, lawyers and architects have in Provide Encouragement. among teens’ hottest career nificant understanding of math at work every day. Despite this, many teens are not motivated to upper-level math courses even though they may not make straight A’s. Parents can make a difference simply by applauding teens for the effort it takes to par- take advanced math classes to help them prepare for success in these future careers. A telephone survey of 1,000 12- to 17-year-olds commissioned by Texas Instruments revealed that four out of five teenagers believe math is important for achieving their goals of being ticipate in those classes. Reinforc- to predict behavior. doctors, scientists, executives and lawyers, but only half are planning to take advanced math NUMB3RS rons w/e @ces classes beyond their schools’ minimum requirements. The survey showed 80 percent of teens want to pursue careers in medicine, sports, science, education, business, military, law or need to take challenging math require advanced college degrees Mammanosaid. architecture—many of which with significant focus on mathematics andscience. “Parents need to understand how important it is that they encourage their children to take higher-level courses of math while in high school,” says David Mammano, founder and publisher of Next Step Magazine, which pro- vides career advice to more than 860,000 teens. “The disconnect between teens’ career aspirations and their plans to take minimal math classes could lead to stu- NCTM Teachers OF MATHEMATICS critical because it builds analyti- cal and reasoning skills. Students courses every year in high school,” He advises parents to work with their teenagers starting in middle school to plan out their course schedules. Parents can seek out resources to help teens understand the value of math andplan for their careers, such as MomsForMath.org, NextStepMagazine.com or Career Voyages.gov. More tips from Mammano include: Make Math Fun.Tie math into the things that already interest teens—their hobbies, TV or movies. job they wantin the future.” choose, a strong math educationis tured in the hit CBS TV show lege-level classes or landing the “No matter what career teens volved in school or community programs such asscience fairs or math team competitions that stimulate them intellectually and hone their analytical skills. A great place to start is Texas Instruments’ “We All Use Math Every Day” program that teaches dents not being prepared for col- ing everyday use of math at home, while shopping, budgeting, baking or gardening can also help increase students’ interest in math. Get Involved. Get teens in- math lessons based on plots fea- Identify Career Role Mod- els. Find local professionals and inquire about mentorship oppor- tunities that match teens’ career interests. Teenagers can “shadow” an executive on the job to see what kind of knowledge is needed for that field. Set The Example. They may not want you to know it, but teens look to their parents as role models. Let your teens see that you are interested in math and show them how you use it each day—at home and in your own career. Acknowl- edge that your teen’s proficiency in math may exceed yours andthat is a good thing. Also be aware that they are learning more math in different ways and this often involves the use of technology or teaching tools that might be unfamiliar to you. Talk with your teen’s teachers to better understand these new advancements in math teaching. They'd likely welcomethe interest.
