<p>Perhaps there is a reason for that “solidified notion”…I grew up in a family of engineers and an aunt who was a mastered degreed high school math teacher (rare for the early 50s). I can not grasp complex math. Can do basic algebra and geometry and still can but after that no clue. I managed to sweat my way through college required calculus and stats classes. Out of three kids one is exceptional at grasping complex mathematics, one is mediocre and one is hopeless…the two in college managed to test out of taking remedial college math and one got the one gened completed with a B- but simply has zero apptitude. I tested back in the day very, very high in the old Enlish portion of the SAT and mediocre at the math and so did my non-mathy boys. Our brains simply do not grasp the process. I remember asking a prof in grad school to explain something he was teaching so I could understand why and he told me that “that” would be explained in higher math class. That’s when I gave up the ghost. Sometimes it’s genetic…really. But I do recall really wierd math teaching when the boys were young. I turned around and we taught them “our way” of doing multiplication, division and some other concepts…I think they even called it new math. It was ludicrous and if that’s the only math education kids got in elementary school no wonder they are remedial.</p>