Lockhart's Lament and Writing in Academia

 It's difficult to disagree with anything Lockhart says because it is without doubt, all true. One of the biggest points that stuck out to me was his take on unqualified, uninterested teachers teaching math. At the secondary level this can be mitigated due to streaming by teachable during teacher education however this is not the case at the elementary school level. This is especially concerning due to the fact that elementary school is where children get their initial exposure (and initial distaste for) to mathematics. By the time they get to high school, all their creativity and potential curiosity have been diminished in regards to mathematics. This got me to thinking if the only way to solve this dilemma is to also have a separate class for math in elementary school (like they do for music and gym for example). 

Honestly, deconstructing Lockhart's Lament requires at least an essay and a blog post cannot do it justice but it is imperative for me to mention that I am in resounding agreement with Lockhart. 

I also want to make note of the writing style. I think this article is especially admired for it's absence of "academic" writing. The casual, conversational nature of his writing makes it all the more easier to absorb and digest. I also feel as though this writing style is much more relatable to people of the masses. I don't think this point should be overlooked. I mention it because several years ago I had a conversation with a friend where he brought up writing in academia and its role in gatekeeping knowledge. To say it hit home for me would be an understatement. I try to actively seek out knowledge and many times this comes in the form of scholarly articles or journals. I find myself having to reread paragraphs several times to understand what the author is trying to say. Constantly searching up definitions, then going back to restructure the sentence and unpack what is being said is a difficult process at times and it is easy to see what one could be deterred from reading such material. But the knowledge is so important, so crucial to human life. Often during colonization, colonizers would burn libraries. Burn knowledge. I don't know - to me these two things have seemed connected for some reason. I went a little off topic but I really appreciate Lockhart's writing and its accessibility to the larger public.