Page 226 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

book should give you the confidence to try techniques without the doubt and
resistance that often sabotages our best efforts. Learning is, of course, personally
empirical. The ultimate evidence will come when you evaluate your
performance and attitude once you earnestly deploy these strategies.
I am now a college professor and I have advised thousands of students over
the years. Many students try to avoid math and science because they “are not
good at it” or “don’t like it.” My advice to these students has always been the

same advice I gave my daughter: “Get good at it, and then see if you still want to
quit.” After all, isn’t education supposed to be about getting good at challenging
things?
Remember how difficult learning to drive was? Now, it is almost automatic
and gives you a sense of independence you will value throughout their adult life.
By being open to new strategies like the ones in this book, learners now have the

opportunity to move past anxiety and avoidance toward mastery and confidence.
It is now up to you: Get good!

—David B. Daniel, Ph.D.
Professor, Psychology Department
James Madison University