We interrupt this gender & race media series to bring you a NEWS FLASH from Danica McKellar and crew.
Calling all tweens and middle school mathletes! As the author of Math Doesn’t Suck, Danica is blogging this week at her publisher’s site (Penguin Group, USA) and willing to take your questions by pinging her in the comment section!
With pre-algebra and beyond hitting the 7th grade scene in this house, I’m definitely going to encourage my own daughter to send a note (which in itself is a chore) since writing is laborious for her and she claims ‘math is her favorite subject.’
Evidently she’s not the only tween that “likes math more”…Check out this new study by MediaMark Research Inc. that reports 25.4% of children age 6-11 choose math as their “favorite subject” in school, with writing/English ranking tops among only 4.2%.
Danica should rack up some sales then, eh? Ah, but alas, middle schoolers are on the high side of that curve, which is Danica’s intervention point, knowing that math interest wanes in middle school, particularly among girls. Bravo for selling smarts, Danica! Thankfully, science gets a bump of enthusiasm in the 10-11 year old study, but again, all bets are off in those preteen years…sigh. Here’s an excerpt from Danica’s post on Monday…
“To be honest, we weren’t sure how a math book would do in sales (as most people tend to avoid math altogether), but the need to supplement the math education in this country seems to be well understood among consumers, and that makes me happy… Alongside the math teaching, I’ve embedded positive messages throughout the book that I hope will sink in and help today’s generation of tween girls – girls with self-image issues arising from the news media’s continuing obsessions with negative role models and ‘pop tarts.’”
Tweens/teens, if you’re stumped with math homework already, put your thinking caps on and fire math questions her way. Danica is posting online until Sunday, Sept. 2nd, but posts will archive indefinitely.
Our premiere of our new monthly profile piece (People Shaping Youth) that features positive role models will be ready about the same time around Labor Day. As you might have guessed, we’re shining the spotlight on Danica first, and sharing the column with YPulse readers every month too…
Send us your ideas for other positive picks…have your people call our people. (er, um…me) Gawd knows we could use some meaningful messaging in the role model media mix, so ping me with any thoughts, publicists, contacts, agents, or friend of a friend’s friends’ dog walker’s leads, and we’ll follow up if it’s the right fit…
Shaping Youth teen advisory board and my global 2007 Women Leaders for the World gal pal graduates, I especially would like to hear your thoughts, so please chime in, ok?
Ms. Simi Raheal, my dear movie star in Pakistan, this means you! Actually…you and Mehreen would make a great mother daughter profile yourselves…
I loved Mehreen’s wonderful modeling quote here, “I’ve always been into fitness, but I don’t want to be skinny, because in real life I’d like to look like myself rather than a coat hanger roaming around with something draped on it.”
Let’s do it! Come stay with us again, we miss you, so does “The City by the Bay!” Bring Mehreen, too! —Amy
Hi mehreen raheal how r u.U know u r so preety so cute so beutifull.U r the most beautifull girl in the world
Simi, you must tell Mehreen she appears to have an ardent fan…(see above!) –AJ
Hi mehreen i like u very very very much u r the est model in pzkistan u r so cute u r so beautifull
mehreen raheal dreamy lady
Have you ever delved into the question of the Infinity Conundrum?