There is a big push nowadays to know one’s heredity. 23 and Me, Family Finder. People have a great desire to know their own histories, and an even greater desire to explain their tendencies. Does knowing one’s heritage excuse those tendencies? For instance, even though I will never do a DNA test (I’m a literature teacher and confirmed conspiracy theorist… on a small, inactive scale!), I am positive my roots would trace to a people group who resided further north in the hemisphere. I have tendencies that suggest my people stored up carbs for a long, food-meager winter. The problem with this is that my winters are not meager, so I just tend to put on weight in the cold months! Does knowing that I have this tendency excuse it? I say it does not. If anything, it brings awareness and the ability to recognize triggers.

     My mother included a list of “enemy agents” in the math text she and I wrote and she now uses with our elementary kids. These agents are a part of CAFA (Confusion and Fear Agency). One such enemy is named “Gene Genie,” and he says, “My mom was no good at math, so I’m no good at math.” We have shown child after child that he is not a victim of his mother’s bad experience with math.

     Heredity gives us our eye color, parts of our temperaments, and our height. It does not mandate our inabilities. We do that.

      The next time you are tempted to commiserate with your child, bemoaning how much he hates math, remind yourself that (at least in our school) he is not in the same “math boat” you were in. Internet programs like Khan Academy, Cool Math for Kids, and Purple Math give your child a distinct advantage. Tell him to beach the “failboat” and make a trip to a math tutorial on the Web because success isn’t hereditary.

       -Michelle