2005/03/04 by William P. Thurston · 3 voices
Mathematics · #math.HO #msc:97D20
published as Notices of the AMS 37:7 (September 1990) pp 844--850
arxiv created 2005/03/04 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
This essay, originally published in the Sept 1990 Notices of the AMS, discusses problems of our mathematical education system that often stem from widespread misconceptions by well-meaning people of the process of learning mathematics. The essay also discusses ideas for fixing some of the problems. Most of what I wrote in 1990 remains equally applicable today.