A Mathematician's Lament
How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form

As a mathematics teacher and long-time student of mathematics, I was overjoyed when I came across this book. Finally, I thought, an ode to the profound beauty and elegance of this most precise and direct human languages. And, hopefully, an expose on the state of mathematics education, and a plea to......more

Ugh, I get it, math is beautiful and no one understands you... While this essay was eye-opening about the way that the current education system treats math instruction, I overall found the author idealistic and demeaning. Lockhart actually believes that if teachers are just "honest" with their studen......more

There is such breathtaking depth and heartbreaking beauty in this ancient art form. How ironic that people dismiss mathematics as the antithesis of creativity. They are missing out on an art form older than any book, more profound than any poem, and more abstract than any abstract. And it is school......more

This essay is so brilliant. SO brilliant. There are some criticisms (at the end) but still, this is written in such a striking, creative and yet truthful/accurate way that I give it 5 stars. After class I spoke with the teacher. “So your students don’t actually do any painting?” I asked. “Well, nex......more

I wasn’t smart enough to understand this book entirely but I did appreciate it. I just felt like his critique of math classes and curriculum went on forever but that was because Calculus means nothing to me at this time 😂 The second half was very interesting and actually got me interested in math. Sl......more