Trying to learn real math in a fake math classroom is a lot like looking at an autostereogram.

Autostereograms are those pictures made of colored dots or other bits of color confetti that at first glance look like so much visual noise. But, if you have the skill to focus your eyes just right, that visual noise will resolve into a striking three-dimensional image that will appear to float in front of the page.

In the above example, focusing beyond the page about 3 inches will reveal the image of a shark. Some of you will see the shark immediately, but many of you will not. Some will struggle and eventually see the shark. But some of you will probably never see the shark.

Think of this autostereogram of a shark as learning math.

Some of you will say, “I have no idea what’s going on. The teacher is calling this a shark, but it doesn’t look like what I thought a shark is. They say to memorize these weird squiggles, and bits of color, so that must be what a shark is - I guess I will memorize these 5 squiggles and this horizontal wave - that must be what a shark is. I’ll memorize that so that when I see it later, I’ll know it’s a shark.” This was Pam.

Others, without guidance from a teacher, have the natural inclination to very quickly focus their eyes to see the shark. “Right–there is a shark, surely everyone can see the shark. It’s obviously right there. I wonder why the teacher is talking about 5 squiggles and the horizontal wave. Weird. It’s just a shark.” This was Pam's son Cameron.

Still others can’t see the shark, but aren’t willing or able to play the game the first group does. The nonsensical memorization of lines and dots when there is supposed to be a shark isn’t enough for them to hold on to. Math becomes increasingly stressful. Students become convinced they just “aren’t math people.”

Who can blame them? Not us, not when we tell them there is a shark in the water, and then when they say they can’t see it we just throw more and more confetti at them.