Mathophobia: The Fear of Learning

As I read through Mindstorms by Semour Papert, I am reminded of something that occurs so often in our lives: creating a taboo for learning:

Papert addresses things we do as adults that alter, and in a sense, cause us to curse learning:

"I can't learn French, I don't have an ear for languages"...
"I could never be a businessman, I don't have a head for figures"...
"I can't get the hang of parallel skiing, I never was coordinated"...

Thinking and saying these types of phrases to ourselves and admitting them to others is simply a way of cursing ourselves from the ability to learn.

As I reflect on myself and my professional development, I see how important it is to avoid this mathophobic way of being and to open my mind up to the learning that could be.