> I don't think it's really "brutal" but "challenging". Brutal was the term used by the parent, I just picked it up from there. > if the kid has no interest i

> I don't think it's really "brutal" but "challenging". Brutal was the term used by the parent, I just picked it up from there. > if the kid has no interest in Math he/she would regard that as brutal and for others who do have interest it's just challenging and maybe even fun Throughout my education I was in both camps at different times. The more "brutal" things got (dry, formal curriculum, tough teachers) the more it put me off. On the other hand patient and engaging teachers could get me to spend countless hours after school working on math problems. Interests are things that develop based on intrinsic attributes but also based on environmental feedback. I suspect the latter is fast more important.