This is, I believe, the fundamental problem. Administrators, and, to some degree, math teachers themselves, don’t like or understand math. They constantly talk

This is, I believe, the fundamental problem. Administrators, and, to some degree, math teachers themselves, don’t like or understand math. They constantly talk about what it’s “for”, as if math class serves a purpose similar to car repair shop class. They seem to understand that you can have an English class treating poetry, or a history class, without needing to justify them with practical applications. I think most of this bunch have no concept of studying math for its own sake, and the idea that you might do so for enjoyment would probably seem incomprehensibly bizarre. During my brief stints teaching math in high schools, my attitude was that I was guiding students along the path to becoming people—members of their civilization.