--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My kids used to love math. Now it makes…" description: "\"My kids used to love math. Now it makes them cry. Thanks standardized testing and common core!\" — Louis C. K" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/louis-c-k-1150_common_my-kids-used-to-love-math-now-it-makes-t_3203040.png" --- # My kids used to love math. Now it makes them cry. Thanks… ![“My kids used to love math. Now it makes them cry. Thanks standardized testing and common core!” quote by Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/louis-c-k-1150_common_my-kids-used-to-love-math-now-it-makes-t_3203040.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/louis-c-k-1150_common_my-kids-used-to-love-math-now-it-makes-t_3203040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/louis-c-k-1150_common_my-kids-used-to-love-math-now-it-makes-t_3203040.png) > “My kids used to love math. Now it makes them cry. Thanks standardized testing and common core!” [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Standardized testing and common core have turned math into a source of stress for children, eroding their natural curiosity. **In simple terms:** Testing made math stressful for kids. Key Takeaway Rethink assessment methods. Themes education stress curriculum child development policy Mood frustrated concerned Type critical observational When to use this quote - classroom - parenting - school reform Key Concepts assessment pressure learning motivation curriculum design Questions to Reflect On - How can we restore joy in math? - What alternatives to high‑stakes testing exist? A Different Perspective Testing alone cannot address deeper learning issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common core](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-core/) [Core](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Love Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-math-410516/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Math and love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-and-love/) [Math love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-love/) [Math Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-makes-1453554/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Standardized testing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standardized-testing/) [Testing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testing/) [Thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanks/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Used to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-to-love/) ## Related quotes > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Arithmetic is where numbers fly like pigeons in and out of your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-where-numbers-fly-like-pigeons-in-and-out-of-your-head/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [The cowboys have a way of trussing up a steer or a pugnacious bronco which fixes the brute so that it can neither move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bell/the-cowboys-have-a-way-of-trussing-up-a-steer-or-a-pugnacious-bronco/) [Eric Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bell/) > [With my full philosophical rucksack I can only climb slowly up the mountain of mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/with-my-full-philosophical-rucksack-i-can-only-climb-slowly-up-the/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Mathematics is as much an aspect of culture as it is a collection of algorithms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-benjamin-boyer/mathematics-is-as-much-an-aspect-of-culture-as-it-is-a-collection-of/) [Carl Benjamin Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-benjamin-boyer/) > [If a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/if-a-man-s-wit-be-wandering-let-him-study-the-mathematics-for-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [But mathematics is the sister, as well as the servant, of the arts and is touched with the same madness and genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marston-morse/but-mathematics-is-the-sister-as-well-as-the-servant-of-the-arts-and-2/) [Marston Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marston-morse/) > [To most outsiders, modern mathematics is unknown territory. Its borders are protected by dense thickets of technical terms; its landscapes are a mass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivars-peterson/to-most-outsiders-modern-mathematics-is-unknown-territory-its-borders/) [Ivars Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivars-peterson/) > [Even stranger things have happened; and perhaps the strangest of all is the marvel that mathematics should be possible to a race akin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-temple-bell/even-stranger-things-have-happened-and-perhaps-the-strangest-of-all/) [Eric Temple Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-temple-bell/) > [Mathematics is the only good metaphysics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/mathematics-is-the-only-good-metaphysics/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [Few realize that the world of modern mathematics is rich with vivid images and provocative ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivars-peterson/few-realize-that-the-world-of-modern-mathematics-is-rich-with-vivid/) [Ivars Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivars-peterson/) > [The mathematics are distinguished by a particular privilege, that is, in the course of ages, they may always advance and can never recede.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-mathematics-are-distinguished-by-a-particular-privilege-that-is/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [It is not the job of mathematicians... to do correct arithmetical operations. It is the job of bank accountants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuil-shatunovsky/it-is-not-the-job-of-mathematicians-to-do-correct-arithmetical/) [Samuil Shatunovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuil-shatunovsky/) ## More by Louis C. K > [Technically, I've learned that having good legs and wind is good for being on stage. You have to be in shape and have endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/technically-i-ve-learned-that-having-good-legs-and-wind-is-good-for/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I think I'm past any window where I'm suddenly going to become surprisingly ripped so that people go, 'Oh, my God, what happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-think-i-m-past-any-window-where-i-m-suddenly-going-to-become/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I can feel how an audience is reacting when I'm on a stage, but when you are on stage, your perception is distorted. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-can-feel-how-an-audience-is-reacting-when-i-m-on-a-stage-but-when/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [“You need to develop the ability to just be yourself and not be doing something, that's what the phones are taking away. The ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/you-need-to-develop-the-ability-to-just-be-yourself-and-not-be-doing/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I know what it's like to have a bunch of material that's working that you don't care about. You want to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-have-a-bunch-of-material-that-s-working-that/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I just love learning. I think learning is how you live. The verb of my life is learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-just-love-learning-i-think-learning-is-how-you-live-the-verb-of-my/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [There's been a lot of simple vilification of right-wing people. It's really easy to say, 'Well, you're Christian, you're anti-this and that, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/there-s-been-a-lot-of-simple-vilification-of-right-wing-people-it-s/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [“A woman saying yes to a date with a man is literally insane and ill-advised, and the whole species' existence counts on them doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/a-woman-saying-yes-to-a-date-with-a-man-is-literally-insane-and-ill/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [When your kid is being selfish or greedy and you want to help them not be that way, you have to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/when-your-kid-is-being-selfish-or-greedy-and-you-want-to-help-them/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [You have to be really tenacious. You have to keep at it. There are many roads to get there. If you can get yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/you-have-to-be-really-tenacious-you-have-to-keep-at-it-there-are-many/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [When I take my kids out for dinner or lunch, people smile at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/when-i-take-my-kids-out-for-dinner-or-lunch-people-smile-at-us/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I'd love to have a shitty job. I couldn't hold any down. Standup was the only thing I could stick with. I'm an idiot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-d-love-to-have-a-shitty-job-i-couldn-t-hold-any-down-standup-was/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [There's no way you ask Sean Penn a question and then, you're gonna be HUGE !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/there-s-no-way-you-ask-sean-penn-a-question-and-then-you-re-gonna-be/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [If you had a jetpack you'd be like I have the shittiest jetpack. Who's your service provider on your jetpack? Did they make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/if-you-had-a-jetpack-you-d-be-like-i-have-the-shittiest-jetpack-who-s/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I spend enough time onscreen looking hangdog and depressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-spend-enough-time-onscreen-looking-hangdog-and-depressed/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) [Explore all 282 Louis C. K quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. 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