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In the age of computers and calculators, students often question, “Why should we learn math?” In today’s episode, Veritas Scholars Academy math teacher, Damian Haarhoff (aka Sir Haarhoff the brave and noble, or “TBAN” as his students call him) is here to share the ultimate reasons why mathematics matters and how he inspires reluctant students, both young and old.

Episode Transcription

Note: This transcription may vary from the words used in the original episode for better readability.

Marlin Detweiler:

Welcome again to Veritas Vox, the voice of classical Christian education. Today, we have none other than Damian Haarhoff with us. Damian, welcome.

Damian Haarhoff:

Thank you so much.

Marlin Detweiler:

Good to have you here. Folks, you will understand why he gets heralded as none other than shortly as we get into this. But, Damian, tell us before we get into talking about math in the context of classical education. Tell us a little bit about your background.

Damian Haarhoff:

Okay. In a nutshell, I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and moved over to America in about 1996. I grew up as a non-Christian, so I was educated and went to school as an unbeliever. And then I became a Christian, came over to America and went to college and then encountered education as a Christian.

So I've seen both sides of how one would interpret or understand or appreciate an education. So now I'm living in Willis, Texas, and we have eight children, some of which have gone through Veritas, some still headed that way. I think our youngest is actually going to have a first year in Veritas this upcoming year.

Marlin Detweiler:

That is great. Where did you go to college here?

Damian Haarhoff:

Dallas Baptist University.

Marlin Detweiler:

Okay, very good. Very good. And Willis is near Houston, as I understand it.

Damian Haarhoff:

It is north of Houston. About an hour north of that.

Marlin Detweiler:

Well, you have been a stalwart, a pillar, and a remarkable contributor as a teacher to the online school that we operate, Veritas Scholars Academy, as a math teacher. And I think it's fair to say that Algebra I is kind of your sweet spot, isn't it?

Damian Haarhoff:

I don't know. I loved all of them. You know, there's a different caliber of students, different maturity and academic levels. And there's there's definitely advantages of each subject and age group and, you know, and I enjoy them all, all the way up to pre-calculus.

Marlin Detweiler:

What are you teaching in the current school year?

Damian Haarhoff:

Algebra I, Algebra II, and Pre-calculus. And then in the summer, I do a refresher course for Algebra I and then Business Math.

Marlin Detweiler:

Okay, very good. Yeah. You've got quite a number. And how many sections are you teaching this year?

Damian Haarhoff:

So nine in the school year and then four in the summer.

Marlin Detweiler:

Unbelievable. I hope you have time to sleep!

Damian Haarhoff:

I have to sleep. People don't like me if I don't sleep, so I make it happen. Avoiding that.

Marlin Detweiler:

One of our teachers once said, “Marlin, I would teach for you for free, but you got to pay me to grade papers.” How do you get all the papers graded?

Damian Haarhoff:

Yes. He teaches by day and grades by night!

Marlin Detweiler:

That's fun! Tell us seriously, though, why do you think you are such a popular teacher at VSA? As I understand it, you have most of the sections you're teaching fill up before open registration even begins around February 1. Why do you think that happens? I don't know that there's any other teacher, certainly no other teacher that has as many sections that fill up so quickly.

Damian Haarhoff:

Well, I think of Eric Little when he said “God made me to run and when I run, I feel his pleasure.” I feel the same way. I feel that God has made me to teach. And when I teach, I feel his pleasure in the same way. It's really the only thing I've ever done since I graduated from college.

You know, I went to college to primarily go into the ministry as a pastor or missionary. I hadn't actually graduated from high school. I actually failed high school because I blew it off because I thought it was completely irrelevant and boring.

The interesting thing that my students enjoy is that because the system of education in America is one year behind, I was actually able to get into an American college on my 11th grade scores.

So I sort of skipped the whole graduate from high school thing, and I was able to college degree. And I dreaded going into college algebra. It was a required course, but it was then that scales fell from my eyes. I realized God had a whole different plan. He wanted me to become a maths teacher, and it was a it was a curveball.

I did not expect that at all. And so right after college, the very first thing I did I started in an inner city school and thankfully survived. But I think God gave me the personality to connect with students, the humor to, you know, to entertain, to sustain their attention, and also a love for mathematics, which I think spills over into the classroom and has the students think, “There’s something here that I might be missing. Apparently, this is exciting to him.”

Marlin Detweiler:

Tell us about the video you've got on our website for your teacher video. I want to encourage people to go see it. It's only about two minutes, maybe even less, and it is hilarious.

Damian Haarhoff:

Okay. Well, first of all, at the time, I hardly even knew how to use a phone to record. And we were sitting there going, “How on earth are we going to do this?” And thankfully, there was a family in our church that kind of did this. They made movies, and in the providence of the Lord, they said, “Hey, we can help you do this.”

And it started off when I was in public school, I realized that, you know, these kids are here. They're completely uninterested, bored. And if I did not find some way to connect with them and have a relationship with them and show them that I care, they just were going to tune out.

So I thought and thought. And then one year, the first day of school, I grabbed the meter stick. And while they will sitting on their desks, I walked up and I jumped onto the desk and everyone, you know, shocked and surprised. And I whipped out the meter stick.

And it seemed like the words just came to me because I hadn't really rehearsed this or anything. It was just very spontaneous at the moment. I said, “I am Sir Haarhoff, the brave, a noble teacher of mathematics, and I slay dragons of ignorance and apathy and I rescue damsels of potential and promise!”

And then I jumped off the desk and said, “And I believe that my students can and must scale the high walls of obstacle around this castle and conquer the enemy! The drawbridge will not be let down. There is no other way.”

And I realized that I had them at that point and the rest of the year was easy, you know. And so that became a tradition to do that every single year. And so on the video, and that's how I begin, is I jump on the desk and I give that whole speech.

Marlin Detweiler:

There's no doubt that captured the imagination of kids in junior high and high school or middle school and high school, that's incredible!

One of the things we run into is people who think education is neutral. We add our beliefs in God and Christianity in general to that as if education is morally neutral. And it's pretty easy to say, “Well, it matters who's writing the history.” And we understand that science, in order for it to be understood, to be about God's creation and God's providence, has to recognize the very fact that God created. But in math, someone might try to argue that's not quite the same. It's about numbers, it's about concepts. And there's no difference between math taught Christianly or math Math taught in a required secular context, to which you say…?

Damian Haarhoff:

Yes, very good. So a couple of verses from scriptures that come to mind as we seek to understand and embrace education of a Christian worldview is Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him all things were created that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, all things were created through him and for him.”

So, you know, yes, the things that we can see that are visible. Yes, he made the trees and the mountains and the rivers and, you know, things like that. But even that which is invisible, which would be concepts and ideas. But the point is that all things were made by him and for him. So we have to understand that mathematics exists, was created by him and for his glory. But not only that, then I'll take them to another scripture, which I think is very relevant, is Psalm 111:2, which says – I'm looking for the right translation – “The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.”

So we have the works of the Lord visible and invisible, and they are studied by those who delight in them. When we put those together, I think we get the foundation of what it means to have a Christian education. Christians who understand that all these things were made by God and that it is not only our duty, but our delight to study and seek them.

Marlin Detweiler:

Yeah, and with math in particular, nothing more basic than the idea of two plus two equals four today. It equaled four yesterday, and it will tomorrow. Nothing more simply demonstrates the fact that God is immutable. He is unchanging. And that makes him reliable if he were unpredictable or whimsical, just like we say, “Well, today, two plus two equals three, and tomorrow we might try five.”

And it's a real basic concept that the young student can understand and apply to an understanding of the nature and character of God. Don't you think?

Damian Haarhoff:

Absolutely. And I think this is what helps to engage them as well, is to help them understand how mathematics does indeed reflect the very attributes of God and His eternal, unchanging truth, because it transcends time and culture as well. When you look at mathematics as the one thing that cuts through the postmodern fog and says there is truth, there's right and wrong, black and white.

Marlin Detweiler:

“Cutting through the postmodern fog” that's a very good way of putting it.

Obviously you teach at not only a school that wants to be known as a distinctively Christian school, but it's also distinctively classical. Maybe talk to us about each stage of math. I realize you don't teach in all three stages, but talk to us about each stage and what it looks like to teach math classically.

Damian Haarhoff:

Yes. But interestingly enough, when I was, you know, first applying to Veritas and really just encountering that idea of a classical education, I actually immediately first thought this was when you did homeschool while listening to, you know, Beethoven or Bach or something in the background. I didn't quite, you know, I had to actually learn or study about this very interesting model that is tried and true and that we mimic here and do, and it's very successful.

And thankfully, I kind of do teach across all three levels of trivium because in Algebra I, we're laying a foundation of facts and building blocks upon which all of high school mathematics has to rest. And then as we move through Algebra II, that's the first time that students encounter imaginary numbers.

So now they have to begin to think abstractly and think logically and creatively about mathematics. And that's why we kind of put it off after geometry, because there needs to be a little time for some academic growth and maturity. And then in pre-calc, we begin to articulate – this becomes the rhetoric of mathematics, being able to explain back again the things that you see and understand.

So I'm actually privileged and grateful to be able to see all three levels in my Algebra I through Pre-Calculus.

Marlin Detweiler:

Yeah, that's a good point. Can you speak to the value of the difference between the student that has memorized his math tables and that one who has not?

Damian Haarhoff:

I mean, it almost sounds like you have some secret insights into my own family! Yes! My own children who mom just constantly hops on, “You’ve got to get these things memorized! This is such a big hindrance when you don't have those facts that can come very quickly.”

Yeah, it's definitely a hindrance and a stumbling block when those basics aren't memorized and quick to acquire because you have to be able to stop there and then move on to new things and then thinking about those things. And you know, if you don't have the memorize, it really does just, it frustrates the student themself. It's kind of, you know, if you did this, you would just flourish and enjoy it so much more If you first just had the discipline to get those things solidified.

Marlin Detweiler:

One of the questions I want to pursue with you is to talk about students who don't consider themselves gifted or might even think of themselves as nonmath students.

But before I get there, you make me want to ask a question related to that. Is it possible that the students who think of themselves as nonmath students who are not good at it actually simply, at least some of them, some significant number maybe, are those who simply didn't do the basics of memorizing the tables, of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing?

Damian Haarhoff:

I would say so.

Marlin Detweiler:

Do you see these students? Are you able to make that connection?

Damian Haarhoff:

Yes, I do. So in Algebra I, I primarily try to fill in those holes and gaps because I see them coming in with holes and gaps. There's some things that were left undone, some things that were not given the amount of attention needed. And it does hurt them. And they can feel that and they can see they have that regret. Like, if only I had done this and this and this, it would be make it so much easier now. So I definitely do see that.

Marlin Detweiler:

Yeah, but it's not too late at that point to do a little bit of remediation work, is it?

Damian Haarhoff:

Definitely not. That should actually be built in I think to every curriculum is just constantly making sure that you've got those basic building blocks in place.

Marlin Detweiler:

One of the things I've heard from some very articulate adults from time to time is they don't like math, and they don't think it matters that much. Why does math matter for people who don't think it does or for nonmath students?

Damian Haarhoff:

Yes, this is definitely a challenge. I think one of the things that I think has been a roadblock is a mentality about education and the fact that we swim in these cultural streams where education is purely vocational. It's some kind of a means to an end. You know, we need to do this so that we can do this, so that we can have this and then eventually will graduate, so we can have a job, and then make money.

And then people wonder, but, you know, “I'm not going to do anything with mathematics.” In fact, what's real funny or the irony is in our own family, you know, the people that are the wealthiest are the ones that failed Algebra I. And so now I have an extra battle. I've got to convince my children that it's necessary, “But so and so didn't do this and now they're very successful and have an amazing business and are wealthy. So why do I need it?”

Okay. All right. You know, we have to go back to the chief end of man is not ultimately to be wealthy, though God might bless you in that way. The chief end of man, thankfully for the catechism, is to “Glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

So if we go back to, I think what the original intent in classical circles, education was to, in fact, I have a quote that came from Dr. Michael Eatmon when he was talking about education. And I think this is the key. So it comes from a Greek word, which became educator. And obviously, “ex” is a leading out of, you know, like the Exodus.

And so Doctor Michael Eatmon said, “Education is the leading of an embodied soul out of darkness, of ignorance and unbelief into the light of truth and faith, out of the chaos of base and disordered desires into the harmony of noble and well-ordered affections, out of the bondage of injustice and impiety, into the freedom of service and love.”

Well, notice none of that has anything to do with a career or a vocation. It's about being, not doing so.

I think if education is seen differently as becoming a civilized, rational, you know, cultured thinking, problem-solving person, then mathematics becomes a very crucial aspect to that because of how mathematics reflects the order precision, and accuracy of God himself and the complexity of God.

So it's about us loving the Lord with our heart, soul, mind, and strength and being conformed to Christ, who himself actually not only created mathematics, but loves mathematics. So I tell my students, “You think about this, okay, we are all being conformed into the image of Christ who knows and loves mathematics. And I say sooner or later, whether in this lifetime or the next, you will actually love mathematics.” For some it has already begun. That spark has already become into flame, but for others it lies dormant. Why? Because we are fallen beings and so every aspect of us has been affected by the fall. We have fallen intellectually. That's why we don't love mathematics. It's nothing to do with mathematics. It's the fall. It's our sinful nature. But in the process of sanctification, one day we will all see it and love it as it is.

Marlin Detweiler:

What would you envision somebody that didn't love mathematics or struggle with it would push back on that? And then how would you address it?

Damian Haarhoff:

Well, as with everything, the nature of our sinful nature is to resort to that which is easy and convenient and to the path of least resistance. The sanctification is that the whole idea of sanctification is to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. There is a workout, there is effort, there is a there's a running the race, there's a fighting, the good fight of faith. There is exertion. We have to overcome that mental block, that mental laziness, that mental apathy, because that all comes from the sinful nature. So, it's all part of sanctification.

Marlin Detweiler:

Interesting. So you have students who come into math who don't think it valuable. They have to do it. So that's why they're there. What do you do to change attitudes like that?

Damian Haarhoff:

Well, first of all, I think if they can better understand the Christian worldview, the privilege that we have to study the works of God and to see them as the works of God, first of all, to give them a mindset and a framework through which to think, to convince them that this is not just merely a means to an end, but an end in and of itself, and to show them some exciting aspects of mathematics.

Sometimes it helps to see, you know, even though this is teaching us how to think and reason and be problem solvers, there are actually people doing this out there right now, and this is what they're doing. And all of us are, you know, all of us will benefit from what mathematics has done in society, inventions and discoveries. You know, we are benefiting from the others that have done mathematics.

Marlin Detweiler:

Do students quickly appreciate that?

Damian Haarhoff:

I think they really do. I've written an article on why study mathematics and it answers the questions: Why do I need to know this? And when am I ever going to use this? And it addresses all these things we're talking about. I make that required reading because I feel like they need a new set of lenses because if they can see clearly, they'll begin to see different aspects of why they're here, what their chief end is, why it's a privilege to study mathematics.

What math can actually do for them and all of that. And that begins to help them slowly but surely. Sometimes it's a long battle. You've got to undo a lot of negative negativity and then slowly transform that into a positive experience. And that's probably the hardest part of teaching. I can teach the concepts, but I realize, well, you know, I'm taking a student and trying to see them, help them appreciate the studying of mathematics.

Marlin Detweiler:

It is a challenge, and you deal with all different kinds of children, all different upbringings and perspectives, family backgrounds, and that sort of thing. And bringing them in. And really trying to produce lovers of math learning.

Damian Haarhoff:

Right, exactly. Exactly!

Marlin Detweiler:

Let me ask you another question that has been around. Goodness. My high school graduation gift from my parents. It was a math calculator. I remember the calculator, and it was over in 1974. It was over $200. The most sophisticated function that it did was exponentials and square roots.

Damian Haarhoff:

Wow.

Marlin Detweiler:

Today, they're giving away at conventions with the marketing information on them for free. At least functionality. This one had a bit more of a sturdy case to it. But calculators have been since their introduction, a bit of a question of how do we use them best in education? What are your thoughts?

Damian Haarhoff:

Yeah, so I believe calculators are good for speed, efficiency, and accuracy, but I'm always saying, you know, our ultimate goal here is not the final answer. Otherwise, we can always use a calculator because that's obviously what they do out there in the real world is everybody uses computers and calculators. But if our whole goal is to train you how to be a thinking, reasoning, problem solving human being, which I believe is, you know, in the image of God, then we don't want to use the calculator to bypass that.

You know, we don't want to bypass that, but we want to, you know, learn how to think. We want to learn how to sift through information and organize it logically and think about, okay, what rules and laws in mathematics come to bear on this problem? Which ones don't? That's all the process of growing and becoming academically mature and loving the Lord with our mind.

So I always say, “Yes, we can check it with the calculator, but let's not bypass what's ultimately necessary here.”

Marlin Detweiler:

That's wonderful. Well, it's been really great having you on Veritas Vox. Do you have any final words for us?

Damian Haarhoff:

Final words. Let me think. Well, I would I would want to say that we ought to, and this is something I would always exhort students that as Christians, it is a privilege. God has, in his mercy, been pleased to allow us to learn about him and the world that he has made and all the visible and invisible aspects of that. And we should attend that banquet with grateful hearts, thankful to him that we have not only the ability but the opportunity.

I come from a third-world country where that's not always the case. Some people just don't have access to a good education. And so we are privileged and it is with gratitude that we ought to do our education and our school as unto the Lord, realizing that that is what He is using to conform us into the image of Christ. So that's how I want to encourage students.

Marlin Detweiler:

Yeah, that's, that is very encouraging. Damian Haarhoff, Sir Haarhoff, thank you for joining us on Veritas Vox, and for folks, thank you for joining us on Veritas Vox to the voice of Classical Christian Education. Look forward to seeing you next time.