For me specifically it is because I have dyscalculia. Which made all mathematics is school quite difficult. I could understand reasonably complex ideas and through my own methods could solve equations but I couldn’t show my work because it was all done it my head.
It took me until grade 10 or so to come up with a method to know the multiplication table but it still takes more than a moment to work a simple calculation out.
Oddly I can work out and calculate the weight of a trailer of freight within a few hundred pounds with very little information in order to balance it for shipping but 9 x 8 involves 10 x 8 = 80 - 8 = 72
I failed math multiple times until I was put into math B for the slow people. I did better than the teachers assistant on tests. Went back to regular math the next year thinking I could do it if I was so good at remedial class and failed within a few weeks and stopped going.
For me specifically it is because I have dyscalculia. Which made all mathematics is school quite difficult. I could understand reasonably complex ideas and through my own methods could solve equations but I couldn’t show my work because it was all done it my head.
It took me until grade 10 or so to come up with a method to know the multiplication table but it still takes more than a moment to work a simple calculation out.
Oddly I can work out and calculate the weight of a trailer of freight within a few hundred pounds with very little information in order to balance it for shipping but 9 x 8 involves 10 x 8 = 80 - 8 = 72
I failed math multiple times until I was put into math B for the slow people. I did better than the teachers assistant on tests. Went back to regular math the next year thinking I could do it if I was so good at remedial class and failed within a few weeks and stopped going.