In math, things are true or false by definition or law, unless there is an exception
This is true for many scientific domains as well. In my opinion, the problems with the teaching of math lies in the way this is presented. As you said, just emphasizing the logics behind and showing how important it is for everything in everyday life may soften the opinion of many kids.
@lemouth I completely agree. Growing up, I've always found learning science and math to be a chore. Ironically I decided to go into engineering which relied heavily on mathematics and scientific fundamentals; quite honestly I wasn't too sure on what I was expecting! However, once my exposure to STEM fields increased I started developing a deep sense of respect for the disciplines.
It was that respect / appreciation that motivated me to want to learn more about math and science. No matter the subject matter; if there is no interest or appreciation for it, it will always be "hard" to learn. This even applies to something as simple as basket weaving (which I absolutely know nothing about). In this case, as we discussed many students lack that trait for math / science. Consequently this makes it more difficult for them to understand.
I 100% agree. Motivation has to be there in the first place, as both of us say it.
Many people I know are actually like you. They didn't like much science/math to start with but for some reasons, they move on with scientific studies and get a different approach, which brings them closer to a topic that they master and have fun with today :)
@lemouth
I do agree with this. I have heard cases (small anecdotal sample size) where students claim that they have a hard time following the math class because the teacher "sucks" or "can't teach". It is not easy to get excited about a class where the presented material is not organized, clear or even correct.
Good teachers are indeed rare. For many reasons, people are not very attracted by the job, and only the most motivated ones go through. We have not enough of them :(