Kids who do their best in math aren’t trying to please their parents. They’re trying to please themselves. They want to prove to themselves that they can do it. That’s one surprising result of a new study about kids and math. The study also found that kids don’t hate math. Almost half of the students surveyed said they like or even love math. Almost 70 percent would like it more if they could see how it connects with their future. The survey also found that most students have heard adults in their lives talk trash about math. That’s a problem, because a positive attitude toward math is important to doing well.