Can I become a teacher if I have dyscalculia?
The requirement to pass the Praxis core exam prevents many education students with dyscalculia from entering the field. Because they struggle with basic math like reading clocks and times tables, they frequently fail the mandatory math section and feel forced to change their major entirely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Considering changing majors or picking an entirely different career
- 2Studying independently for weeks prior to the exam
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I studied the math i needed for 2 weeks before the praxis exam because I have dyscalculia and I’m super bad at math and I got a score of 120:(”source ↗
“I feel so upset and discouraged I’m thinking i’ll have to change major because I won’t be able to pass the math section.”source ↗
“All my friends passed with such high scores and found the exam to be so easy, yet i found it to be so difficult.”source ↗
“I’m a little worried because I have dyscalculia! (Think of it as dyslexia for math) and can barely do simple math (ie: read a clock, times tables)”source ↗
“I’m really worried about the fact I can barely do math yet I’m going to be teaching it!”source ↗
“I’m pretty sure I have to take the praxis core exam for everything teaching related:(”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to teach severely disabled students in a regular classroom with no help
- 2What to do when you can't understand a student's speech impediment
- 2Why are honors classes full of average students?
- 59Why are students coming to class missing basic foundational skills?
- 4How do I ask my job for autism accommodations?
- 6Why do mandated teaching methods fail in the classroom?