Maths does not fit into our education system.
I am a self-proclaimed slow, methodical and deep thinker. And for that reason I have always loved maths. Because it is through this slow, methodical and deep thinking that I was able to discover the principles behind the deep layers that is maths. It rarely just came to me. I had to work at it.
But our education system doesn't work like this. It requires you to just "get it". And if you don't "get it," there is no time to contemplate it until you do get it. Worse still, you might be told you are not good at maths - which is the most devastating thing you can ever be told - and it probably isn't true.
There are practicalities here too. There are only 5 hours in the school day. And we try to pack a lot into that day. And when we write tests, we must place a time limit on it, otherwise it makes no sense.
I am on a mission to help students succeed at maths, but we are really setting them up to fail. Lets give our students more time to contemplate maths, when they want it and need it.