Math teaches a human how to think logically and to use a toolbox of methods to find an answer to a problem. Our society is going downhill because we’ve given up those skills and we’d rather hire foreigners and have them find answers for us.
Teach a child how to enter numbers into a calculator and you have a person who can do menial tasks. Teach a child how to work out a math problem and you have a thinker and problem solver.
I’m sure Roman parents thought the same thing: “My child is made to rule, not to do math problems. We can hire a barbarian for that!”
"That's what Greeks are for."