I've been tutoring high school students in algebra for over a decade, and I've noticed that most of them struggle with word problems far more than with pure equations. The real issue might be that math is taught as a set of procedures rather than as a language for describing relationships. When I ask a student to solve 2x + 3 = 7, they can do it, but if I say 'three more than twice a number equals seven', they freeze. Does that mean the entire math curriculum should shift toward problem-solving and reasoning, even if it means spending less time on rote mechanics like factoring or long division?