With the current economic slump possibly the deepest since the Great Depression, interest in the subject of macroeconomics has reignited, and the number of students majoring in economics has increased during the last two years. While this would appear to be good news for educators in the economics field, the profession is nervous about more than just the number of students in its classroom. Important questions have arisen about what is taught and how it is taught. One question is whether too much mathematics is taught because that is what is valued in academic research. The second question is whether economics rests on a set of unexamined assumptions, especially that which posits the existence of rationally calculating self-interested actors. This author contends that, although economics professors find that teaching mathematics is difficult, it is necessary, as it is a lack of an understanding of the limitations of mathematical models that hinders most decision-makers on Wall Street. (Contains 20 footnotes.)