There is no escape...believe it or not. Mathematics is everywhere.
I wouldn't single out the = sign, perhaps it is misuse of the sign that is a problem, many students try and use it as some sort of punctuation symbol rather than something one uses between two equal expressions.
Algebra is like learning a language - one has to get to know all the syntax, also fully understand the order of operations.
Fruit salad algebra doesn't help either! a is not for apples, it is the number of apples.