There are lots of reasons, but the ones that gave me the biggest kick in the pants were the YouTube channel on Nintendo Wii and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Thanks to the YouTube channel I could watch Dr. Tyson lecture on things from trivial to deep from the comfort of my couch. His love of the universe and science education is infectious. After a month of Tyson lectures I wanted to read some books on basic physics. I went to the public library, opened a book on basic physics, and prepared to expand my knowledge of the universe. There was only one teeny tiny infinitesimal problem. A minor detail, really
Math is an integral part of physics.
I do not have a good relationship with math.
To understand physics, the world, and the best memes on Facebook's I f*cking love science would mean going alllllll the way back to Algebra I. Did I really need to know the answers to the universe so badly? Was I willing to go back to x, y, polynomials, graph paper, the evil f(x), and some of the most miserable academic memories of my life? Was I this much of a nerd?
The answer to every question was yes. Dr. Tyson's scientific fever still has hold on me. He transmits it via StarTalk. One day I'll either thank him for starting this journey or send him some non-Pluto hate mail.
I left the library with two algebra books: The Everything Guide to Algebra (Christopher Monahan, published by Adams Media) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Algebra, First Edition (W. Michael Kelley, published by Alpha Books). So far Idiot's Guide is the hands down winner. Everything reads like stereo instructions. Monahan covers in one chapter what Kelley splits into three. However Idiot's Guide is light on practice problems despite its "A Plethora of Practice" chapter. Kelley's target audience is probably middle and high school students with an algebra textbook at hand rather than thirtysomething nerds looking to increase their geek cred. Right now I'm keeping Everything as a back up for practice problems.
After a week with these books I feel hopeful. Over the next couple of days I'll post about getting my feet wet, my stupid math mistakes, and how some of those rules my eighth grade math teacher harped on turned out not to be so important after all.
Monday, December 31, 2012
A Brief History of My Mathematical Education
What I remember of it, anyway.
Algebra and I were officially introduced in eighth grade. My teacher was in his last year before retirement. It showed. His idea of checking homework was a file folder with all the homework problems worked out stored at the back of the classroom. We were supposed to get the folder at the beginning of class and check our own homework as the new lesson was going on. If any math teachers are reading, believe me when I tell you this is not a winning strategy. By the time open house rolled around there were a lot of angry parents. I still remember bits and pieces of the showdown. Oh, and he spent a lot of time telling me and my classmates how slow we were compared to last year's class (another strategy that shouldn't be duplicated.) To top things off my father was really good at algebra. He tried to help me, but I was so far behind with the ABCs of algebra none of what he said made sense. Many tears were shed over algebra homework. I got my one and only D on a report card. I think I wound up with a B for the year. Barely. I was downgraded from math and science honors track (the science teacher wouldn't recommend you for honors science if you weren't in honors math) to college prep. My 14 year old self was crushed. How could I not be in an honors class? I wouldn't get the all important honors points! My college chances are ruined!!!!!
Oh, 14 year old self, I want to pat you on the head and tell you this really is the least of your troubles.
My class suffered of a lot of educational guinea pigging. In middle school it was ability tracking. In high school it was block scheduling. Eight classes, four per semester. I didn't have math until second semester. I lucked out, though, because my geometry teacher also taught AP Calculus. She knew her shenanigans backwards and forwards. And I was actually good at geometry. It made sense -- except for proofs. Those made my eyes cross. But I made an A in it! Both my math and science teachers recommended I be bumped back up to honors math and science! Yay! 15 year old self is happy! College isn't derailed forever!
My sophomore schedule once again didn't have me in math until second semester. A whole calendar year between math classes for someone with a shaky algebraic foundation. Honors Algebra II was a trial. I don't remember a specific unit giving me trouble. It was a daily 90 minute root canal without anesthetic. But life has its ways. Thanks to that class I became friends with one of the greatest mathematical minds I've had the pleasure of knowing (more on her later) who also created my short term addiction to Lance snack crackers that were orange with a whitish cheese inside. Algebra II left me with the one and only (final grade) C on my academic record. 16 year old self was once apoplectic. It's okay, 16 year old self.
And for some unknown reason the teacher still recommended me for Precalculus rather than regular Algebra III/Trigonometry. Or maybe I asked so I could get that stupid honors point that has absolutely no bearing on any aspect of my life now.
Precal was a first semester class, so I thought I had a better shot at it. The first half of the term was dismal. I was lost. Even with the then-almighty TI-82 I was drowning. Nothing made sense. My sense of failure was augmented by the fact the girl sitting next to me (not the same person mentioned above) was stomping the course into the mud. She tried to help me out, but she admitted she wasn't sure how she was doing it. It just made sense to her.
After a dismal midterm that left me resigned to accept another final C on my transcript, the material switched from higher algebra to trigonometry. My teacher was shocked when I started raising my hand not to ask more questions but answer them correctly. My neighbor and I traded places in the grade book. I was just as powerless to explain trig to her as she had been to explain algebra III to me. Sines, secants, tangents -- I don't remember a damn thing about them now, but I owned them first semester junior year. I made an A for the second grading period and fled precal with a B. I didn't even consider another math for senior year. The only things left were AP Calculus or AP Statistics.
One fantastic thing about being a music major is the math requirement is pretty chill. I could either take Math 101 (precal) or Math 140 (ratios and logic based math). I stalled it until spring semester. If p then q, if not p then not q, etc. and I got along very well. I made an A and left the study of mathematics behind me. The closest I came to math over the next nine years were efforts to keep my bank account out of the negative, balance work receipts, and make change. I was more than okay with that.
That all changed around Thanksgiving of 2012.
Algebra and I were officially introduced in eighth grade. My teacher was in his last year before retirement. It showed. His idea of checking homework was a file folder with all the homework problems worked out stored at the back of the classroom. We were supposed to get the folder at the beginning of class and check our own homework as the new lesson was going on. If any math teachers are reading, believe me when I tell you this is not a winning strategy. By the time open house rolled around there were a lot of angry parents. I still remember bits and pieces of the showdown. Oh, and he spent a lot of time telling me and my classmates how slow we were compared to last year's class (another strategy that shouldn't be duplicated.) To top things off my father was really good at algebra. He tried to help me, but I was so far behind with the ABCs of algebra none of what he said made sense. Many tears were shed over algebra homework. I got my one and only D on a report card. I think I wound up with a B for the year. Barely. I was downgraded from math and science honors track (the science teacher wouldn't recommend you for honors science if you weren't in honors math) to college prep. My 14 year old self was crushed. How could I not be in an honors class? I wouldn't get the all important honors points! My college chances are ruined!!!!!
Oh, 14 year old self, I want to pat you on the head and tell you this really is the least of your troubles.
My class suffered of a lot of educational guinea pigging. In middle school it was ability tracking. In high school it was block scheduling. Eight classes, four per semester. I didn't have math until second semester. I lucked out, though, because my geometry teacher also taught AP Calculus. She knew her shenanigans backwards and forwards. And I was actually good at geometry. It made sense -- except for proofs. Those made my eyes cross. But I made an A in it! Both my math and science teachers recommended I be bumped back up to honors math and science! Yay! 15 year old self is happy! College isn't derailed forever!
My sophomore schedule once again didn't have me in math until second semester. A whole calendar year between math classes for someone with a shaky algebraic foundation. Honors Algebra II was a trial. I don't remember a specific unit giving me trouble. It was a daily 90 minute root canal without anesthetic. But life has its ways. Thanks to that class I became friends with one of the greatest mathematical minds I've had the pleasure of knowing (more on her later) who also created my short term addiction to Lance snack crackers that were orange with a whitish cheese inside. Algebra II left me with the one and only (final grade) C on my academic record. 16 year old self was once apoplectic. It's okay, 16 year old self.
And for some unknown reason the teacher still recommended me for Precalculus rather than regular Algebra III/Trigonometry. Or maybe I asked so I could get that stupid honors point that has absolutely no bearing on any aspect of my life now.
Precal was a first semester class, so I thought I had a better shot at it. The first half of the term was dismal. I was lost. Even with the then-almighty TI-82 I was drowning. Nothing made sense. My sense of failure was augmented by the fact the girl sitting next to me (not the same person mentioned above) was stomping the course into the mud. She tried to help me out, but she admitted she wasn't sure how she was doing it. It just made sense to her.
After a dismal midterm that left me resigned to accept another final C on my transcript, the material switched from higher algebra to trigonometry. My teacher was shocked when I started raising my hand not to ask more questions but answer them correctly. My neighbor and I traded places in the grade book. I was just as powerless to explain trig to her as she had been to explain algebra III to me. Sines, secants, tangents -- I don't remember a damn thing about them now, but I owned them first semester junior year. I made an A for the second grading period and fled precal with a B. I didn't even consider another math for senior year. The only things left were AP Calculus or AP Statistics.
One fantastic thing about being a music major is the math requirement is pretty chill. I could either take Math 101 (precal) or Math 140 (ratios and logic based math). I stalled it until spring semester. If p then q, if not p then not q, etc. and I got along very well. I made an A and left the study of mathematics behind me. The closest I came to math over the next nine years were efforts to keep my bank account out of the negative, balance work receipts, and make change. I was more than okay with that.
That all changed around Thanksgiving of 2012.
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