My daughter’s recent experience with advance Algebra has reminded me of my love/hate relationship with math over the years. I was extremely good at it growing up. I spent the summer between 5th and 6th grade studying math and completing a year’s worth of class work in order to move up a grade-level to prepare for Algebra in 8th grade. I loved it and it came easily to me. However, senior year of high school I took Calculus and by the time my second semester came around I realized I had reached the apex of my math career. But today I have new hope for numbers in my life. This simple equation has shown me that math can still be fun. It can still be easy to understand. And most of all, it can help me make friends no matter where I roam.

I encourage you to share this with your friends who feel that math has let them down. Show them that hidden inside the numbers there is something special. Have them take comfort that in the end, it all adds up…perfectly!