As
a child, my older siblings teased me for writing my numbers backwards and, as a
result, I learned to be afraid of them.
My fear of math continued as an adult. One afternoon, while I was
helping my daughter with her homework, I got extremely frustrated because I did
not understand her third grade arithmetic assignment. Subsequently, I decided to go back to school. As I sat in my first mathematics class,
I fought as hard as I could to resist the information, as I had always done
growing up. I felt alone and
isolated within a self-imposed prison that no key would unlock. For many days, I held onto my chair, in
fear that if I let go, I would run screaming from the room. My teacher kept telling me to let go
and allow the numbers to move around.
It felt as though she was speaking in a language that only
mathematicians understood. As the
weeks went by, however, my nervousness slowly began to dissolve and my self
worth and self-confidence started to spark a soft glimmering light within me.
That light finally began to shine brightly one evening not long after. I was with my daughter; she was stuck
on a problem and asked for my help.
We looked at the question when, in an elated moment, I could see how to
solve the equation! I felt as if I had finally unlocked my prison door and
walked through free. What I
learned through the process of becoming literate in math is that I really enjoy
it. In fact, I love it so much I
to want pursue quantum physics and engineering as a career. I would never have discovered this
hidden passion if I had allowed my fear to run away with me.
