Algebra or Bust

I’ve never mastered Algebra. In my college years, I took Algebra every semester for 2 1/2 years and never passed. I finally ended up taking a course called Math For Non-Math Majors. The premise of the course was practical applications of math…how to calculate compound interest rates, figure gambling odds, and understanding the electoral delegate distribution based on population, etc. I still find it ironic that I have a PhD without ever passing Algebra.

My grandson has inherited my math aptitude (or lack thereof) and is now under the gun to pass Algebra in order to graduate in May 2025. We talked about getting tutors but he’s not crazy about that idea. We talked about Mathnasium, but he REALLY wasn’t interested in that option. One of the tutors I spoke with recommended Kahn Academy. I’ve passed that suggestion along to him and I hope he will give it a try. (I’ll be keeping all the tutor information for future reference.)

In the meantime, I’ve decided to use Kahn Academy to finally learn Algebra. It’s free, online, and you can learn at your own pace. If you struggle with a particular concept, it takes you back to the grade where the material was originally presented. Nothing like working at a 6^th grade level learning about mixed fractions.

Today, I spent 1.5 hours working on combining like terms with rational coefficients. Most of the time, my mistakes were adding/subtracting errors. It was frustrating to recognize that simple math continues to be my downfall. The good news is I took 2 quizzes yesterday and aced them both. Ladies and gents, that was a FIRST!