Waxing nostalgic, my eye gleams a twinkle
Days of yore, I had not a care to expend
Back then, my relation to school was so simpl
Those were the days when Math was my friend
Learning the numbers ‘tween playtime and naps
We counted on fingers til I knew them by heart
I’d mix up the order or forget some perhaps
Mom ‘n’ dad would still smile and tell me I’m smart
But then digits combined in curious ways
Addition, subtraction, mul’plication, division
Carry here, borrow there, a bewildering maze
The fiends who devised this shall not be forgiven!
The concepts weren’t bad but the methods encumbered
Mnemonics and recipes left me confused
Keep-change-flip spit out the right number
I had no idea why, but my teacher approved
As my cranial bulb started to dim
I feared it might someday go utterly dark
Faking my way, comprehension so slim
But at least I had grades to assure me I’m smart
In middle school, variables entered the mix
Their unwelcome presence dampened the mood
One- or two-step equations became five- or six-
These letters lacked values – So terribly rude!
Homework ramped up, and tests became hard
The teacher would no longer let me retake them
My GPA and my psyche irreparably scarred
My past friendship with Math completely forsaken
Mathematics, you’ve changed
And it’s your fault we drifted apart
Ever since grade school you’ve been acting strange
And making me doubt that I really am smart
High school Math, why on God’s glorious earth
Must PreCalc and Calc’lus be so terrifying?
My precious report card is a test of my worth
Thus every test that we take results in me crying
Logarithms, trig, and derivatives
A cruel and relentless attack on my soul
Each exam takes so much more than it gives
An assault on my pride that I cannot console
As the hourglass drains, I hold back the tears
“Just do your best” – That's what they all say
Upon turning it in, evil teacher just sneers
“Take that crying out into the hallway!”
Grief flows like a river as I exit the class
From despair comes the wisdom I have to impart:
In high school, sign up for the easiest Math
Unless you’re prepared to never feel smart
My friendship with Math, when I felt successful,
Was simple, yet I reminisce fondly
Now it’s become complicated and stressful
And thus it presents a pivotal quandary
Could it be that the trials that make me feel weak
Are in fact what it takes to build me up strong?
If genuine growth is what I claim to seek
Will embracing discomfort help push me along?
Math, you and I have been put through our paces
We cannot allow our estrangement to worsen
To find my way back into your good graces
I’ll step up and be the bigger person
My educational worldview could use some expanding
I’ll shift my perspective and launch a fresh start
I’ll rely less on grades and pursue understanding
And hopefully revise what it means to feel “smart.”
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