Why learning math means so much

To the editor:

When I was 4 — about nine years ago — I developed a passion for mathematics.

The cause? My brother, Daniel.

He was 17 at the time, and according to my parents, he should’ve been studying for his SATs. One day, however, he decided to teach me some basic arithmetic. I loved it. I remember that for the rest of the day, we did more and more and more.

The next day was subtraction, then it was multiplication. Then even division. Yep, I know what you’re thinking — I was this 5-year-old miniscule kindergartner learning and memorizing my multiplication tables.

There and then, I developed a passion for math. I developed a passion for learning new things. 

It wasn’t so happy after all, however.

Both of my parents were born in Tehran, Iran. They were both the top of their classes when they were young. But when my mom was a teenager, a war broke out in Iran, costing lives of more than a million people.

Luckily my mom, 17 years old at the time, fled to safety. She and her 13-year-old little brother went to France. Their parents stayed in Iran due to my maternal grandfather being a doctor. My mom’s childhood friends lost parents due to this war. It was a rough time, but my parents showed that perseverance is stronger than fear.

When I was in the classroom at school, since kindergarten and even up until now, most everyone has a strong dislike for math. And it is not their fault. Teachers are teaching what it is, but not why it is. I think the reasoning is much more important than just the answer.

Another reason teachers are at fault is that there are so many applications of math in the real world outside of the classroom that is not being taught in the classroom. Nature even consists of plenty of mathematical attributes, such as the Fibonacci sequence, the golden ratio and more.

The cause of the dislike of students is this: They need to learn applications rather than just the subject.

I don’t take education for granted. Not one bit. I take it as a blessing that I have all the resources of seeing, hearing and writing. Abnormal to some, I like doing homework, and I like raising my hand in classes. 

One resource I would like to thank is Khan Academy. If you have not heard about this phenomenon already, you could learn anything online at their website for free. Their philosophy is what I stand for: “education is for anyone, anywhere,” which is extremely inspirational.

Looking back at it now, those small things that my brother Daniel taught me led to the bigger aspect of my life. It is to always be grateful for the resources that I have. 

Learning math is my passion, and whether my brother did well or not on his SATs, I still have to thank him.

Darian Ahmadizadeh

The author is a 13-year-old Iranian-American mathematician residing in Riverdale.