Homeschool day 37 of 180
The study of mathematics can be difficult. Right now, Lorena, Kelly, and Christian are all studying math. Lorena is taking calculus. Kelly is studying algebra. Christian is studying pre-algebra. Maybe there are people who can get through math without spending many, many hours doing problems and going over them to assure understanding of all the processes. It is a messy thing. Last year when Kelly was studying the material Christian is currently studying, she was quite frustrated. Christian is going through some of that same frustration. Essentially, Christian is learning to solve certain classes of story problems without use of the tools of algebra. It is necessary to do that so that when he arrives at algebra, he will have a more intimate understanding of how and why algebra works the way it works. Kelly having been through the same pain Christian is currently experiencing and come to a good understanding of the pre-algebra topics, is thoroughly enjoying her study of algebra. The same thing will happen with Christian, but we will be going through about three more months of fairly difficult material.
I am required to learn a new programming language or programming environment every couple of years. After having been through the process a number of times, I have realized that it does not pay me to get too frustrated about what I do not understand. When I run into something that is difficult, I often do not understand it until I have been through it many times. It really helps to find a “recipe” that will let me use something that I do not understand for awhile even though I do not know why it works the way it does. I make a point of evaluating that recipe as much as possible during its use. It eventually sinks in. It has been a very frustrating process for me in the past. I wonder why I do not understand things that seem so simple for others. In watching the learning process, though, I realize that many other people have struggled in this same way with these difficult materials. The point to all this is to remember that frustration about such things is a wasted effort. Just patiently taking the time and plugging away at it wins every time.
The understanding does not always come in a flash of light either. Many times it dawns on me long after I come to an understanding that I now know those things that were such a frustrating mystery a short time before. The thing is, learning such things is addictive. It still is wildly exciting to me to understand very difficult things.