In 7th grade, I started Algebra I.
At the time, I was a happy and social kid, not especially focused, but definitely a straight-A student. I had spent 3rd grade in test-in special math classes, but in algebra, I flopped miserably.
My teacher was this military-esque woman who steamrolled us and never explained to me what “equal” meant. My parents said that if I didn’t get my grade up from my first-ever “C,” I couldn’t swim anymore. So I fumbled along and made it happen, but I honestly never understood what was happening in that class.
8th grade geometry was a blast – fat A, one of the highest averages.
Then came Algebra II. Another nightmare. A cute little old man who wrote quickly on the board as he bounced on his toes. He thought we all knew Algebra I, so he would skip full solutions, instead writing, “S. M. A.” for, “Some More Algebra.”
Needless to say, it began to ruin my straight-A’s, again, and by springtime, I got two “D’s” in a row and started freaking out. My parents found me a tutor, and in a few sessions, we quickly filled-in the gaps. This man later began to teach at my school, and he became one of the best teachers I ever had the pleasure of knowing: Mr. Philip Keller.
I write that story to promote his new book, Advanced Math for Young Students. If anyone knows about this topic, it is he. A veteran teacher and SAT-prep coach of 26 years, Mr. Keller knows how to explain math.
He was a Princeton grad, uber-smart and excitable. We used to laugh at him bouncing around the classroom, but in a nice way – we 100% appreciated what he could do. Thanks to Mr. Keller, I finished Calculus II at Rutgers University when I was still a junior in high school – only 17. I worked a full-time job that summer, and since I had a 98 average in the class, I used to tutor one of my 25-year old colleagues who was also taking the class. By then, math was easy, because I had a conceptual understanding of what was going on.
I went on to Harvard after high school, but I didn’t pursue math – by then, I was shy, and more interested in “people”… but some of my best classes were statistics and economics. I even loved astrophysics. When I later started teaching high school social studies/SPED, Mr. Keller said that I could have even taught high school math – a true compliment!
But the compliment points back, and I wanted to take a moment to honor my memory of Mr. Keller as one of my best teachers ever, and encourage you to follow his work.
He can be your best teacher, too, if you read this book. It is interesting and personable, just like he is. It helps provide a conceptual understanding of mathematics, which can “fill in the gaps” for what students miss in a math classroom.
I think if I had read this book before I fell down in Algebra I, my confidence would be different and I may have pursued electrical engineering, as I originally envisioned as a child. But, I went a different route, such that as an educator, I can now reach out to my networks and encourage you to access Mr. Keller’s work and give your students (and yourselves!)the opportunity to soar in mathematics.
I hope you take it.
