Algebra problems bring back the challenge of mastering new skills

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down to help a 13-year-old friend who struggles with math. Eighth-grade math these days is an introduction to algebra, and it has been a long stretch since I grappled with algebraic equations.

So we had to build from the beginning, determining the number of variables, putting data from word problems into a chart, then a graph, finally building equations. We worked hard for two hours. At the end, we shared high-fives.

The difficult, humbling evening was a good reminder of how challenging it can be to master a new skill and how much it helps to have someone patient and pushy guide us through the struggle.

In many ways, writing is even more slippery than numbers. Every rule has exceptions. Verb tenses, prepositions, even determining singular and plural can be challenging, particularly if your native language doesn’t share those nuances.

What makes students stick with the hard stuff – whether that’s writing or math — is seeing why it matters and how it applies in their lives. For ThreeSixty’s writers, the motivation is usually that they have something to say and want to say it so clearly and powerfully that others will listen, perhaps even respond.

I think of another afternoon working with another student. I met Dymanh Chhoun when he was a senior at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. I didn’t know at the time that Dymanh had been expelled for fighting and had just talked his principal into giving him a second chance. What I knew was that in journalism class, he was curious and smart, that he saw stories, asked good questions and could persuade people to answer them.

This fall, after finishing his associate’s degree at Normandale Community College, Dymanh started working on a journalism degree at the University of Minnesota. He’s a gifted videographer who still struggles to make his writing match the subtlety of his video and his thoughts. But his persistence, resilience and charm have helped him clear many hurdles. I have no doubt that he’ll keep doing so. And that the struggle will be worth his time and that of those who help him along the way.