Reflection by JoAnne Growney
I read and I did not understand.
Less than a page.
I read slowly and I did not understand.
I read and took notes.
My notes were three times as long as what I had read.
I rewrote what I read in my own words.
I reread it and inserted extra clarifying words.
I came back to it all later.
I almost understood.
Time passed.
Each time I re-read I found new connections
When I explained stuff to someone
who knew it less well than I did,
I understood still more.
Some people like to understand things
the first time they read. This turns them
away from mathematics.
I like things that are difficult.
I like poems.
Thank you to my parents who believed in my abilities and expected achievement:
Adda Isabel Black Simpson Stephens (1912-2007), George Fulton Simpson (1906-1950).
I like the lines in the last full stanza: "Some people like to understand things / the first time they read. This turns them / away from mathematics." It emphasizes that mathematics is a journey in which the journey itself, not necessarily the answer, is the goal.
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