sentences:  When he returned to Iceland as a school teacher for mathematics, the curriculum at the grammar school at Bessastaðir covered barely more than the four basic operations addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.In his inauguration speech at the school, he emphasized the practical applications of mathematics.He tried to take mathematics education to a higher level, but failed ultimately as his treatment of the subject was often too abstract for his pupils and he was, according to Benedikz, "not capable of handling a class of mathematical ignoramuses".