Why I love math
The comparison of early maths (algebra in particular) to spelling is spot on. It also reminds me of a somewhat wry observation from one of my mathematics professors: that if we taught spelling and grammar exclusively through crossword puzzles and competitive Scrabble, many fewer people would learn to spell and write grammatically.The analogy is to teaching algebra through endless, dry repetition of problem solving. Some of you won't get what the big deal is; you're the ones who are good at 'crossword puzzles'.