If Susan Can Learn Physics, So Can You (2013)
This is half a rant and half a cry for help. I see topics like this on HN often; "Anyone can learn math!" but I really don't think I can. Not because I'm a defeatist and have given up but because I've tried basically all my life to understand math and I've never managed to grasp anything but the most basic concepts.I've tried different teachers, my friends have tried tutoring me, I've tried Khan Academy. No matter what I do, the information just won't stick. The connections in my brain aren't made. What I don't understand is I learn other subjects relatively well. It's just math I can't grasp which really sucks because I love science and cryptography; two fields I imagine I could appreciate more with a solid mathematical background.It's worth noting I have some of the symptoms of dyscalculia, so perhaps my brain isn't really built to do math and is why I struggle so much?It's frustrating when I see "anyone can learn math!" because I've gotten shit from people in the past like "you can't be a good programmer if you're bad at math". I feel like we need to be more accepting that people have strengths and weaknesses in different areas.I'm tired of feeling ashamed to be bad at math, especially as I'm not sure it's even my fault anymore.