I love mathematics. I love solving challenging problems and finding clever solutions. I didn’t always like math; I used to hate it. It was frustrating learning arithmetic. I hated getting problems wrong just because of a simple mistake, and in arithmetic, all mistakes are simple. My math book would explain a concept then give me a bunch of problems to solve. I believe there is a better way to learn math.

I despised all of the classes I took before pre-algebra. They were all long, repetitive, and boring. I thought that I would never like math. Because I was learning about the very basics, I didn’t find the neatness of the rules that behaved in predictable ways, or how to cleverly find a solution to a very complex problem. It was obvious that 123+345=468. Nothing was special about that.

When I took pre-algebra, I was exposed to some of the powerful rules that govern how mathematics works. I learned why , and I was fascinated by that. I still thought it was slightly boring because I still had to do many boring and rather repetitive problems after I learned the material.

All of my views about math changed when I took algebra. I switched from learning by myself from a book to taking an online class from the website artofproblemsolving.com (AoPS). Their strategy was different. They taught me many of those fascinating rules and why they work the way they do. They used an online classroom where I could discuss math with the teacher in real time. During class, the teacher would post a math problem in the classroom and ask us to solve it. We would eventually find a method that worked. Only then would the teacher tell us the solution. This strategy is perfect for me. I would much rather solve hard problems than easy ones because I’m easily bored. I need a challenging problem that requires all of my concentration.

After class, they posted about a dozen very challenging math problems on the class forum. We had exactly one week to solve them. They made up for quantity with quality. I loved it all. I also made several online friends, some of whom I met again in later classes.

I think AoPS's math learning strategy is much better than other approaches. I learn how to find a method to solve a problem, while other approaches just give me the method. I now see that math is more than just mindless calculation; it requires rigorous thinking and concentration. I love challenging myself to find the best solution and am looking forward to taking much more complex mathematics in the future.