Finding love and dignity through maths
An origin and love story
“Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point / The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing”
- Blaise Pascal, French Mathematician
Readers of this blog will know that I am slightly obsessed with maths (see: Maths and its many meanings, Maths: the keystone for high school learning, and The House that Maths Built).
Until now I’ve never articulated how this obsession began: it was born from love.
Maths: a love story
My husband hardly went to school and was more interested in wagging and hanging out with his friends. That meant by the time I met him, he had only been able to secure work as a labourer or machinist in factories.
On our second date, I asked him, “What do you want to do?” After much prodding, he finally blurted out: “I want to be an electrician, but I’m too dumb”.
The seed was planted, and anyone who knows me, knows that I am not easily dissuaded.
Four months later, as our relationship blossomed, and I had worn down every excuse, my then-boyfriend quit his factory job and enrolled in a Cert II in Electrotechnology.
Taking on the role of bread-winner, I would work my regular 9-5 job, and then come home and help him with maths. Cramped in our unit with no aircon, the nights were suffocating, but the intimacy framed a love which grew in the interstitial spaces between.
He passed his Cert II and eventually secured an apprenticeship to complete his Cert III - the maths got much harder, and physics got thrown in for good measure.
Still, our nightly routine of maths continued, and in the ensuing months and years, I watched a painfully shy man, unsteady in his footings; grow into a man confident in his knowledge, skills, and capabilities.
That four year apprenticeship, took six years - he was adamant the entire time, telling me: “I will get us to a place where you don’t have to work anymore”.
I believed in him from the start, why would I question him now?
Turns out, he wasn’t too dumb. He finished his apprenticeship and became a qualified electrician.
I bawled my eyes out.
And this year, he finally made good on his promise - he told me to quit my 9-5 job.
The life I’ve always wanted - where I choose to work part-time as a teacher aide; where I have a house, a husband and a dog - is attributable to maths…and love.
It is for this reason, that I am ever-grateful to maths and the dignity it afforded a man who had limited options, but an unwavering drive for more.
Reflections on Dignity
To be clear, I’m not saying that there isn’t inherent dignity in labour/factory work, or that the only way to have a successful life is through maths. Not at all.
I am instead saying that a solid foundation in mathematics opens up greater opportunities and choice.
The opportunity cost of my husband not taking his studies seriously during high school was probably about 7 years. The delay in pursuing his dreams meant greater difficulties in securing an apprenticeship as a mature age apprentice - out of his entire Cert II cohort, my husband is the only electrician.
Mathematics offers dignity, because if you don’t have strong mathematical skills, you’ll be taken advantage of your entire life.
You won’t be able to determine the best deal when comparing home/car loan offers;
You won’t have a strong sense of the probable outcome of events, to inform decision-making;
You won’t be able to effectively budget or determine the most cost-effective items to buy;
You won’t be able to tell if you’re being paid correctly, or if your allowances/superannuation payments are correct;
You won’t be able to discern the significance of statistical data in news articles to inform your opinion - ensuring that you are a key target for misinformation campaigns.
This is my mathematical raison d'être and why I am so enthusiastic about maths with high school students.
I understand, intimately, how lives can be made better through maths; and the difference that can be made when one person believes in you.
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