A Reflection on What Mathematics Really Is.

To kick off the first Inaugural Philly Independent School Math Olympiad hosted at Haverford, I had the opportunity to give a reflection on my journey toward understanding what mathematical thinking really was and hopefully to model for the students that intellectual curiosity and growth isn't something that ends when you finish high school, but rather that it is ongoing throughout your life. I stressed the mathematical point that the key to mathematical thinking is to creatively understand the ideas and concepts that form the basis of the skills with which they are so familiar and then to think critically and reason out from them in order to solve problems. I spoke about how I didn't see it this way when I was in high school, and that it took two degrees in Philosophy for me to eventually see this point. Finally, I discussed how it took some humility and climbing down from an elitist pedestal to go back to school as an older student with advanced degrees and take high school equivalent math classes, but the students I met in those classes, the military vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the single parents taking night classes, the immigrant students who were working to attain the credentials they needed for career advancement, were all so inspiring to me and that the overall experience was truly life changing. I hope the reflection broadened the students' understanding of both mathematics and the options available to them throughout their lives.

Link to the video of the Reflection