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I have never been practising higher level of the Computer Science that in my opinion is higher level of math , notably the excel algorithm my son is studying at the 11th grade . But the other day when my son came over to me looking rather dejected, I thought I would give it a try. Always an ace at his high British School work, this time he was having difficulty and really needed some assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each of the problems in his assigned exercise was\ncomposed of two equations, each with two unknown variables of an “x”\nand a “y”. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My son had spent time working on these problems only to come up with incorrect answers. He was trying and trying ,and at this point his forehead was knotted in deep concentration and frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Computers Science and Informatics in general had\nnever been one of my favourite subjects, so I wasn’t very confident\nthat I could help. But when a child comes to you looking and feeling\nso discouraged, you put aside your insecurities, roll up your sleeves\nand get to work, albeit somewhat hesitantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We began tackling the first problem. Fortunately,my memory jogged. It was like getting onto a bicycle after not riding for years. At first you feel a little wobbly and uncertain, but then the skill kicks in and you’re riding confidently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One at a time, we worked through each equation. On closer observation, I could see that my son generally understood the necessary skills. Most of his errors had actually been quite minor,merely careless computation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once he saw where he had gone off track, my son\ngained the self-assurance to proceed independently, and before long,\nthe task was completed. The previous lines of tension on his face\nwere replaced with a radiant smile, expressing relief and gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working on those complex problems sharpened more than just my informatic skills. I discovered some essential yet basic principles that can be applied to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life is full of equations. We confront a new set\nof equations at every change in our circumstances, at every new stage\nof our maturation. Each equation communicates to us what, at that\npoint, is our relationship with ourselves, our world, and one\nanother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But every stage of life has unknowns. Our\nchallenge is to figure out these unknown variables, so that we find\nthe solutions that make our lives correct and true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lessons I learned from my son’s computer\nscience exercise are: \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First: Tackle only one problem at a time.Otherwise, the load becomes too great to bear and you risk capitulating out of frustration or defeat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Second: Isolate the problem or the unknown, and you will have taken the first step on the road to your solution. On the other hand, if you combine all the unknowns, the equation becomes impossible to solve.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n