Achilles is racing a tortoise. The tortoise gets a 100m head start. The race begins! After one second, Achilles runs 100m, but the tortoise moves 1m. After 1/100th of a second, Achilles runs 1m, but the tortoise moves 0.01m. This continues ad infinitum, so when exactly does Achilles catch the tortoise? Does he ever?

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My pupil’s pupils seemed to dilate as his eyes widened. He was convinced that quick-footed Achilles never caught the tortoise. It was just too crafty. Oh, but algebra begs to differ. Behold, he catches him when the lines on our graph intersect!

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His eyes widened again as he looked up at me and then back at his paper. What he said next made my entire week. After a few seconds, he slowly and perhaps hesitantly says, “That’s... actually really cool.” I love it when I get someone to say math is cool! I kept going.

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“Yes, and do you know what we can call this graph? It is a space-time coordinate system! You are a mad scientist!”

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He started to take notes. We got a little off track because I kept blabbering about how important vectors are and how super silly I think it is that they aren’t introduced earlier on in the curriculum. We got back on track, but then we got off track again. This time it was due to a problem my friend has with his mental health.

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He often enters a state of mind that he calls “the inverse.” It is characterized by tangents. I’ve since learned that if I politely remind him that he is in the inverse, he comes back to reality. It doesn’t seem to impair his ability to learn. It is just another fight we have to accept. Maybe it is normal, because we all daydream, don’t we?

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Math seemed to help him stay present, at least. Interest might have played a big role. Before we knew it, our hour was up. It was saddening for both of us. We could have stayed there and done math all day!

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We do what we can when we can. Since then, the local community college here at the prison has arranged for us to meet once a week. This is great, but I wish we could meet more. This person only lives in the next building over!

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Now, he wants to finish with algebra and move on to trigonometry. He expressed wanting to be ready for school when he is released. He is signing up for PMP, too. It’s really cool to see someone take that initial step towards actively learning and then realize that it is the means by which they endure. It implies critical thinking too, arguably what is most lacking when crimes are committed.

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Never did I think that math would help me and those around me so much! Life inside is still a struggle, but it doesn’t have to be. We can acknowledge our situation and grow. We do, and a big thanks for all the help. Oh, and the next time someone punches me in the eye, I’m just going to fake a seizure. After solving tons of problems, math has taught me to use my time effectively.

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Header image by Староста КБ-11, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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