Math is not the same for everyone. There are some who enjoy the process of solving an equation or using math to explain a concept, while there are others who find it challenging and want to quit. It's a different experience for everyone, and no experience is truly right or wrong. It's all about how we perceive it. My dad had always loved math. Maybe that would explain why he was trying to teach me multiplication when I didn't even know how to add or subtract two-digit numbers at about six years old. Regardless, he was determined to help me. Whenever I got a question wrong on a math quiz, I would sit down on the couch with him in our living room. He would begin by praising me for my correct answers and then would explain how to solve the questions I got wrong. It started with adding, then multiplying, then fractions, and eventually he had helped me with solving for variables. By the time I started high school, my dad began to focus more on my sister. She struggled a bit in her studies. It wasn't a major concern, but my dad worried a lot about her math grades. As a result, I would come home after school, look over my math assessments, and would try my best to understand it on my own. I never realized how much my dad had done for me until then. However, I didn't mind because I knew I was capable of learning from my mistakes on my own. I'd much rather have my sister receive more help since she was younger and she needed a strong foundation in math for it to make sense in the future. In freshman year of high school, I started tutoring students in pre-school to 8th grade in math at a local tutoring center. I enjoyed helping them with any doubts they had and witnessing their grades improve as a result. Seeing them enjoy math as much as I do has made me so proud. I think that's when I began to understand my dad's love of math. I love math because it helped me spend more quality time with my dad and watch students grow as I helped them. It has given me so many great memories that I cherish deeply. I hope to build more memories like these around math.