A.K. Whitney
8 P.M. EST on June 16, 2015
Mathochism is one woman’s attempt to revisit the math that plagued her in school. But can determination make up for 25 years of math neglect?
The project is an excellent conversation starter for discussing learning, power, and gender. Here is a short summary from the American Mathematical Society:
Journalist A.K. Whitney is a “math phobe turned math phile,” according to her Twitter bio. Growing up, she enjoyed science, but bad experiences in middle and high school math classes kept her from pursuing a STEM major. A few years ago, she enrolled in a pre-algebra class at a local community college and started her math education basically from scratch. When a friend asked her why, she said, “I got sick of believing I suck at math.” In a series called Mathochism, she writes about her experiences working her way up through calculus. I first encountered the series on Medium, where she is posting an installment every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but it is also available on her blog.
About A.K. Whitney
A.K. Whitney is a journalist with 20 years of experience in print and online. She has a Master’s degree in print journalism from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, the Denver Post, the Orange County Register, The Times Community Newspapers and the Bay Area (BANG) and Los Angeles (LANG) newspaper groups. She has also written for publications including Ms., Paste, Cosmopolitan, XOJane, Bitch, Mental Floss and Alternet.
About Math Future series
Math Future is an international network of people who care about mathematics education: researchers, developers, teachers, parents, and students. Since 2009, we have organized more than a hundred live online events with leaders of amazing projects. Join us for a live conversation, ask and answer questions, and meet other people who care about the mathematical futures.
