I taught high school mathematics, Algebra through Calculus, for 43 years in Chicago, retiring in 2012. I have a M.S. degree in mathematics. I am also one of the first 6 teachers to earn National Board Certification in Adolescent and Young Adulthood Mathematics in the state of Illinois. I renewed this certification 10 years later. I can’t think of any other career I would have loved more. To me, mathematics is one of, if not the, most exciting thing one can learn. It can be applied to everything else: science, language, dance, art, history, etc. Everything! If you understand mathematics and how to use it, the whole world is at your f