Factors Part 2

I've said before that my Algebra II class was just a less difficult, slower paced version of my Algebra class, with a less excellent teacher.

Third trimester, 2001.

When we got to factoring, I barely suppressed a chuckle at having to go over this yet again. When the work came, I easily blew passed it, leaving everyone far behind. This was good since this lead to me having free time during class as the rest of the lot struggled. After a little while, the brighter ones picked up on how to do it easily. I was happy for them, really. This meant that I had people to play cards with. The correlation between mathematical ability and being in band held up, as my new found card buddies were mostly band members as well.

I was in the middle of proving my utter dominance in 13, when I was approached by a classmate, asking me for help on how to factor. Helping someone is a mixed bag, for me. One, I like that people ask me for help because that means they need my help. Two, it means that I need to stop what I'm doing and help them.

I looked over the girl in question. She had dyed blond hair, was very fit, and attractive. She knew it, too. I made up my mind of how to respond when I looked at her paper, mentally solved the problem she had been working on, compared the answer to her work, and found it to be a better use of my time to return to my card game.

They say that first impression is what sticks with people. They're wrong. I didn't give the girl another thought and when I finally did, it wasn't that impression I went back to. Sure, I used it to write her off, and she the same for me, I'm sure. But things change.

Things change. I never taught her how to factor. She later claimed that she still didn't quite get how to factor because I never taught her. I doubt that's true, but still....

Looking back on it, I still wouldn't have helped her, to have it to do over again. That way she would still be that girl in my dumb Algebra class that I didn't talk to. She would still give me another shot to make get to know her. She would still be the one that gave me a ride home now and again. She would still ask me if I shaved my hands. She'd still make me feel horrible about relationships for a long time to come that way.

If I did help her, I can't help but feel that all that would have happened but only worse. I was angry then, got angrier because of her (not just her specifically, but a very important factor). If I started on the niceties earlier on, perhaps I would have been more loath to engage in similar behavior later on. Either way, factoring helped lead to my life now.

7x^2+2x-5 is (7x-5)(x+1).