Note to students

Do your older friends ever tell you they wish they had worked harder when they were in the classes that you are in now? Do you have friends in college who say they are struggling because they weren't challenged enough by the adults around them? It is hard sometimes to stay focused in school, when there are other things that seem more interesting and relevant than what you are learning in class today.

It may surprise you to know that the national organization Achieve (www.achieve.org/files/pollreport.pdf) reports that, when students are surveyed two years after high-school graduation, 75% express the wish that they had worked harder and had been challenged more by the adults around them. Amazingly, more than 60% say they wish they had taken more challenging mathematics courses in high school.

You are at a time in your life when you can take advantage of opportunities that those surveyed students did not. One way to do that is by challenging yourself to take lots of math. Taking rigorous mathematics courses can be a key to success in just about any career you might want to pursue when you leave school. The work isn't done only in your junior or senior year of high school, either. As you explore the resources on this site, notice how important ideas of middle school mathematics lay the foundation for your future success in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, Calculus, and Statistics.