[vgivanovic]

I taught (ahem) data structures and algorithms from a book I really liked (T. Standish, Data Structure Techniques, 1980) which emphasized the mathematical aspects of the subject. (It's still available on Amazon for the bargain price of $6.40.) My students hated it. I told them that it can't be read like a novel; that every line has to be studied and understood, individually, in order. I failed as a teacher, either because they didn't follow my advice, or it was the wrong advice. My suspicion was that Standish's approach required too much effort; that the reward was not instantaneous.

I was taught high school "new math" from an English (O-level?) text that started with sets and was not divided into algebra, trig, geometry, etc. but provided an integrated approach that covered topics as they naturally arose. My teacher (Eric Turner, now deceased, so I was unable to let him know how much he affected my life) probably had much to do with it. He also taught physics, so perhaps he really understood both the abstract and the practical.

I have two only complaints about my mathematics education: the knowledge of how to construct and deconstruct proofs, and no statistics (too much calculus).

My kids, 17 and 15, don't grok mathematics the way I think they should. Tis a pity since underneath it all is mathematics.

By the way, there are some really excellent mathematics video channels on YouTube: 3 Blue 1 Brown comes to mind.